Slipping into the hallway, Marilyn noticed a white-haired chaperone turning the door handle to the first door on the right. Apparently, the door had been locked.
Marilyn had a feeling she had found her sister—and chances were, Sinjin Rayborne, too.
The chaperone appeared miffed, her brows furrowing. “What the devil?” she muttered to herself, trying the door again, to no avail. After several more failed attempts to enter the room, she finally gave an exasperated sigh and found immediate success with the door across the hallway.
Marilyn stepped up to the door and leaned close, hoping to hear her sister’s voice from within, but she was instead met with silence.
Her stomach tightened. She glanced over her shoulder, and finding the hallway clear, knocked lightly on the door.
No answer came. In fact, she could not hear anything but the myriad of voices coming from the parlor.
She knocked again, and this time she heard hurried footsteps, a pause, then the door swung open and Sinjin Rayborne appeared, looking slightly rumpled from when she had last seen him.
Oh dear.
His hair was mussed, his cravat not so intricately tied, and even more disconcerting was the fact that he was being very careful not to open the door all the way.
Her stomach twisted in a knot. Perhaps Katelyn had gone to their room instead? There was only one way to find out.
“Forgive me—I thought my sister might have come this way. I did not mean to disturb you and your comp—”
“Your sister is here.”
Schooling her features, Marilyn lifted her chin. “Might I have a word with her?”
“Of course.” He stepped back and motioned for her to enter.
One look at Katelyn and Marilyn knew the two had shared more than conversation. Indeed, Katelyn’s entire neck was flushed, the modesty piece askew, and her coiffure had been severely compromised, with a few strands hanging free that had not been before.
The discrepancy would be noted immediately upon returning to the party, which would not do.
“Perhaps we should take a stroll about the gardens before returning to the parlor,” Katelyn said, her voice sounding huskier than usual.
Marilyn nodded. “An excellent idea.”
Sinjin brushed a hand through his hair and righted his cravat, checking his efforts in the mirror by the door. “I’ll return to the parlor.” His gaze skipped to Katelyn. “I look forward to the days ahead, Lady Katelyn.”
Katelyn grinned like a schoolgirl. “As do I.”
He slipped out of the room, and Marilyn counted to ten twice before she turned to Katelyn. “Tell me you did not have sex with him.”
Katelyn opened her mouth then closed it just as quickly.
“Oh dear God.” Marilyn crossed her arms. “I know I encouraged you to enjoy yourself, but you really must be careful, Kate. You only just met the man.”
“It is not what you think.”
“Then please assure me that I am wrong, for you both look extremely rumpled and flushed. I just hope his valet catches him on the way back into the parlor, or speculation will be at a fever pitch.”
“We merely kissed.”
Marilyn frowned. “We are talking about Sinjin Rayborne, notorious rakehell and scoundrel. You did more than kiss, dear sister. I can see it in your eyes.”
Katelyn’s lips curved. “Oh, Marilyn, it was lovely. I cannot possibly put the experience into words.”
Marilyn’s heart missed a beat. “I fear I am going to regret this question, but pray, what exactly was lovely? Please be specific.”
Truthfully, she had never seen Katelyn look so elated. Her cheeks were flushed a lovely shade of pink, her green eyes glowed from within, and her grin was so wide she looked positively giddy. “Never had I imagined being with a man intimately would be so—so wonderful.”
Who knows, perhaps one of the brothers will steal your heart, and then you will be forced to end this farce of an engagement with Lord Balliford. Marilyn’s words from earlier today came back to haunt her.
Good gracious, what had she done? True, she had wanted Katelyn to find a way out of her impending marriage…and had hoped that one of the Rayborne brothers would perhaps take notice of her, but she had not anticipated this scenario at all.
No wonder the brothers had such wicked reputations. To corner an innocent lady in a room within minutes of a first meeting was surely something for the record books. Marilyn would have to be on her toes from here on out. Her sister’s virtue depended on it.
“But you were not alone for more than ten minutes. I am lacking in experience, to be sure, but—” She could not even say the words, for she knew that a lot could happen in a matter of minutes, and apparently it had from Katelyn’s joyful expression.
