Colton bit his lip to keep from laughing.
“Melanie Pricilla Townsend.” Rexley caught her chin and forced her to look at him. “Where did you hear that?”
“Jeremy.”
Rexley’s lip twitched. “Do not say that again. I’ll have a word with Jeremy when we return.” He released Muffin’s face and rolled his eyes after she turned back to the front.
“I won’t say it anymore, but can I please be a jockey?” She wrung her hands together and fluttered her lashes. “I’d be really good at it.”
Hmmm…
Rexley raised both his brows, lowered his chin and peered up at Colton. “No.”
“She’s a good little rider and with some work—”
Muffin clapped her hands and bounced in the saddle. “Yay!”
Rexley sighed. “I’m not going to win this, am I?”
“No reason we cannot train her to be a jockey if she wants to. There’s nothing saying we have to put her in races. She may not even be small enough when she’s actually old enough to race.” Colton shrugged. He suspected she would be plenty small enough. She was small for her age. Regardless, she’d be an asset if she stuck with it. She could help with training. “If she really wants to learn, I’m willing to teach her. Just imagine if Father and Cony had refused to let me learn to ride when I first showed an interest. I was much younger than the rest of you and younger than she is now.”
“Fine. You may teach her, but only after her studies are finished.”
“Yes.” She clapped again and did a little side-to-side thing with her head, making her red curls sway. “Can we go home and practice now?”
“I thought you wanted to go to the toy shop?” Rexley smirked.
“Oh yeah.”
Rexley glanced at Colton. “Are you sure you don’t mind going to the shop with us?”
“Not at all.” He’d needed Belle present for Apollonia’s DNA test. Accompanying his brother and niece on an unexpected trip to get toys after the test was a small price to pay, even if it was way across town. Oh who was he kidding? He’d jumped at the chance to come to this part of town, knowing Sebastian would be having his meeting nearby.
They passed Dublin Lane, and Colton craned his head to see down it. Was Sebastian there now? Waiting? Blast it all. He’d promised himself he was not going to worry about what his consort was doing, but his stomach almost ached with the doubt. What if Sebastian was meeting Eugene?
“So tell me, how did it feel to win that race yesterday? The video was splendid. I wish I could’ve been there in person.” Rexley steered Belle down the next street over from Dublin Lane, Dyson Street, toward the toy shop.
“It was fantastic.” It made Colton wish he was a lot smaller so he could race professionally.
They reached the toy shop and pulled their horses to a stop. He was so close to Gunter’s. It was only a block up and a street over. Maybe he’d just take a peek to reassure himself. Colton glanced back at their new guard, Benny, and one of the old guards. He seemed nice enough, but he was not as friendly as Knighton or Julian. Still, he was a friend of Sebastian’s. “I think I’m going to stay out here and wait for them.”
Benny frowned. “Begging yer pardon, Yer Highness, but wouldna ya rather go inside? I’ll accompany all of ya, and Loring here can watch the horses.” He and Loring got off their horses and pulled the reins forward.
“No thanks. Go ahead and go with Rexley and Muffin. I’ll stay here with Loring and help him with the horses.” Apollonia was already getting restless. He tugged her tow rope until she sidled up next to her father. Colton rubbed her ears and smiled at Sebastian’s old teammate.
Poor Benny’s expression was pained, but before he could argue Rexley came to the rescue. “It’s quite all right. We won’t be long. You can wait inside the door so you are able to keep an eye on us and Colton. I’m sure Wentworth wouldn’t mind.” Rexley handed Muffin to Loring and dismounted. Rexley winked at Colton and caught Muffin’s hand. “Come along,” he said to Benny and strolled to the shop door.
Benny grimaced and glanced at the uniformed guard. They did a silent-communication thing with their eyes, and Benny followed Rexley and Muffin.
Colton would’ve laughed if he didn’t think it would get back to Sebastian. No one argued with Rexley. Well, no one not related to him anyway. Although Colton suspected Rourke would’ve vetoed them. Julian would’ve charmed them into doing his bidding, but poor Benny was outmaneuvered. Learning that enemy combatants were no match for the royal family must not be easy to digest because the man looked as though he were stricken with indigestion.
