Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right
Page 30
“You mean Uncle Tradd—”
Nicholas sighed. “I will never call him Uncle Tradd.”
“Yes, you will.”
“I won’t.”
“Oh, but you will. He’s coming to stay for two weeks next month.”
“What?”
“You’re no longer in the Service, so he is now Uncle Tradd.”
She ignored the dark look he threw her.
“Let’s get back to the subject,” he said dryly. “I was saying that Groop, or Uncle Tradd, as I shall call him simply to make you happy, gave me the M.R. for all my years of service. I’m going to invest in some new farm equipment and sheep. Lumley has loads of them to get us started.”
“Excellent idea,” she said. “I’m sure you won’t need Papa’s money. Especially as we have the Viking treasure to call our own.”
Nicholas made a face. “Very funny.”
She clapped her hands. “I’ve been dying to tell you! I was waiting for the right moment. A moment when we wouldn’t be naked, and we’d be serious-minded. But so far that hasn’t happened, so I might as well choose now.”
He sat up, his elbows locked behind him, his pupils large and dark. “What is this? One of your jokes?”
He was so handsome sometimes, she couldn’t look at him without wanting to kiss him. So she did.
“Absolutely not,” she said a moment later.
“Tell me. Now.” A moment before, in the middle of their kiss, he’d been so … sweet. But now he looked the sternest she’d ever seen him.
“Very well.” She couldn’t help a smug smile. “Dear Uncle Tradd—the man you used to refer to as Groop—appeared in my carriage one day and said that it didn’t seem right that you’d have to act as duke when he was the real Duke of Drummond. And he thought it would be a fair trade to give you the Viking treasure he’d found in return for your being his heir and taking care of the properties while he had all the fun in the Service.”
“Devil take it, what Viking treasure?”
Poppy bit her lip and hoped she would tell the story exactly as Uncle Tradd had.
“Well, when he was thirteen, he found a cache on the beach, buried beneath a rock. He confided in a footman he trusted, someone he’d apparently looked up to as a friend, and the footman kidnapped him to try to force the location out of him. When Tradd wouldn’t reveal it, the thug dumped him in the worst part of London, figuring he’d never make it back.”
“So that’s what happened.” Nicholas’s brow smoothed out as if the weight of the world had fallen off his shoulders. “Family mystery. Solved.” He paused. “I suppose we ought to be grateful the footman couldn’t bring himself to outright kill him.”
“Indeed,” Poppy said. “Tradd grew up as a thief to survive, which is how he got into the Service. He never went back to reclaim the treasure or his title. He said he was too busy trying to stay alive, and when he was old enough to make it out of London, too ashamed. He’d done all sorts of nasty things to avoid dying, and he was afraid to come home. But he told me where the treasure is. I dug it up—with Cook’s help—”
“Not Cook! She’s probably told everyone by now!”
Poppy waved a hand. “She swore she’d never tell.”
Nicholas rolled his eyes.
“At any rate,” Poppy went on, “the treasure is somewhere in this house. And let me tell you—it’s enough treasure to build ten more amazing, grand Seaward Halls. We’ll be so rich, we’ll be able to travel the world together, too.”
“Really?” His eyes sparkled.
“Yes,” she said with a grin, “and we’ll bring Frank up here to Seaward Hall to set up his own cooper shop!”
Nicholas blew out a breath. “Poppy, my love, where—is—the treasure?”
She laughed and ran a hand down his chest. “I won’t tell you. Not until you tell me what an IF is.”
“You must be joking.”
“No. I’m not.” She blinked once, slowly.
At first, his mouth drew into a thin line, and his eyes—oh, but they were the stormiest gray she’d ever seen them.
“I refuse to be intimidated,” she said. “I’m not afraid of you. I don’t care how many octopi you’ve wrestled.”
His mouth curled up. “I see what you’re up to,” he said warmly.
“You do?” He was making her breathless again.
“Yes, I do. You want me to want you more than I want that Viking treasure!”
She grinned. “I never thought of that, but perhaps you’re right.”
He nuzzled her neck and pulled her underneath him. “Well, I do, Lady Maxwell. In fact, don’t tell me where the treasure is.”
She lifted her head. “Oh, dear.”
He laughed aloud. “You can’t keep a secret, can you? It’s killing you!”
She felt a moment’s pique. “Yes, it is killing me, so I demand you tell me—what is an IF? So I can reveal the location of the treasure. Please.”
He kissed her mouth, a lovely, slow kiss, then pulled back. “An IF,” he said softly, “is your inevitable fate. I knew you were mine as soon as I saw you at the Grangerford ball, gazing up at me as if I were an ax murderer.”
She giggled. “And I knew you were my IF when you said in that highbrow manner, ‘I’ll be glad to take you where you want to go, Lady Poppy.’ ”
“Oh, really?” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“Do that now,” she whispered. “Take me where I want to go, Nicholas. Before I show you the treasure.”
“You are my treasure,” he said, wrapping her in his arms. “The rest can wait.”
St. Martin’s Paperbacks Titles by
KIERAN KRAMER
When Harry Met Molly
Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right
Praise for
WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY
“A delectable debut … I simply adored it!”
—Julia Quinn,
New York Times bestselling author of
What Happens in London
“At once frothy and heartfelt, When Harry Met Molly satisfies! This book is better than dessert!”
—Celeste Bradley,
New York Times bestselling author of
Rogue in My Arms
“Kieran Kramer pens a delightful regency confection … a wonderfully bright debut.”
—Julia London,
New York Times bestselling author of
A Courtesan’s Scandal
“A delicious romp that will keep you laughing. A fun heroine and a sexy hero make this a delightful read.”
—Sabrina Jeffries,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Truth About Lord Stoneville
“I couldn’t put it down … a charming delight!”
—Lynsay Sands,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Hellion and the Highlander
“A wickedly witty treat … an exquisite debut!”
—Kathryn Caskie,
USA Today bestselling author of
The Most Wicked of Sins
“When Harry Met Molly is a delightful, page-turning read! New author Kieran Kramer will capture both your imagination and your heart.”
—Cathy Maxwell,
New York Times bestselling author of
The Marriage Ring
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
DUKES TO THE LEFT OF ME, PRINCES TO THE RIGHT
Copyright © 2010 by Kieran Kramer.
Cover photograph of couple © Shirley Green
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 978-0-312-37402-0
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / December 2010
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
First St. Martin's Press eBook Edition: November 2010
Coming soon …
Don’t miss the next novel in Kieran Kramer’s
Impossible Bachelors series
CLOUDY WITH A
CHANCE OF MARRIAGE
ISBN: 978-0-312-37403-7
Available in May 2011 from St. Martin’s Paperbacks
“Delectable.”
—Julia Quinn, New York Times bestselling author
Be sure to check out the companion blog to
WHEN HARRY MET MOLLY
at
www.musingsofthemistresses.blogspot.com
The musings of Athena, Bunny, Hildur, and Joan—the four mistresses who befriend Molly—are amusing indeed. Visit them now!
… and don’t miss the blog belonging to Poppy’s Aunt Charlotte of
DUKES TO THE LEFT OF ME,
PRINCES TO THE RIGHT
www.thespinstersclub.blogspot.com
You’ll love spending time in her splendiferous Spinster world!