Page 6 of Persuasions of an Earl's Daughter

Whether any of these things would be kept in the family, August didn’t know. He’d put his money on Percival stripping the house for all it was worth then leaving it to mold while he lived as luxuriously as he could for as long as he could in London. Percival was not known for planning carefully.

August paused at the library door and his heart sank when he spotted a servant filling wooden crates with books. It had been years since August spent time here but to see the floor-to-ceiling shelves barren and empty, stripped of his uncle’s beloved books made his throat tighten. He shook his head. He was being ridiculous. August enjoyed reading as much as the next man, but he’d rather be outside on any given day.

He’d rather by racing a horse at top speed across the countryside.

He pressed his lips together. If it was up to him, he’d be doing just that on Icarus at this very moment, but that blasted Musgrave woman had scuppered his plans.

“Ah, Augie!”

August tightened his mouth further. He loathed that nickname.

“Percy.” He greeted his cousin who carried two bright pink vases, cradled in an arm each like ugly newborns.

Curled to within an inch of its life, Percy’s golden hair flopped in front of his face, and he tossed his head only for the curls to fall straight back into his vision. Calling Percy a dandy was being polite. From the tightly cinched jacket whose cut August knew was aided with a corset to the boots that were so highly polished August feared they would start a fire should they catch the daylight in the wrong manner, Percy was every part the caricature of a fop.

“Do you want these?” Percy offered out the vases. “I cannot for the life of me figure out what to do with them.”

August peered at the hideously formed vases for several moments.

“They’re not worth anything,” his cousin added helpfully.

But of course they weren’t. Clothing oneself as his cousin did was not cheap.

“I think I shall give them a miss.”

Percy shrugged. “I’ll see if the housekeeper wants them.” He went to turn around then paused with a frown. “Are you here to help, Augie?”

“Actually, I was here to see the horse.”

Percy’s frown deepened “The horse?”

“He meansmyhorse.”

August held back an irritated breath as Lilly Musgrave strode down the hallway as though she owned the place. Servants stepped aside for her, and his cousin fumbled with the vases, nearly dropping both to the floor before he recovered.

August supposed he couldn’t blame anyone. It wasn’t just the big, beautiful eyes, but the way she held herself in a gown slightly crumpled from travel yet practically regal in a deep purple that fit a trim figure to perfection. For some reason he rather missed the damp hair all sticking to her face and making her look younger than her seven-and-twenty years.

Oh yes, August had done his research properly this time. Born to a merchant who had done well for himself indeed by marrying a duke’s sister then gaining a title from the crown, Lady Lilly Musgrave was the youngest of four sisters. Her younger brother was on the continent somewhere, doing what many young men of his age did and no doubt sowing his wild seeds. August had done similarly with the exception of sowing any seeds.

After stealing the Prince Regent’s dog—albeit accidentally if an ex-servant of theirs was to be believed—the family had suffered the cut and escaped to Bath. Whether the Musgraves cared that much about their exile remained to be seen. As near as he could tell, her sisters had made excellent matches and the gossips suggested it would not be long before Society was forced to accept them back. There was even talk of the youngest Musgrave marrying a duke though which duke, no one could say, and August couldn’t think of any who were unwedandyoung enough for Lilly.

Percy blinked several times, blew a curl unsuccessfully from his face then widened his eyes. “Oh...thehorse.”

“Icarus,” August repeated, unable to keep the irritation from his voice. Was everyone going to ignore him today?

Hands to her hips, Lilly glanced him over. “What areyoudoing here?”

“Percy is my cousin,” he pointed out.

She looked away from him. “Well, I have come to collect Icarus.”

“He’s in the small stable,” Percy said as though he was not talking of one of the finest racehorses in the country.

August was mildly surprised his cousin hadn’t fought the gifting of Icarus to a stranger given how valuable the horse was, but Percy had little interest in animals and was likely distracted with the income that the sale of his father’s belongings would bring.

“Thank you.” Lilly twisted on a heel.

“Wait!” Percy called. He lifted one of the vases as she pivoted again. “Do you want to take these too?”

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