Loring, who’d been on staff for several years, chuckled. “You do know, my lord, that he’s going to report back to your consort, don’t you?”
Apollonia nipped at Colton’s thigh.
Colton tapped her on the nose. “Quite all right, Loring. I like you too well to leave you out here alone with my little hoyden here.”
“Thank you.” Loring blanched. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
Colton threw his leg over Apollo’s head and slid out of the saddle. He landed in between Father and daughter, handed Apollo’s reins to Loring and unhooked Apollonia’s rope from Apollo’s saddle. “I’m going to walk Apollonia to the end of the block to that alley up there…” Colton pointed his finger, “…and back.”
Leading Apollonia behind him, Colton started to walk.
“Your Highness?” Loring cleared his throat. “Is that a good idea?”
“I won’t be out of your sight, Loring.” Colton walked down the street next to the sidewalk. Gunter’s backed up to the building on the next corner.
A man and a woman drove by in a curricle. Couples strolled arm in arm along the sidewalk on Dyson Street. Colton tugged his hat down lower over his eyes to block the sun. It was bright out today and only 15 C. A wonderful day for a stroll. Yeah right. He really didn’t believe Sebastian was engaging in an illicit encounter, so it wasn’t spying, was it? It probably was something to do with the admiral. And if it were dangerous, Sebastian would have taken backup, right?
A lift turned down the alley in front of Colton. Apollonia stepped on the back of Colton’s boots, making him stumble.
“Knock it off, pest. We’re not going to go any faster than we already are.”
She blew out her mouth at him.
He tugged Apollonia up onto the sidewalk. “Beg your pardon.” Colton nodded at a nanny pushing a buggy. A group of men dodged Apollonia’s swinging tail. “Excuse us.”
Someone called out a rude comment about horses on sidewalks, but Colton ignored it. He got to the corner and peeked around it.
Apollonia peered over his shoulder.
Sebastian was not in the alley, but there was a man standing in the alleyway with one hand on his hip. He gestured wildly with the other, obviously talking to someone, but the other person stood behind the building.
The man Colton could see was in profile. He had a classically handsome face. He even looked familiar, but Colton couldn’t place him. He definitely wasn’t Eugene Collis. But his expensive many-caped greatcoat and gray beaver hat screamed peer.
Colton huffed out a breath of relief. He’d known it wasn’t Eugene, and it certainly didn’t look to be romantic in nature.
Sebastian came into view. Even from here, Colton could see the anger in his expression.
Apollonia whinnied.
“Shh…” Colton turned and pushed at her chest, making her move back. Interesting. The lift had a crest with a peacock on it. The peacock’s tail was fanned out, and he had snake clutched in his talons. So the seal on the letter had been a variation of this man’s crest.
Apollonia whinnied again, and horse slobber landed on the sidewalk by Colton’s feet. Guh. He shoved her back.
From the far end of the alley came an answering whinny.
Colton froze with his hands on Apollonia’s chest. He turned back to the lane. A black horse stood near the entryway at the other end. Blast. Max had noticed
them.
Colton gasped and ducked back around the wall. He took another quick peek. Sebastian hadn’t seen him. No matter, when Colton got home, he was going to confess and beg his consort’s forgiveness. He was also going to find out what all of that was about.
“Colton?”
Colton met Rexley’s gaze. “All done?”
“Yes. She bought another toy horse.” He grinned. “She’s going to drive you insane about training her.” He started walking back to the horses, their guards and Muffin, who was already seated on Belle with her toy horse in hand.
Colton led Apollonia back to the others. “Rexley, whose crest has a peacock with a snake hanging from its right foot on it?”
Rexley pursed his lips.
They both mounted their horses in silence and turned homeward bound. Colton fastened Apollonia back to Apollo’s saddle, and Rexley situated Muffin in front of him.
“Look, Colton.” Muffin held up her toy. “She looks like Nia. That’s what I’m going to name her.”
