Discreet Young Gentleman Read Online Free PDF

other men for money? I'd rather starve."
    "Would you? Oddly, the people who say that are rarely the ones who've ever been in danger of it. You should try being hungry, it might open your mind."
    "Never to that point."
    Rob rubbed a long-fingered hand across his eyes. "What's the use? You'll never understand. I have nothing but my looks—"
    A bark of harsh laughter escaped the earl. "And I have—what? Everything but?"
    The other man looked at him curiously. "You're joking. You're a very attractive man."
    Dean flushed. "Don't speak nonsense. I've been ugly all my life."
    "Ugly? Hardly."
    Dean looked back out the window. "Someone like you can never understand what it's like to be teased for your looks."
    "No," Rob said softly. "I was never teased for something so insignificant."
    Dean didn't respond, trapped in a repeating cycle of memories: Six years old, looking up at his mother with starry adoration, only to hear her sigh and say, "If only he'd got his father's skin."
    The other children at school: "Hey, Ginger! What kind of pox is THAT?"
    Shaking in his boots, the first visit to a brothel. "I'll take the dark one. Susan can have the orange spotty one."
    Even complete strangers jeered at him in the street. "Hip, Michael," they'd shout,
    "yer hair's on fire!"
    Insignificant, indeed. Dean rubbed at one freckled forearm, wishing he could smooth the hated marks away. He flicked a glance at Rob, and let his gaze linger when he saw the other man was staring out the window, lost in his own thoughts. A man as handsome as that could have no idea.
    And the ride continued in silence until it was nearly time to stop for luncheon.

Chapter Four
    They circled around Worcester, avoiding the market traffic, then took the eastern road in the direction of Stratford upon Avon. The detour to visit Dean's friend Peter Chesterfield would set them back half a day, but the delay was a necessary evil. In the coach, Dean consulted a map, trying his best to hold it steady while the poorly-sprung carriage jounced over uncertain roads. "As long as the weather remains fine, we'll be back on the Bristol road tonight, and reach Tewkesbury just after sundown."
    "I wouldn't mind a light rain shower to dampen the dust." Rob coughed, again.
    Dean tossed his map aside, pulling the shade back down over the window. "This old coach is too heavy to be much good on muddy roads, so believe me, a little dust is preferable. Pray it stays dry."
    Rob rolled his eyes. "This is England. Rain is an utter certainty. Unless, of course, one absolutely needs it. Italian summers are much more civilized."
    "Are they? Isn't it damned hot over there?"
    "Not as hot as Greece. And in the hills around Tuscany, it's cool and pleasant in the evenings."
    "Well." Dean leaned back against the leather seat. "At least your profession lets you see the world."
    Rob raised his brows. "I should think an earl with a large estate would have the opportunity to travel, if he willed it."
    "Carwick is a prosperous estate," Dean admitted. "But it will take years to set to rights after my uncle's neglect, before it becomes profitable enough to support gadding about the Continent. So if you were hoping to snare a new patron, forget it. I mean, even if I had the least bend in that direction. Which I certainly do not. Obviously." He remembered his dream of the night before, and hoped the shaded windows blunted the effect of his crimson cheeks.
    But perhaps discreet young gentlemen don't make a habit of noticing other people's embarrassment. Rob just smiled. "Of course not. Tell me, is Miss Lewis very beautiful?"
    "Minerva is said to be the prettiest girl in Worcester," Dean said. "And I'm told she has marvelous taste: her couture is the envy of all the other ladies."
    "Does she—?"
    "Wait. The coach is slowing." Dean untied the shade and peered out. "Yes, this is Alcester. I told Erich to stop here so we can eat. And not a minute too soon, I'm starving." He rolled up the shade so they could see the