Marilyn ran a hand down her face.
“You think me wicked?” Katelyn asked, her voice clearly distressed. “You do, don’t you?”
Shaking her head, Marilyn managed a reassuring smile. “No, I do not think you are wicked. I am merely surprised, that is all. Moving forward, I just believe that it will be in your best interest to play slightly hard to get.”
Katelyn straightened. “I did not make love to him, Marilyn.”
Marilyn regretted being so stern when she could see Katelyn’s good mood diminish and guilt start to take over.
“I am so glad you enjoyed yourself. You should, and I think tonight is only the beginning of what can be an incredible fortnight.”
Katelyn’s lips curved into a mischievous grin. “I think you are right.”
5
“Yoo-hoo, Lord Mawbry, over here.”
Sinjin rolled his eyes and counted to ten twice before stepping out from behind a tree to find Suzanne Livingston grinning at him with a smile that made him anxious to find another guest.
His mother’s grand idea of playing hide-and-seek was ending up an exercise in extreme patience, as it seemed all the women refused to stay hidden, and instead went out of their way to be found.
Ironically, the only woman he wanted to “seek” was nowhere in the vicinity. Indeed, he had not seen Katelyn all morning, which had proved exceedingly depressing as he had been unable to think of little else since their tête-à-tête in the study last night.
Sinjin managed a smile for Suzanne as he tapped her on the shoulder. She giggled and snorted a few times before making her way back to the rest of the party.
Where the hell did his brothers get off to? He had seen both Rory and Victor earlier in the game, but now either they had bowed out or were doing a little hiding of their own. He hardly blamed them.
He honestly felt badly for his brothers. Had he taken the initiative and married before his mother’s ultimatum, then the outcome for Rory and Victor might have been very different. They, too, could have spent the remainder of their twenties, and perhaps part of their thirties, sowing their wild oats. As it was, they would be husbands, and possibly fathers-to-be, before the end of the year.
“My lord, over here!”
Sinjin bit back a sigh. Never had he thought he would find being in the company of women so taxing. “There you are, Lady Clara.”
Lady Clara fluttered her lashes. “You have found me, my lord.” She brushed against him, deliberately pressing her breast against his bicep. She wasn’t stupid. Lady Clara’s most impressive attributes were her enormous breasts. She was quite comely, too, with a riot of brown hair and wide amber eyes, though she paled in comparison to Katelyn Davenport.
Every woman paled in comparison to Katelyn.
“Indeed, I have, Lady Clara, and I fear I must keep searching for the others.”
She pouted, her lower lip jutting out in a most unbecoming way. “Very well, my lord, though I do hope one day very soon to have you all to myself.” With an exaggerated sigh, she sauntered off in the direction of the manor grounds, where a picnic luncheon awaited all the guests.
He wondered what his mother had been thinking in suggesting such a game. After all, the danger in pl
aying hide-and-seek without chaperones was being accused of indecent behavior. Granted, Sinjin was normally not one to take advantage of an innocent young lady.
He had not been particularly worried about bad behavior last night, though, had he?
He was still surprised how aggressive he had been with a virgin, not to mention a woman betrothed to another man. But he had not been able to help himself—nor, did it appear, could she.
He heard two women talking and almost walked past a copse of trees when he recognized the voices of Lady Katelyn and Lady Marilyn.
To his surprise, his heart actually skipped a beat as he approached the duo.
Leaning against a tree, Lady Katelyn had her hands behind her back, while Marilyn sat on a nearby rock. She laughed at something Katelyn said, but the smile slid from her lips when she caught sight of Sinjin.
Katelyn followed her sister’s gaze. Her eyes widened and she glanced at her sister.
“Lord Mawbry, what a surprise,” Marilyn said, standing. She brushed her skirts out, then looked at Katelyn.
“Good afternoon, ladies. You have done an impressive job at staying hidden, especially considering the majority of our guests have already been found.”
“Was it our laughter that gave us away?” Marilyn asked, a whimsical smile on her lips.
