Page 2 of To Win a Viscount's Heart
His father cleared his throat and Gerald jolted, realizing he was staring at the young woman.
“I had hoped for a better reason for your failure to join us when we arrived at the Adamson’s ball.” His father nodded at the woman in front of him. “Lady Adamson, your husband is searching the ballroom for you.”
A visible shudder shook the woman and her head bobbed in a quick nod.
Gerald was relieved she didn’t toss in another moan.
Without a word, Lady Adamson practically leaped from the gazebo, hurrying down the garden path that led back to the ballroom.
“Gerald, I’ll see you in my study first thing tomorrow morning,” his father growled. “Do not be late.”
~*~
The next morning
“It was a lark…a dare, Father. Surely, you’ve participated in bets in your youth. Or have you never been goaded to dosomething that you knew wasn’t a good idea?” Gerald Lawrence said in frustration, trying desperately to defend a poor decision—or at least deflect and not create a worse situation. To say his parents were angry and disappointed was an understatement. But if only he could appeal to his father’s own experiences after university…
His father roared his response, dashing any hope of appealing to his father’s adolescence.
“This is Selena’s come-out season, and we were hopeful you would not embarrass us. But you couldn’t even give us one night. Instead, you were caught inflagrante delictowith Lord Adamson’s wife, the hostess of the ball, no less,” his father boomed. “Probably one of the most blatantly disrespectful things I’ve ever known you to do. Had her husband caught you instead of us, it might have been pistols at dawn. The man might be obtuse when it comes to his philandering wife, but he is still known as a crack shot. We might have been planning your funeral, had he called you out.”
“Are you saying you’ve never sown your oats, Father?” Gerald said in his defense.
“Is that what you’re calling it these days? In my day—as today—cuckolding another man’s wife is as low as a man can go. No more excuses, son,” Lord William Bellecote said, his tone low and clipped. It made it hard to win any argument because his father who was usually so precise and measured, made Gerald or anyone who argued with him sound childish and churlish.
“I’ve only come down from Cambridge six months ago,” Gerald said in his defense.
“And you’ve been acting out ever since,” his father shot back.
“And we’re back to that again,” Gerald snapped. “You’ve been criticizing me ever since.”
Gerald took a deep breath and released it slowly. He wasn’t a bounder and when he’d sobered, he’d had enough sense to be embarrassed by his behavior.
He’d been a fool to let his friends, Thomas and Wright dare him to join in the bet. Many of his friends had already been propositioned by Lady Adamson over the past few months. It was only a matter of time before she’d got around to offering up her considerable charms to him.
But somewhere between the drinking and the game room, he’d forgotten it was his betrothed’s first Season until he and Lady Adamson wereoccupiedin the gazebo. Had he rememberedsooner, he might have had the wherewithal to take Lady Adamson into the garden shed instead of being led into the garden gazebo. After all, he’d already won the bet. But instead of claiming a quick kiss and a squeeze and then beating a hasty retreat into the ballroom before he was missed, he had to be greedy and indulge himself. Little did he know, Lady Adamson was as cacophonous as she was eager.
“You’ve crossed a line, here, son,” his father said finally, his tone now heavy with disappointment.
Gerald felt even more like a heel and wisely kept his mouth shut.
“If you did this to break your betrothal to Selena, you may have accomplished that,” his father continued. “This is one youthful indiscretion too many. I’m going to have to do a lot of work to repair what you’ve done…and so will you. Mark my words.”
~*~
Chapter One
Bellwood Estate
Derbyshire, England
Late November 1818
“God’s teeth Aphrodite!” Gerald ran his hands through her thick sable mane. “You are so much more than I bargained for. You’ve completely enraptured me. If only you didn’t find my ears so worthy of your attention. Our time together would be better spent if you would release your hold on them.” He leaned in and whispered, “You’re just too impatient my beauty, because you know I have what you want.”
An enthusiastic snort was her reply.
“That’s my girl. Here’s the reward I promised,” Gerald said.
