Lord Sebastian's Secret (The Duke's Sons #3)(69)

“Oh. No.”

Her mother sighed as if she’d been busily planning this occasion for months and Georgina was the laggard. “Perhaps that might be a good idea?”

All at once, Georgina had to find Sebastian. Something trembled inside her, and she couldn’t wait even a moment. She jumped up. “I’ll do that right now.”

“Georgina, I have a list of things yet to discuss.”

“We’ll do it later.” She hurried out of the room before Mama could reply.

Rain sheeted down outside, showing no signs of stopping. It had come in on a cold wind that was a taste of the approaching autumn. Yet even knowing that Sebastian must be indoors in such weather, Georgina had some difficulty finding him. At last, after inquiring among the servants, she traced him to the castle’s billiard room, a generally unused chamber in the most modern wing of the old pile. Her father didn’t care for the game, so he’d put the room to other uses.

Sebastian and Randolph were bent over the table, engaged in a game. They both straightened when she came in. “Didn’t realize you had a billiard room,” Sebastian commented.

She’d nearly forgotten about it herself, Georgina thought. They needed to consider such things before the Gresham party arrived. She’d gotten distracted from the duties of hospitality.

“Your butler mentioned it when we were talking of what to do in this filthy weather,” Randolph chimed in. “We cleared off some documents, but we placed them in the same order.” He gestured toward a sideboard stacked with papers. “I hope there’ll be no objection.”

“Papa never comes in here,” Georgina replied. “I daresay he’s forgotten all about those. He becomes fascinated by a topic and collects every scrap he can find on the subject; then he loses interest and moves on to another.”

“Ah.” Randolph nodded with the air of a tidy man who could not conceive of such disorganization.

Georgina sent silent signals in his direction, urging him to leave them alone.

They missed their mark. “He could hire a secretary to catalog all this,” Randolph said. “Some fresh university graduate who would be glad of the work, and very likely impressed by the materials as well.”

“I don’t think he cares to,” she replied in a discouraging tone. She tried to convey her ardent desire for him to go with a steady gaze, but Randolph wasn’t looking at her. He’d gone over to the sideboard and was glancing through the stacks of paper.

“Ah, care for a game?” Sebastian asked in the silence that followed.

“My word,” said Randolph. “Did you know that badgers eat several hundred earthworms every night?”

“I believe Papa has mentioned it,” Georgina answered in her least enthusiastic voice. This too failed to reach Randolph. She sighed. “Mama was wondering about entertaining your family,” she said to Sebastian. “What sorts of things they like to do.”

He shrugged. “They’re all fond of country pursuits.”

“Robert isn’t,” said Randolph, coming back to the billiard table. “He’s a creature of society drawing rooms. And James cares for nothing but ships.”

“Robert likes to ride and shoot,” replied Sebastian. “There’s no need to take any particular trouble.”

Georgina wondered whether she had the same idea of particular trouble as a duchess. She suspected not. At last, she caught Randolph’s eye and gave him a look that could have ignited the kindling in the hearthside woodbox.

“Oh!” he said, rather as if he’d been stuck with a hatpin.

“What is it?” Sebastian asked, eyeing his brother in surprise.

“Ah, I…” Randolph backed toward the door. “Some important letters to write. Must go begin at once.”

“But you said you had nothing to do this morning,” replied Sebastian.

“Forgot,” declared Randolph, and hurried out.

Sebastian watched him disappear through the doorway with a wry regret. For perhaps the first time in his life, he’d been glad of a chaperone. Randolph’s presence had kept him from having to think about his dilemma. Now he was back in the thick of it. He wanted to be open and honest with Georgina. He took pride in being that sort of man. And with an equally strong resolve, he didn’t want to expose his failings to her. Mostly, he wanted to forget he’d ever thought of the necessity.

She came closer. He caught a hint of the sweet scent of her perfume, which did intoxicating things to his senses. “Robert enjoys a game of billiards,” he said. “So does my father, come to that. They had a tally going, years ago, as to who’d won more often.”

Georgina looked at him as if she was gathering courage to charge a line of artillery. “Sebastian, you must tell me what’s wrong,” she said.

She’d asked before, and he’d fobbed her off. It made for short and stilted conversations, he thought sadly. “Randolph was beating me soundly,” he tried. “A rout, really.” He smiled, hoping to distract her.

It nearly worked. She paused and blinked. Her lips parted. She looked delectably kissable, and Sebastian was about to move in and do so when she said, “Really wrong. I know there’s something. I’m…rather well acquainted with you now. After everything.”

Memories of that everything tantalized and tormented him. How could forbidden actions—like making passionate love to a young lady on a bed of bracken—be so easy, while an unexceptional conversation—containing one damning admission, yes—could loom like a court martial? No one had ever told him this could be the case.