Authors: Nichole Matthews
Poppy grimaced at his precipitous arrival.
Georgie, who had been quietly sitting at her feet, was now jumping
frantically, vying
for Peyton’s attentions. Dancing and yipping
loudly
at his legs.
“Peyton!”
the
four women
chorused.
“G
ood Lord, do be careful, Peyton.
This was mamma’s favorite china. Have a care
,
”
Poppy admonished
.
“These
dishes
are irreplaceable.”
Peyton, heedless of his destructive tendencies, looked
around innocently
,
“
Pardon
?
”
A
lways look
ing as if he was
up to some sort of mischief and for the most
part,
he
was.
Piper shot him a warning glare.
Peyton was almost
five
years older than the twins
, but still young in many ways.
He was the second son, excessively handsome,
exceedingly
wealthy and very spoiled. Known as Per
e
grine to most and Perry to his friends. He looked more like
their mother’s side of the family wit
h his golden blond hair and
smiling blue eyes. Peyton was wealthy on his own
. He had i
n
herited a small fortune from their grandfather
that included h
is own country
estate
in Kent
. The same location where it is rumored he throws
lavish if not lascivious house parties throug
h
out the year.
“I am famished
.
”
He reached
for another of the tiny cakes
and
popped it whole into his mouth.
“You are a glutton,
that’s
what you are
,” Piper
snorted a very unladylike sound.
She was only this animated around her family, close acquaintances, and while dancing
.
She loved to dance.
“Oh you poor dear
,” Poppy
interjected
sarcastically. “It has been…
” glancing
at the o
r
molu clock over the mantle
, “
…almost a full
hour since you have
broken your fast
. I do
n’
t know
how you have
managed for
this long
.”
She rolled
her eyes
.
“I can see you wasting away as I speak
, you poor, poor dear
.
”
“
Amusing
,
Poppy
,
”
Peyton
responded
drolly
his eyes f
alling on the papers scattered across
the
mahogany
low table
.
“
It appears that I have walked into a planning session.
Just what shenanigans are you ladies up to?” Peyton asked looking around with curiosi
ty
as he popped
a
n
other tiny
cake in
to
his mouth and tossed
a crumb
to Georgie.
He
glanced up with his clear blue eyes as he
ru
f
fled
Georgie’s
fur
.
Miss Harris laughed.
“You
’re
spoil
ing
him
,
Peyton.”
“Please remember that we are also having refreshments
,” Piper
reminded
. “There will not be enough
cakes left for us
to enjoy
with
you and Georgie eating them all.
”
“Pardon me
,
ladies
.
”
He
smiled ruefully
inclin
ing
his head
slightly
.
“Your practiced looks will not work on us, Peyton
,
”
Piper reminded.
“We are not one of your bird-witted flirtations.”
“I’m flattered that you would take notice of my activities.”
“
Dunderhead
,”
Poppy muttered.
“I am not deaf, dear sister.”
“Poppy is attempting to organize amusements for the house party.”
Miss Harris cut in expertly
to assist with avoiding a row between the siblings.
“What house party?” Peyton frowned as he slouched on the settee.
Adele
swung to face him with
arched
brows
.
“I’ve never understood how you can spend more than five minutes in this house Peyt
on and still not have a clue
as
to
what is going on?” She clucked her tongue
, shaking her head
. “Poppy’s been working on Parker for a week to have friends vi
s
it.”
“
I am having two of my dear friends. Piper has invited a friend as well and I believe Pa
r
ker has some friends visiting.” Poppy listed.
“Egad! Agnes is coming?” Peyton groaned at Piper. “She is dry as dust
.
All
that
will be
of
interest
to her
is reading boring, dusty tomes
.
How is she going to be helpful in entertaining you this summer?” He rolled his eyes
sarcastically.
“By quoting from
Wollstonecraft
? H
ow
very
diverting
,
indeed.”
“You do everything you possibly can to vex me
,
Peyton
.
