His Courtesan Bride (Brides of Mayfair 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

here, I’ll wager.”
    Bliss stood and walked purposefully to the fireplace, taking the heavy black poker in hand. “Best to be prepared, whatever the cause.”
    Just then, the door opened, and the girls were surprised to see Lady D’s happy face peering in at them.
    “What is it?” Serena asked, breathlessly. “You must tell us.”
    “Come with me,” Lady D said, opening the door wide to let them through. “We are quite safe, I assure you. But you must see this.”
    The quartet hurried down the hallway to the top of the staircase. They crept halfway down until they could see though the wide double-doors into the billiard room below. And what they saw was quite a sight indeed.
    The crashing of crystal, and shouted expletives assaulted their ears as they watched a battle royale. Darius, the Earl of Kane and the Duke of Balfour were bare-chested, engaged in a match of fisticuffs.
    “They’re fighting,” Serena said in shock. She turned to Lady Devlyn. “Why are they fighting?”
    “They are fighting over you ,” she said, proudly. “I daresay, it’s quite a compliment.”
    Serena had heard tell of ‘the Fancy’ before, a bare-knuckled form of boxing which was officially outlawed, but extremely popular amongst the aristocracy. It seemed the Courtesan Club was to enjoy ringside seats in the comfort of Lady Devlyn’s Mayfair mansion.
    Serena watched, open-mouthed, as Darius defended himself from an out-of-control Duke of Balfour. It was instantly apparent which man was the better fighter. Where the duke’s style consisted of lunging forward drunkenly and swinging with gusto at his opponent, Darius hopped lightly from foot to foot, always managing to stay out of the duke’s way by an inch or two, and then successfully land a powerful blow of his own.
    Which seemed to infuriate the duke even more.
    “I’ll teach you to mind your betters, Kane!” the duke bellowed.
    “A noble aspiration, Your Grace,” Darius replied, not even sounding the least bit winded. “Tell me, when does the lesson begin?”
    The duke threw a punch. Serena gasped as Darius deflected it, then his hard fist connected with the duke’s chin in a devastating upper-cut.
    The duke spun around like a child’s top, but was pushed back toward his opponent by the chanting crowd.
    “Two hundred on Kane!” Major Price shouted above the din, taking the offered notes while trying to stay out of the way of flying fists. “I have you down, Lord Dudley. Another hundred on the duke—certainly, Mr. Bowles. Who’s next?”
    Between the men chanting and clamoring to place bets, and the violence of the fight itself, Serena felt dizzy. But she refused to do anything as silly as to faint. This was the first time men had fought over her, and she was going to enjoy every moment of such a scandalous event.
    “But where is Erasmus?” Serena asked, touching Lady D’s sleeve. “Why doesn’t he interfere?”
    Lady Devlyn indicated her hulking bodyguard, who stood off to the side of the billiard room. His massive, brown arms were folded across his chest and a frown clouded his face.
    “Erasmus has everything under control, I assure you,” she said. “His duty is to protect us , and we are quite safe. This is merely a spat between gentlemen, and more importantly, it is a spat over you , Serena. A match of fisticuffs is quite permitted in these circumstances. The publicity we will gain from such an audacious spectacle will be immeasurable. You’ll be the talk of the ton for weeks.”
    “But are we certain they are fighting over me?” Serena asked. “Perhaps their argument originated at the billiard table.”
    Lady D smiled and shook her head. “I had it straight from the butler. The gentlemen were indeed engaged in a match of billiards, but then the duke said something objectionable—I don’t know what it was—and then it turned into an argument over who would win you. It seems each wants to be the top contender for the honor.”
    Serena felt a