Frowning, Rexley said, “I believe the crest belongs to Viscount Leith, Barnaby Plume’s father.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sebastian hated to admit it, but Aaron Plume was a handsome man. He was tall and fit. His hair appeared to still be mostly black under his brown top hat. The viscount was only a little older than King Steven and King-Consort Raleigh.
Leith’s face was characteristically blank as he approached Sebastian. It had always been difficult to read him. If he’d been into gambling, he would’ve made a fortune with a poker face like his.
Gads, he was too close. Sebastian backed up and leaned on the wall of the building. “So nice of you to make it on time.”
Leith’s lip twitched. “Still quick-tempered I see. I do beg your pardon, Sebastian. My tardiness couldn’t be helped, I had an appointment. I’d tell you it’s nice to see you and congratulations on your marriage, but I know you don’t give a damn what I think, so to what do I owe this honor?”
Sebastian snorted. He didn’t believe for one minute Leith wanted to see his face again. “I called you here to tell you that you’d better get a handle on your son, or I will do it for you. And I seriously doubt you’d like that. Your dear consort Leo would have an apoplexy. And we can’t have that now, can we?”
At the mention of Leo, Leith snarled, and he got a tick in his right cheek. “What is Barnaby doing now? Does he owe you money too?”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes. He’d expected Leith to counteract by blaming Sebastian. “You cannot be serious? For a man so concerned about appearances, I’d think you’d have a better idea of what your heir is up to.”
“Barnaby is a grown man. I refuse to clean up his messes any longer. So whatever he’s done—”
“Perhaps I should take this up with your consort. I’m quite certain he’s concerned. He wouldn’t want me dealing with Barnaby.”
Again, a muscle in Leith’s cheek jumped when Sebastian mentioned the Viscount-Consort. Interesting. Then again, maybe not. Leith and Leo quarreled constantly, even coming to blows a time or two, or at least they had.
Leith sighed. “What’s going on, Sebastian? Enough of this cryptic bullshit.”
Unbelievable. He really did not know what his son was doing. Apparently the rumors of him devoting all his time to parliament and getting new laws passed were true. “He’s the reason for my hasty marriage, for starters.”
“Are you referring to that nonsense about the horse?” Leith shook his head. “Only you would complain about marrying a prince. Barnaby did you a favor. Prince Colton is a much better match for you than that first pompous popinjay you married.” Leith was as big, if not bigger, a pompous arse than Giles was.
Sebastian closed his eyes and counted to three. He would not plant the viscount on his arrogant, presumptuous arse. Sebastian opened his eyes and glanced out at the street. He could not bear to see that smug, disapproving face. “My marriage is none of your business. But you’d better make your son your business. He’s tormenting my consort. Yesterday at the races he cut the girth on Colton’s saddle. Fortunately I saw it before Colton rode. And the day before my wedding he threatened to make my past public knowledge.”
Leith gasped. “Are you certain? How could he? He doesn’t know anything about you. He was a toddler when you left Dogwood House.”
“Left Dogwood House? Left?” Sebastian made eye contact again. He’d been thrown out in the dead of winter with only a coat. He hadn’t been allowed to take any of his belongings or even the money he’d earned working in the stables after his mother’s death, but he wasn’t going to argue semantics. He was here to get results not rehash the past. “What happened in the past is in the past. I want it to stay that way. I paid your son a visit last night, but let me relay the same message to you just to make certain we understand one another. If he even thinks about harming Colton again, you won’t have to worry about him blowing through his allowance and disgracing the family name. And furthermore, I’ll have you brought up on charges of treason for knowingly letting it happen. Is that understood?”
Leith stepped closer, getting into Sebastian’s face. Leith’s dark blue eyes blazed. “Don’t threaten me, boy.” He jabbed Sebastian in the chest with his finger. “You forget who you’re talking to.”
Sebastian grabbed Leith’s hand and twisted it. “It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.”
Someone gasped.
A man said, “Oh dear.”
They’d gained the attention of several passersby on Dublin Lane. A lady in a blue bonnet openly stared at them as the man next to her ushered her along. Blast.