Why do you
pretend to care
?” Piper inquired with raised brows. “You only need to be cordial to her. She is not visiting for your en
tertainment
. If you are so concerned with being
entertained
,
why do you not invite some
friends of your own
? You do have
friends
th
at are not completely dissolute
.
Perhaps one or two
that are allowed in polite society?
”
Peyton was silent for a moment.
Almost l
ooking
bothered
by Piper’s remark
, “Perhaps I don’t want to?
Perhaps I would prefer to be alone this summer?
”
He crossed
his arms tightly over his chest with a frown.
“Perhaps I will make plans of my own for the summer. Kent is sounding more and more agreeable.”
Adele grinned as she regarded her nephew with astute eyes.
“Agnes is such a good-humored girl
,
” Miss Harris chimed in
.
“What could be so vexing about her visiting Rosebriar?”
She glanced
at Peyton curiously.
“I do
n’
t give a fig one way or another if
Agnes
is here or not
,
”
he
replied sounding piqued. He abruptly stood.
“Well
ladies,
this has been a most enlightening experienc
e this morn
ing
. But your attempts at conversation are
growing
tedious.
”
“Peyton?” Miss Harris looked concerned.
“
I appreciate your hospitality
,” he stated in a contrived
manner.
“
Thank you for the cake
s
but I believe I will
make my way to
Parker
’s study
.”
He bowed slightly after excusing
hi
m
self.
“What has him flying into the boughs?
”
Piper stuck
her tongue
out childishly
at his back. “He is m
ore moody than any woman of my acquaintance
.
”
“Oh, bother.
” Poppy
slumped in her seat.
“Can we
please
begin now?”
A heart to love, and in that heart,
Courage
, to make love known
Macbeth
*William Shakespeare
D
obbins knocked and then poked
his balding head through the opening of the door
.
“E
x
cuse me,
my lord
. A
message arrived
for you
,
Lor
d Ashford. The messenger
insists he
was d
i
rected
to wait for your r
e
ply.”
“Very good
,
Dobbins
.
”
Parker
accepted the message, breaking
the seal, then
opening the folded note.
“Who send the
letter?” Peyton asked
from the deep leather wingback chair
where
he was lounging
curiosity laced his tone
.
“Well, I’
ll be damned,
”
Parker
muttered, looking up
to grin
at Peyton
.
“
Hawksley
has
f
i
nally
repl
ied to
my invitation. He has decided to dust off the cobwebs and reenter soci
e
ty.
”
“Splendid.
I
have
n’t
seen him in a
n age
,
such a capital fellow
,
” Peyton responded as he took a long swallow from his crystal tumbler.
“So he is removing the
arm
band?”
A faraway look appeared in Parker’s
eyes.
“We were once
some
of
London
’s wildest
hell-raisers
, now I am truly feeling old
.
”
Then
Parker
’s eyes focused and he
smiled
as he looked
at Peyton
.
“
Were
is
the definitive
word.” Peyton laughed.
Disbelief flashed across Parker’s face, and laughter bubbled up in his throat. “You make it sound as if
we are dead
.
”
He shook
his head
.
Declan Trenowyth
was
one of
the best.
He had never found much benefit from follo
w
ing any of
society’s
dictates
and therefore was always up for a good time. An expert troubl
e
maker, he had been a beloved thorn in his father’s side.
Declan’s father
, the previous Duke of Hawksley, passed away
some
three
years ago
around the same time as Parker’s father. H
e
had been perfectly content with being the spare.
He n
ever
had
a doubt that his brother Gabr
i
el
,
being the heir to the dukedom
,
w
ould be around forever. His
inclin
ations ran
to
pursuits of pleas
ure rather
than pursuits of
estate
business. Unfortunately, the unexpected happened a li
t
tle over a year ago when Gabriel came down with a fever after a long day in the cold rain. He had been assisting with the search for a missing child from the local village and never reco
v
ered. Declan was devastated, to say the least.
He has not been seen
since
which was a shame. His
had
one
of the closest families that Parker
had ev
er been a part, a feeling of co
n
tentment
radiated when
in their presence and it had been quite shocking to all when it had come to a crashing halt.