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never been able to be. As Aaron’s star had risen in their father’s eyes, Lucas’s had plummeted until it was difficult to remember that he and Aaron were even related.
    Lucas liked Aaron well enough, although sometimes, he wanted to grab him and shake him and say, Wake up and live your life! Stop being so obsequious to the pathetic fool .
    But Aaron was simply too polite to ever act up or misbehave.
    “If we’ve stooped to your waxing on about Aaron,” Lucas told his father, “this conversation is over.”
    “We are not finished.”
    “We are.”
    Lucas spun and started out.
    “Where are you going?” George practically screeched the question.
    “To London.”
    “You don’t have my permission to leave.”
    “Really, my lord? You think I need your permission?”
    “You’ll will stay here and wed Miss Hubbard.”
    “I won’t.”
    “You have one month to change your mind.”
    “Or what?” he asked as he had earlier.
    “You’ll see,” George solemnly stated. “You enjoy mocking me, and you suppose I have no power over you. But by God, you’ll see what I can do.”
    “Don’t command me, my lord. You can’t.”
    Lucas stomped out, his father shrieking with offense, but Lucas ignored him and kept on.

CHAPTER THREE
    “Hello, Miss Hubbard.”
    Lucas smirked. His voice, unexpected and coming as it was from inside her sitting room, made her jump.
    She whipped around. “Mr. Drake! What are you doing in here?”
    “Your door was open.”
    “So you felt free to waltz in?”
    “Yes.”
    “Have you any manners at all?”
    “No, none.”
    “Were you raised by wolves in the forest?”
    “Worse. I was raised by my father.”
    Actually, he’d been raised by nannies and governesses and tutors and servants. The main blessing of his childhood had been the rare encounters with Lord Sidwell. Whenever George had shown his smug face at the estate, the experience had always been unpleasant.
    “I hardly know you,” Miss Hubbard snottily said, “and despite our scant acquaintance, you denigrate your sire to me. It’s contemptible behavior, but your comment doesn’t surprise me.”
    “Why is that? Oh, that’s right. You’ve already learned that I’m a wretch.”
    “Of the most despicable sort.”
    “It usually takes a female weeks or months to recognize my true nature. How is it that you figured it out so quickly—and so accurately too?”
    She assessed him, her impertinent gaze starting at the top of his head, then traveling down much as he’d done to her earlier in the parlor. Her evaluation was so blatantly rude that he was flustered by it.
    “I’m an excellent judge of character,” she jeered. “It’s easy to see that you’re shameless and vile.”
    “Vile!” He chuckled. “I must say, Miss Hubbard, it’s been awhile since the word vile was used to describe me. Disgraceful, yes. Appalling, yes. Dreadful, yes. But we couldn’t have arrived at vile so soon in our relationship.”
    “I don’t have the time or energy to waste talking to you. Go away.”
    With that arrogant retort, she spun on her heel and pranced into the bedchamber, effectively dismissing him.
    He went to the door, a foot in the hall, the other in her suite, and he dawdled, having no idea why he’d stopped to speak with her. His own suite was at the end of the hall, and he’d been walking to it when he’d passed by her open door.
    He’d specifically chosen his rooms because they were in an isolated wing of the mansion. His visits to Sidwell Manor were few and far between and always contentious. If he called on his father, he liked to have his own space, one that was removed from the rest of the family and their many absurdities, so there was never anyone housed nearby.
    Clearly, his father had placed Miss Hubbard in close proximity to Lucas in the ludicrous hope that he would be intrigued by her. As if Lucas could be interested in such a grumpy, petulant spinster!
    He’d dabbled with every type of female—short, fat,