The Viscount's Sweet Temptation Read Free

winter.”
    She thought about that for a moment. As the heir, she assumed he should always be in attendance at family gatherings. But then, Lee tried to miss as many as possible. Something about wild oats, he usually told her with his familiar laugh that always made her feel she was unable to see something quite obvious. “You must miss them when you visit your aunt. I would think her celebration would be rather dull in comparison.”
    He laughed. “Dull. Yes, delightfully so. My two older sisters have seven children between them. Thankfully, Lady Eleanor and the other four younger sisters have yet to marry, but there are altogether too many voices in the Great Hall when the little ones join us from the nursery.”
    “How delightful that must be,” Harriet cried. “My own family is nothing like that. Lee plays the pianoforte while Miriam and I sing, then Mama reads from the Gospel according to St. Matthew. I can’t wait until I have nieces and nephews to play with.”
    “You are welcome to mine.” Morley suddenly cleared his throat and turned away as if he realized how close they were to the possibility of his relatives becoming hers.
    Harriet tried to remember what Ellie had said about her brother, but nothing specific came to mind. She couldn’t recall the details of any stories, yet she had the overwhelming feeling she had known Archie forever. Lord Morley, she corrected. If Papa or Grandpapa caught her calling him by name, they would never believe there was nothing between her and the lord.
    And as desperate as she was not to marry whomever Grandpapa had chosen, she cared too much for the brotherly image she held of the man across the coach from her. She would not try to trap him. “It’s surprising we’ve never met,” she said. “Ellie and I spend all our time together during the Season.”
    “Not surprising at all, given I avoid balls and the usual entertainments.”
    “So does Lee. Or maybe he only avoids the ones where Mama will be attending with Miriam and me.”
    “Well.” His lips thinned and he grasped his thighs so tightly his knuckles whitened. “Lady Eleanor has been out for two years. Have you also?”
    “Yes.”
    “And have either of you found yourselves a beau? I imagine the young bucks must be fighting over both of you in the ballroom.”
    Harriet giggled. “We are having so much fun we refuse to consider anyone for at least another Season. Oh, but you mustn’t let on to Lord and Lady Wrenthorpe. Ellie would be so angry with me for telling you.”
    His smile might have warmed her heart if she had been able to see it more clearly, but as it was, it sent butterflies skittering about in her belly. If he would only make an appearance at one of the balls, it would surely become a crush. She recalled having seen a miniature of Archie a few years ago and giggling with Ellie about how handsome he was. Perhaps she was lucky they were in the dark carriage. Actually experiencing that roguish smile he was known for would certainly ruin her heart for any of the other young men she would meet.
    Then she remembered the reason she was in such a predicament. Grandpapa’s summons. She might not have the opportunity to meet more young men if the duke had his way.
    And the Duke of Danby always had his way.
    Harriet sighed and turned back to the empty blackness beyond her window.
    “Such a heavy sigh for one so young. I imagine you are beginning to realize the depth of your father’s distress upon discovering you missing.”
    She swallowed the lump that suddenly threatened her ability to breathe. Papa would order her locked in her room for months, she was certain. Assuming he didn’t simply hand her over to the duke’s chosen bridegroom. “It’s not my papa I fear. He will forgive me eventually, once Mama reminds him how she defied her father, the duke, by marrying Papa. But the duke…I’m not at all certain what he’ll do.”
    As if the duke had far-reaching powers, the carriage suddenly began