Dealing With Discipline Read Free Page B

acquainted. 
    Standish smiled
disarmingly. "You came up fairly often in conversation with Hugh
here," he said, by way of explanation.  "Did you enjoy your
travels? I always wanted to see more of the world, but with one
thing and another... not that Caroline was ever interested in going
farther than London."  He chuckled indulgently.
    Personally Hugh didn't see how the
amiable and personable Standish could bear to spend any time with
his social climbing, judgmental and icy wife, but to each his own.
 On the outside Irene might seem all closed up like her
mother, especially when she was first introduced to someone, but
she warmed up quite quickly and he was more than a little aware of
the hot passion that was buried just beneath the surface.
 Just a touch was enough to set her simmering, although he was
quite sure that she didn't entirely understand her responses.
 He hoped that with a little coaxing her passion would flare
as brightly as her vibrant hair.
    The conversation between Standish
and Wesley flowed past him as he looked around the room, searching
for the bright red hair of his new bride. Since she was the eldest
and tallest of her sisters, and the only one dressed in shimmering
white and gold, he found her almost immediately. She was facing
Hugh and talking to another man, laughing actually, and Hugh felt a
violent fission of jealousy lance through him. If she was talking
so freely with the man she must know him well enough to feel
comfortable; she was not the type to be so relaxed around a mere
acquaintance. Unfortunately he couldn’t see who it was because the
man’s back was to him, but he looked well dressed and his hair was
a dark auburn, almost brown. Perhaps he was a relation.
    Not wanting to look like the jealous
bridegroom that he was, especially if the man turned out to be a
cousin, Hugh turned to his new father-in-law and waited for a break
in the conversation.
    As soon as it came, he pounced.
“Excuse me gentlemen, Standish, I was wondering, who is that
talking to Irene over there?” He nodded his head in their
direction. “A cousin? I didn’t recognize him.”
    Standish craned his neck, not having the
advantage of height, as Wesley turned to look as well.
    “Ah… oh that must be Alex. Lord
Brooke, that is, Warwick’s heir, and our neighbor on the other
side. His mother is quite close with Caroline, so he and Irene
practically grew up together. He’s been like a big brother to her
since she was born, looked out for her while they were growing up
and such; I’m sure she’s quite relieved he managed to come in town
for the wedding, he hasn’t been in London for a while.”
    As soon as he heard Brooke’s name,
Hugh relaxed a trifle. They were acquainted. Not well acquainted,
but they’d met and he knew Brooke was a good man despite the… ah…
circumstances with his wife. Well that explained why Eleanor’s
friend Grace wasn’t here at least, he’d been wondering about that
because he knew that she’d been invited. Grace’s mother was here,
being bosom friends with his own mother, but Lady Grace would never
deign to step foot in the same event as her husband if she could
help it.
    Brooke was a rake, true, but he never dallied
with other men’s wives. Widows, actresses, a few select members of
the demimonde, but perhaps his own marital circumstances had soured
him on accepting another man’s wife into his bed.
    Besides, the way Standish
made it sound, they were like Wesley and Eleanor. Of course, Edwin
and Eleanor had turned out rather differently. Controlling himself,
Hugh turned back to his father-in-law, determined not to become a
jealous bridegroom. It was good that Irene’s almost brother could come to their
wedding.

Chapter 2
    “You make a beautiful bride,” Alex
said, smiling down at her. Irene loved the way his eyes glowed when
he looked at her, the special smile that he reserved for her. He
didn’t smile nearly enough, but he always smiled at her. So what if
he didn’t