Page 3 of The Taming of a Wicked Rogue

The carriage pulled up at the house after a blessedly brief ride over rutted lanes. The housekeeper and servants were already lined up outside to welcome him, and Leo climbed out of the vehicle with a brief glance up at the building. Nothing had changed since his last visit, not even the serving staff by the looks of it.

“Mrs. Jones,” he greeted the housekeeper. “Mr. Quigley.”

The housekeeper had been married to Mr. Quigley nearly twenty years, but as Mrs. Jones had worked at the house as Mrs. Jones prior to Quigley’s arrival, she had maintained her previous name. It rather amused Leo to see them grow more and more alike each time he saw them, both slowly decreasing in size with greying hair. Mr. Quigley now also owned spectacles which were similar in style to Mrs. Jones’s.

“How was your journey, my lord?” asked the housekeeper.

“Tolerable.” He thrust a finger in the direction of the town. “Tell me, why is Langmere playing host to half of the young women in England?”

Mrs. Jones's lips curved. “Do not tell me you have not read the book, my lord?”

“The book?” he repeated.

“Oh yes.” She turned and he followed her inside. She spoke to him over her shoulder. “Mr. Gerald Ferrers visited here last year and wrote all about the lakes. Langmere received particular mention for its beauty and the healing qualities of the air.” She paused and waited for him to hand over his gloves and hat to Quigley. Her lips quirked. “It also documented some of the interesting characters who reside here.”

“Interesting characters?” He frowned. “We have interesting characters?”

“Well, there’s Rosie of Buttermere of course. She’s such a famed beauty.”

“Of course,” Leo intoned but had little idea of whom the woman was speaking.

“Not to mention Fortescue who was recently hung after his daring escape.”

Leo clenched his jaw. He did not want to think about Rebecca’s father. “Indeed.”

“Even you and your brothers are mentioned.” Her smile widened.

“We are?”

“Oh yes.” She turned to her husband. “How were they described?The eligible but untamable Lords of Scandal Row?”

Leo grimaced. That name had been conjured by some gossip rag years ago because they all had townhouses on the same street in London, and despite his two brothers rarely being in residence, the nickname had amused many members of thetonand stuck.

“I believe the book mentioned how handsome they were, Mrs. Jones,” the butler said, and Leo caught the twitch of his lips.

“It sounds as though you two have been doing some reading of late.”

“Well, we needed to stay informed, my lord,” Quigley said, straightening his shoulders.

“Dinner will be at seven, my lord,” Mrs. Jones told him. “Your usual room is prepared.”

“Excellent, thank you.” He twisted on his heel and prepared to head up the grand wooden staircase that sat to one side of the large hall, but the housekeeper cleared her throat, so he turned again to eye her. “Is there something else?”

“Your brothers have sent word that they shall be joining you here within the next few days.” She laced her hands together in front of her. “Should I be preparing for something, my lord? A house party perhaps?”

Leo shook his head. It had been several months since he’d last seen either of his brothers. Alexander had been in the Alps somewhere last he heard. He wasn’t certain about Adam, but he was most likely to be found in one of London’s many gaming hells. He shouldn’t have been surprised his mother had persuaded them to come out here too—after all he wasn’t the only one accused of impregnating poor Miss Kingsley.

“We shall be doing absolutely nothing,” he said.

“Absolutely nothing?” the housekeeper echoed, her brow creasing.

“Indeed. Absolutely nothing.”

“Absolutely nothing,” he heard the butler murmur to his wife as Leo ascended the stairs. “That does not seem right, does it?”

Leo smirked to himself. Quigley was not the only one to think that. His new, if temporary life, as a recluse bachelor had already started shakily with the introduction of all these women, but if he couldn’t have the self-control to avoid them, then he deserved his mother’s scorn.

He sighed. As dull as it was, he supposed he was going to have to be an obedient son, especially with his brothers around.

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