Compromising Kessen (Vandenbrook #1)(65)

He ran a shaky hand through his hair.

“You thought what?” Her face was unreadable, making it even harder for him to get it out.

“I thought we had discovered more…”

“More?” She looked eager. Did she want him to say it? Did he have to be the first one? Was that what this was all about?

“Ahem.” A throat cleared behind them.

“Oh, for the love of—Could everyone please stop interrupting us with the throat clearing?” Christian’s voice certainly carried through the entire house.

Duncan seemed frozen in place. “Your, uh—”

Christian walked towards him. “Well?”

“Your parents and Lady Newberry have arrived. They’re in the salon waiting, my lord.” Duncan did a quick bow, irritating Christian even more. What was wrong with him? He never yelled. Within the past two minutes he had successfully yelled at the girl he loved and at his best friend.

He turned back to Kessen, only to see her making a rapid retreat down the hall.

“Where are you going?”

She turned abruptly. “To greet my future in-laws.” He followed close behind, so close he ran into her when she suddenly stopped cold in her tracks.

“There is,” she answered in a near whisper.

“There is what?”

The pause itself nearly killed him.

“More,” she answered, and then ran down the stairs out of his sight.

Good Lord, it was going to be a long night.

As self-fulfilling prophecies go, this one was spot-on.

The night hadn’t gone well at all.

In fact, it couldn’t have gotten worse.

Armageddon was taking place in the Vandenbrook country house, and the first sign was the look on his parents’ faces when he descended the stairs to greet them.

Apparently, his voice did carry … furthermore, it was possible to hear his voice down in the salon if he was yelling, say … in the upper hallway.

Cursing became an easy second language in his head the following three hours as he had to listen to his father explain to him why a duke, or any aristocrat, never raised his voice.

A lecture poor Kessen had to listen to as well.

When he looked to her for help, she merely smiled, and then told him later her father gave her that same lecture at least five times a year.

It didn’t make the lecture any easier to endure.

Christian was contemplating all the ways he could jump out the window without making too much of a mess, when Nick suddenly arrived with refreshments.

“Could you have gotten here any sooner?” Kessen hissed.

Just then Duncan appeared. “We waited outside the door for an extra twenty minutes just to see if Christian would try to make a run for it.”

“Why hello, your grace!” Duncan yelled into the Duchess of Albany’s face. He liked to pretend she was deaf, just to irritate her.

She was hardly pleased but didn’t have the gumption to say anything; she was a cougar at heart and had always found young Duncan quite delectable, which explained Duncan’s sudden behavior.

He took her hand and kissed it but not before grimacing at the floor, something only Christian would notice.

“It’s time!” Lady Newberry said, clapping her hands.

Christian leaned over to Kessen. “For killing? More torturing? Are they handing out notes with this lecture … oh no, please don’t tell me they’re going to give us the birds and the bees talk.”

She let out a grunt of laughter and covered her mouth with her hands.

Nick let out a fake cough to help the situation.

Always the thoughtful one.

Kessen kissed her grandmother’s hand. “What are you referring to?”

Lady Newberry smiled sweetly. “Well, we need to get ready for the ball tonight, my love.” She leaned in even closer to Kessen. “After all, it takes a few hours to get us looking this good, doesn’t it?”

Christian opened his mouth to say something flattering just as Duncan swooped in and kissed Lady Newberry’s hand. “Why, your ladyship, you don’t look a day over twenty-five!”

She blushed.

Christian threw up in his mouth a bit.

And Kessen rolled her eyes.

Nick appeared too busy concentrating on the snacks to be offended at Duncan’s outrageousness.

Lady Newberry popped Nick on the back, causing several finger sandwiches to fall out of his hand. He choked, most likely on a cucumber, then gave her a thumbs-up, clueless as to why he was offering the old broad encouragement for causing physical harm.

“Let us be off, my dear!” Lady Newberry said, firmly grabbing Kessen’s hand.

Kessen sent Christian a look begging for him to save her, but before he could grab at her hand and make up some lame excuse about looking at the vegetable garden, Lady Newberry sent him a seething glare, warning him to leave her granddaughter alone, which was probably a response to his earlier ungentlemanlike outburst.

Fear won out; therefore, Christian gave Kessen a reluctant nod as she was led up the stairs to Lady Newberry’s chamber, where she would most likely be stuck for the remainder of the evening until she was announced at the ball.

“Apology accepted,” Duncan said, hitting Christian on the back.

“Huh, what?” His eyes were watching Kessen as she disappeared at the top of the stairs. He wasn't even ashamed that for the most part, he was staring at the lower half of her body.