Page 66 of Beauty and the Rake
“I do. He’s Mr. Crenshaw. It took me this long to figure it out because he was sporting a beard.”
“You’re sure?”
“Absolutely. I will need to speak to your brother about this.”
She ran a hand through his hair; her other remained on his shoulder. “So that’s your plans today?”
“A few hours. After I speak with Arthur, I’ll see about the theater for tonight. And you?”
“I’m going to let the staff know we’ll be going to Kent in two days, spend some time with Mary, and catch up on correspondence I’ve been neglecting.”
“Do you think Arthur would mind if we used your family’s box?”
“I don’t think he’d mind. He rarely uses it as he’s not particularly fond of plays.”
“Or opera,” Graham said.
She clapped him on the shoulders. “He’d rather converse with debutantes than have to sit and listen to an opera.”
“He’s a duke; he’s expected to attend affairs like that. He had best get used to it.”
“I agree but he’s also an eligible, unmarried duke, so unless he’s courting someone, no one would give a second thought to him not attending.”
A jolt of thunder caused them to both pause and then burst out in laughter. “You see what happens when you discuss your brother and marriage?” Graham said.
He stood and rose to his full height. Facing her, he pulled her next to him. The sheet covering her fell to the floor. Lowering his lips to hers, he nudged her mouth to open with his tongue. The deeper the kiss, the more aroused he became. Roxanne was having the same sort of feelings because she clung to him as though her life depended on it. The storm raged on directly above them, the skies opening up. Thank goodness they were safe and sound inside.
Gasping for breath as he broke the kiss, he gazed down at her. “It’s only around five. What if we continue this from that huge bed?”
“Who needs a bed? I’m sure you can show me what you like outside the comfort of a bed.”
“You have no idea what you’ve unleashed, madam.”
“Promises, promises.”
Chapter Eighteen
The first thingRoxanne noticed when she walked into breakfast was the neat stack of correspondence to the right of her place at the table, but the small porcelain bowl contained a good number of calling cards. It seemed the ton was eager to not only meet her, but to find out all the juicy tidbits about the infant.
Without looking at a single scrap of paper, she walked behind Graham, placing her hand on his shoulder for a moment. “What’s all this?”
“Seems you’re quite popular all of a sudden.”
“Ah yes, word is out about our marriage and our daughter.” She moved on to the sideboard where she picked up a piece of bread and handed it to a waiting footman.
“What are you going to do?” Graham asked.
“Go through everything, though I doubt I’ll have time for this sort of thing. We leave for the country tomorrow, and I doubt I’ll have time for callers. But I will acknowledge everyone.” The footman placed a plate in front of her with the golden colored piece of bread. She slathered it with marmalade. “And you? What have you planned for your day?”
“A meeting with your brother to decide the exact course of action to take with Crenshaw.”
She set the toast back on the plate before taking a bite. “Wouldn’t it be wise to involve the police with all this?”
“That’s one thing we’ll need to make a decision about before we head to the country. It will also mean giving all our hard workto them and I’m not ready to do that. Some of the force are quite lazy and don’t take to members of the aristocracy doing their own detective work. But what is one to do when the police don’t take us seriously?”
“I see your point. If you decide to go that route, check and see if they’ve had other complaints about Crenshaw.”
He pushed his chair back and began to unfold his tall frame. “I’ll mention that to your brother. See what his thoughts on the idea are.”
