Page 4 of The Secret of My Seduction
“Who’s the new woman writing for you?” Angus asked just as he made his shot.
Liam swore at him. “That’s cheating.”
“Just idle conversation,” protested his brother with a gleam of false sincerity in his eyes. “Mother’s been dying to know.”
He glared. By some miracle, his shot hadn’t gone too far awry and he’d scored a point. Not the two points he had lined up, but it meant he kept control of the table. “It’s not really her concern, is it?”
While his father had fretted over Liam’s choice of profession, his mother had been entranced; now her son was privy to all the choicest gossip in London. Mrs. MacGregor’s favorite stories were about the Royal family, but anyone with a title was almost as good. The scandalous doings of her betters consumed Mrs. MacGregor’s attention.
Liam knew his mother readTales of Lady X; he brought her every installment, along with copies of theIntelligencer’s scandal and gossip columns. She adored both, and never stopped trying to guess the identities of both authors. Fortunately Liam was used to fending off his mother.
“No,” said Angus, drawing out the word, “but it’s so intriguing that you won’t tell her, even after she vowed to be bound by secrecy.”
“We both know that would last as long as it took for her to call for the carriage and drive to Mrs. Lachlan’s home.” Liam recognized the questioning as a ploy to distract him again, and consequently said nothing else until he’d made his next shot, and the one after, clearing the table and winning the round.
Grim-faced, Angus slapped a guinea on the green felt. Now they both had to play around it, and whoever racked up the most points in an hour collected all the guineas on the table. At this point, Liam didn’t even remember the proper rules of billiards, but he didn’t care. The times he walked home, pockets heavy with Angus’s guineas, were celebratory occasions.
“You know,” Angus said casually, cleaning his cue and preparing for the next round, “some fellows mutter against you for hiring women.”
“Envious bastards,” was Liam’s languid reply.
“And women who write such scandalous things, too,” Angus went on. “Ladies cavorting with all manner of men!”
Liam gave a bark of laughter. Either Angus had started readingLady X, or he’d been listening too much to their mother. “As if they would turn down a woman who wanted to seduce them! Men haven’t any high ground to stand on when it comes to seduction.” He poured more whisky for both of them. “You’ll have to trust me on that last bit, of course.”
Angus cursed and took his shot. To Liam’s private disgust, he scored another point. “What the bloody hell does that mean?”
“Merely that I doubt women stroll into the bank and try to seduce you.” Liam spoke soothingly, as if he were gently explaining some gross injustice Angus had no choice but to tolerate. No doubt he did; while Liam had got their mother’s fair skin and wavy dark hair, Angus was nearly identical to their father, ginger-haired, red-faced, and built like a bull.
His brother raised his eyebrows. “And do they stroll into the newspaper offices and offer to raise their skirts for you?”
In spite of himself, a small smile curved Liam’s lips. “On occasion.”
Angus started. “No!”
“Are you ceding the table?”
“No!” Angus lined up a shot, then abandoned the pose. “Not really. You’re having fun with me, eh?”
Liam sipped his drink and said nothing.
Angus threw down his cue. “By God, you bloody liar! You can’t mean it. What woman—? Why? And when the bloody hell—?” He shook his head in disgust. “I’m done.” He turned and stomped toward the door.
“Wait,” said Liam in mock disgust. “Such a poor sport you are, to leave before the game is done.”
His brother stopped in the doorway. “Admit you were lying about women offering to raise their skirts for you.”
“Can’t.”
“Won’t,” scoffed Angus.
Liam raised his glass and cocked his head in admonishment. “Can’t, because it’s true.”
“Who?”
“I’ll tell you who when hell freezes,” Liam shot back. “What sort of gentleman do you take me for?”
For a long moment Angus glared at him. “Is she a fetching lass?”
