The Day of the Duchess (Scandal & Scoundrel #3)(35)

Chapter 11



Talbot Takeover; Haven Horrified!



He should have known she’d bring reinforcements.

He might have even imagined that she would bring sisters. But it hadn’t occurred to him that she’d bring all of them.

She had, however, and they were reinforcements of the highest order, as there were not four people in the world who loathed him more than his sisters-in-law.

Eventually, when he recovered his wits, he would not be able to blame her. After all, this was the place she’d been promised would be her sanctuary. The place that should have been her home, where her family was not only welcome, but grew. And, instead, it was a place that had left her with nothing but pain and anger. A place from which she had fled.

Reinforcements must have felt necessary.

He would understand it in a bit. But in that moment, Haven was not pleased. And that was before the most outrageous one deposited what appeared to be a feral cat into his arms and promptly vomited upon his boots.

He was an intelligent man, he liked to think, but he had not a single idea how to proceed from this precise course of events, except to narrow his gaze at the four women remaining in the carriage, each obviously resisting the urge to laugh.

Correction. Three were resisting the urge to laugh.

His wife was laughing. With what appeared to be immense pleasure, and damned if he didn’t warm at the sound—one of his very favorites. Even if he didn’t care for the situation that inspired it.

Haven adjusted his grip on the wild animal in his arms, setting one hand to the writhing beast’s back with firm control and willing it still. “Enough, beast,” he said for show, sending a silent, Come on, cat, at least allow me this, to whatever higher power managed felines.

Remarkably, blessedly, the power in question heeded his request, which left Haven able to turn to the cat’s owner and say, “May I be of some assistance, Lady Sesily?”

Sesily stood and leveled him with a cool look. “A decent gentleman would already have proffered his handkerchief.”

She’d never liked him. None of them had.

Not that he’d deserved their liking.

“I would not like to give you reason to find me lacking, but . . .” There was not much he could do with a wild beast in his arms.

“No need to worry, Haven,” Sesily said, her spirits clearly restored. “I find you immensely lacking without any additional reasons.”

He blinked. “I am heartened to see you are feeling so much repaired.”

“Knowing I ruined your boots does help matters along.”

“I see you are as charming as ever,” he said dryly, lifting the animal in his arms. “And with significantly more cats.”

The cat protested with a mighty yowl.

So much for the feline gods.

Sesily reached for the animal. “Only a monster would punish a cat for an unavoidable owner infraction.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” he said, “I’m not punishing the damn cat. If you take him from me, I shall find you a handkerchief.”

“No. No one is taking the cat. The cat is going back into his basket until Sesily has a room.” Sera stepped down from the carriage, basket in hand, heading directly for them. “And a bath.”

With that, the other women seemed to fade away, dwarfed and diminished by Seraphina, tall and beautiful, blue eyes clear and calm even as he knew she must be thinking about all the same things he thought about in this place. She looked utter perfection, even with the perspiration that coated the bridge of her nose and the wide expanse of skin above the bodice of her dress.

Not that he was noticing the skin there. The slope of her breasts.

He was simply noticing that the carriage must have been warm, what with the way her flushed skin rose and fell. Straining against the heather-grey fabric of the frock. It was nearly too tight for her. Perhaps she should take it off.

For her own comfort.

He cleared his throat.

“Your Grace.”

Haven swallowed sharply, his gaze immediately snapping to hers. She appeared to be waiting for him to act. Had she said something? He opened his mouth, willing words to come. What came was, “Er.”

Which was not a word at all.

One perfect black brow rose.

He cleared his throat again, but refused to speak and thus make an additional fool of himself. Silence could not be criticized.

The youngest Talbot sister, Sophie, snickered from her place several feet away. She’d always been considered the quiet one. That was, until three years ago, when she’d planted him ass-deep in a fishpond and ruined his best boots. After that, she’d found a bastard of a husband and her own voice, which she did not hesitate to use in the moment. “Perhaps the cat has got his tongue?”

One side of Sera’s mouth twitched. “A woman can dream.”

His brows snapped together. “What do you want?”

Her red lips curved. “The cat, Haven.” She extended the open basket to him. “I want the cat.”

Of course she did. She’d said as much.

Miraculously, the animal accepted its imprisonment without argument, after which Haven extracted his handkerchief and offered it to Sesily, who took it without hesitation. It was only then, when silence fell in the span of a heartbeat or two, that Haven realized that his best laid plans had gone entirely to waste.