The Decadent Duke Read Online Free PDF Page B

gazed downward. "The lower woods are perfect for deer. We must proceed quietly.’’
    A field mouse scurried under some large burdock leaves, and Mary squealed with laughter. The noise alerted a pair of squirrels, and a brown rabbit that had been nibbling a fern bolted away in fright. Mary put her finger to her lips. "Sshh!’’
    They stopped and listened. Georgina could hear running water and the voices of shouting boys. They descended the hill and emerged from the woods into a meadow through which ran a wide stream that was a tributary of the Thames. Two boys were standing on the bank holding fishing rods.
    "Noisy buggers!’’ Mary muttered.
    Georgina knew it was a word her little niece shouldn’t use, but she also knew from personal experience that in a household with a large number of children, swear words were relished.
    As they drew closer to the stream, Georgina saw that the boys were almost as tall as she, though she guessed their ages to be only eleven and twelve. Then she saw a much younger boy sitting on the bank, and guessed all three were brothers.
    "Any luck?’’
    "No. They’re not biting,’’ the eldest told her.
    "That’s because it’s too shallow. If you want to catch fish, you should wade out to the middle, where the water runs deeper.’’
    "Are you sure?’’ the dark-haired boy with the serious face said.
    "Of course I’m sure. When I fish in the River Spey in Scotland, I always wade out. Let me show you.’’
    "William, give her your rod,’’ the eldest brother directed.
    "Mary, sit down on the bank and watch.’’ Georgina kicked off her shoes, kilted up her skirts, took the rod William handed her, and waded out to where the water came up past her knees.
    After only two or three minutes she got a bite, and the fish on the hook began to splash about.
    "You got one! You got one!’’ The two boys, filled with excitement, waded out to get a closer look.
    Georgina handed the rod back to William so he could have the joy of the catch. The two children who had been sitting on the bank joined them in the water. "My name is Johnny,’’ the little one said shyly.
    "Hello, Johnny. You should have taken off your shoes.’’
    "I took mine off,’’ Mary said importantly.
    Suddenly, a man’s harsh voice rent the air. "Francis! William! What the devil are you about?’’
    Georgina whirled, slipped on a stone, and lost her footing, thoroughly wetting herself. Striding toward them was an extremely tall man with a powerful build and jet-black hair, and she could see that he was angry. She had often seen her father lose his temper, but the dark look of fury on this man’s face made him seem far more dangerously threatening than the Duke of Gordon.
    The two older boys quickly scrambled from the water, but the young one froze.
    "You two devils are supposed to protect John from danger!’’ he thundered. "It’s a damn good thing I came to see what you were up to.’’ His dark, accusing eyes swept over the bedraggled Georgina. "Little girl, have you no more sense than to lure my sons into the middle of the river?’’ he demanded.
    "It’s just a stream,’’ she protested.
    He removed his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs, then waded out into the water and picked up his son. "John, you’ll be ill again.’’ He towered above Georgina, and his wrath turned his face dark and ominous.
    Georgina found the man extremely intimidating. It wasn’t just the fury he displayed that was frightening; it was the deep-suppressed anger in his black eyes that he kept reined in that daunted her. If he ever unleashes his rage, it will be like opening the gates of hell.
    "Little girl, go home! And take your sister with you. It’s a wonder you didn’t drown!’’
    Georgina was highly offended. Little girl, indeed! He spoke to her as if she were a