The Seduction of an English Scoundrel Read Online Free PDF

seemed so naturally drawn.
    Lord and Lady Belshire seemed somewhat bewildered by his appearance in their drawing room. Lady Belshire had in fact just finished half a bottle of sherry; the earl’s graying black hair stood in disarrayed tufts, his neckcloth askew, but other than that he managed to present his usual distinguished self to this unexpected caller.
    â€œSedgecroft. Have a drink. Have you found the blackguard?”
    â€œNot yet.” Grayson glanced over his shoulder at the two comely young ladies who sat on the sofa pretending to work on their embroidery. The chilly frowns they sent him between stitches could have turned his entire body to stone. As if he by familial association was responsible for their sister’s abandonment.
    â€œHeath is gone on that quest and will be discreet,” he added. “If Nigel is alive, he shall be brought back to perform his duty.”
    Lady Belshire hiccoughed behind her hand. “I confess I rather hope he’s found dead. At least it would be an acceptable excuse for what he did to my daughter today.”
    â€œRake,” murmured one of the two daughters on the sofa.
    â€œRogue,” added her sister in a crisp undertone.
    Grayson examined them from the corner of his eye. He had the distinct impression they were not referring exclusively to Nigel, although, for God’s sake, one could accuse his cousin of many faults, stupidity being foremost. But Nigel had never been known for his womanizing skills.
    Which made it all the more disturbing that the nodcock had left a beauty like Lady Jane at the altar. But then perhaps her elegant dignity had frightened off the fool. Perhaps, for all Grayson knew, Nigel had run off with a man. Stranger things had happened. Take him, for example, trying to repair a wrong he hadn’t done.
    He frowned, glancing back to the earl who had collapsed in an armchair, a fat spaniel positioned on his lap. “I would like to speak to your daughter, Belshire. In private, if you please. Someone has to make amends in the Boscastle name.”
    Grayson had no intention of asking Belshire’s permission for what else he had in mind until he presented his plan to the jilted bride. If Jane objected, well, at least he could say he had tried. There was no point in taking his scheme to her parents. Neither Athena nor Howard looked capable of decision making at the moment, emotionally crushed by the day’s unprecedented disaster.
    The two young women on the sofa rose in a surge of sisterly support. Grayson studied them. One possessed mahogany-gold hair, the other was a fetching brunette. Good looks certainly seemed to run in the females of this family.
    As did a rather disconcerting self-assurance.
    â€œWhat do you want to see Jane for?” demanded the darker-haired sister.
    The other added, “She is hardly in the mood for a social call, considering what your cousin did to her today.”
    â€œI understand that,” he said smoothly.
    â€œI doubt she will see you,” the brunette said.
    Grayson shrugged. He had a feeling she was mistaken. “It doesn’t hurt to try.”
    â€œYour appearance here is bad timing, Sedgecroft,” Lord Belshire said irritably. “Perhaps you could make your apologies to her at a later date.”
    â€œWhen one falls off a horse,” Grayson said guardedly. “one is best advised to remount immediately.”
    Lady Belshire plunked her sherry glass down on the side table, her eyes glittering with interest. “What sort of remounting are we discussing, Sedgecroft?”
    Grayson hesitated, choosing his words with care lest his offer be misinterpreted. “The worst thing your daughter can do is to remove herself from Society. In the event Nigel is not brought around, she will want to attract another husband.” Preferably, he thought, one with half a brain to appreciate what his cousin had so mysteriously discarded.
    â€œAre you offering to marry