Releasing Leith, Sebastian stepped back. “See to it you handle your heir and there won’t be a problem.” Bloody hell, he was so overheated a drop of sweat dripped off his forehead. Why did he still let this man get to him after all these years? “I don’t think you want our names linked together any more than I do, and that may very well happen if your son keeps pushing.”
“I’ll take care of Barnaby. And I suspect Leo is involved in this too.” Leith’s jaw hardened. “Now explain to me what you meant. Did you or did you not run away from Dogwood House?”
“Why don’t you ask Leo about that too while you’re at it.”
“We aren’t done with this discussion, Sebastian.” Leith gave Sebastian a hard glare, turned and walked back to his lift like he didn’t have a care in the world.
Sebastian ran his hand through his hair. “Bugger.” That hadn’t gone well. He’d meant to keep his cool and not let their past get between them. Worst of all, he hated letting Leith have enough power over him to induce him to anger after all these years. Oh well, if it kept Colton safe… Colton was a lot more important than Sebastian’s pride.
Colton unbuckled the last cinch fastener on the left side and went around to Apollo’s right. He couldn’t get what he’d seen off his mind. It had plagued him all the way home.
Maybe Seb’s meeting with Leith had something to do with the admiral missing. Oh stardust, he didn’t know, and his brain hurt from trying to figure it out. At least Sebastian hadn’t been meeting a paramour, right?
Colton sighed and turned his attention back to Apollo. He supposed he should stop mulling it over for now.
Frowning at the brown leather strap, he unhooked the last buckle from the billet. This wasn’t his girth strap. This girth had elastic only at one end, his had it at both. Also, the stitching on the leather was black, not white. He turned it over. Hmm… The groom must have grabbed the wrong one when he’d saddled Apollo this morning.
Colton shrugged it off and laid the strap over his shoulder as he removed the saddle and the saddle pad. He patted Apollo’s back. “How does it feel to be a licensed by the Jockey Club?”
Apollo swiveled his ears back but continued to chew on the hay he’d gotten out of the hayrack on his stall wall.
Colton grinned. “I’ll take that as you could care less.” He gathered the saddle, pad and girth. He bumped into Apollonia righ
t outside of the stall. “Hello, girl.” Nudging her out of the way, he headed to the tack room.
He half-expected her to follow, but she didn’t. She was too busy exploring her surroundings. He’d taken her back to Townsend Castle to be with her mom, but she’d kicked up such a fuss at being left that he’d brought her back here. She was no longer nursing, but Colton was reluctant to remove her from her mother overnight. This afternoon was a trial. If she did okay, he’d let her stay the night. He and Sebastian were riding over to the castle to go in the lift with his family to the ball tonight, so if he needed to, he could take her back then.
He pushed the tack room door open with his foot and put Apollo’s saddle and pad away.
His girth wasn’t on any of the pegs. Hmmm… He was stumbling upon one mystery after another today.
A shadow loomed over him, and the little bit of brightness in the tack room dimmed.
“Apollonia, get out of my light.” He hung the girth on the hook above his saddle.
“I’m not that big. And I certainly hope I’m not that much of a pest.”
Colton froze. Excitement vacillated with trepidation, but excitement won out. Patience. He had to have patience. “Sebastian.” Smiling, he turned toward his consort.
Sebastian stepped into the room and opened his arms. “How did it go? Is he officially a racehorse?”
“He is. And my baby is now listed in the breeding register, so when the time comes she too can be licensed.” Colton rested his forearms on Sebastian’s shoulders and gave him a quick kiss. “How about you? Did you get your errand taken care of?” He couldn’t possibly put any more suggestion into his tone without sounding suspicious. Hopefully Sebastian would take the hint and confess why he’d met with Viscount Leith. Even if he did without Colton having to ask, a confession was in order. Shame at having spied on his consort tried to creep in.
“Yes,” he whispered against Colton’s lips. Sinking his tongue into Colton’s mouth, Sebastian palmed Colton’s cock.
Stardust, the pressure on his cock felt good. So good in fact, Colton hardened under Sebastian’s hand. Wrapping his arms around his consort’s neck, Colton brought him closer. He thrust his hips forward a little for encouragement.
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