“Indeed, it was.” He was slightly unnerved that Katelyn had said nothing so far. “And how are you this afternoon, Lady Katelyn?”
Her throat convulsed as she swallowed hard. “I am very well, my lord.”
“You look beautiful.” He said the words before he could stop himself. And she did look lovely—the pale yellow walking dress showing off her slender figure, cupping her firm, full breasts.
“You know, I think I shall take a look at the creek. I will be just over here,” Marilyn said, pointing in the distance.
Katelyn opened her mouth as though to stop her sister, but Marilyn just kept on walking.
Sinjin waited until Marilyn was out of sight to approach Katelyn. “I have been looking for you all afternoon.”
“We slept in.”
He nodded, unused to such awkwardness with a woman. Always he had been confident, and yet now he felt like a greenhorn with his first crush.
“How did you sleep?”
“Fine,” she replied, her gaze shifting to his lips. “And you, my lord?”
“I tossed and turned all night.”
Her lips curved slightly.
“I am assuming you suffered from a similar fate?” he asked, and now that he was closer he could see the slightest hint of dark circles beneath her brilliant green eyes.
“I confess it took me a while to finally fall asleep.”
“When I fell asleep…do you know whom I dreamt of?”
“Who?”
He stopped a few feet from her, then pulled her to him. “You.”
“I dreamt of you, too,” she said breathlessly, lifting her face to his.
Relief washed over Sinjin. For a minute he had wondered if she’d had second thoughts.
He kissed her softly, savoring the feel of her arms sliding around his neck. She fit so perfectly to him, as though she had been made just for him.
His tongue slid over hers, and she moaned low in her throat as he cupped her bottom and pressed his cock against her belly.
A bell rang in the distance, his mother’s signal that the game had ended and lunch was ready to be served.
He put Katelyn at arm’s length. Her eyes opened slowly, and he smiled as he looked at her kiss-swollen lips. “I do not want to leave you, but we must return.”
“I am coming your way,” Marilyn said, and only then did Katelyn step away.
“I want to see you.”
She nodded, and he could not help but kiss her again. Nearby he heard women giggle, and Katelyn heard them, too, because she scanned the trees.
The group passed by and Sinjin followed behind the women, who all let out a delighted, yet startled yelp when he snuck up on them.
* * *
Katelyn and Marilyn walked in silence until they descended the hill that led to Claymoore Hall.
The three-story Elizabethan manor, with its multitude of glass windows, was immense and in such contrast to the small home where she had spent the majority of her life that Katelyn could not help but envy the woman who would one day be the lady of such an estate.
“It’s lovely,” Marilyn said, as though reading her thoughts. “Such incredible architecture.”
Katelyn nodded in agreement.
“Lady Rochester has truly outdone herself,” Marilyn said, motioning to where servants dressed in gray and white attire scurried about, serving their guests who lounged beneath the towering oaks in the meadow.
“Indeed, she has. I did not realize so many people were in attendance,” Katelyn said absently.
Many of the guests lounged on multicolored blankets, and chairs had been set out for older chaperones.
She immediately searched for Sinjin and found him sitting beside a beautiful blonde she had not noticed last night. The woman had all the graces of the aristocracy, and even from a distance, Katelyn could tell her dress was expensive.
A new arrival? Who was she, Katelyn wondered, jealousy pulsing through every nerve.
“There is the middle brother,” Marilyn said, motioning toward a tall figure standing near a table that threatened to collapse with the veritable mountain of dishes piled upon it.
As though sensing their perusal, he turned to them and nodded. “He is lovely, isn’t he?” Marilyn said, and Katelyn could not help but grin. Perhaps her sister was not immune to the Rayborne brothers’ charm, after all.
He walked toward them, a devilish smile on his lips. His eyes were larger than Sinjin’s, but the same color blue. His face was just as angular, but his chin was squarer, his lips a touch fuller, and his hair wavier than his sibling’s.
“I wondered when I would finally meet the lovely Davenport sisters,” he said, lifting Marilyn’s hand in his own and kissing it before doing the same with Katelyn. “My brothers have been talking about you nonstop.”
Katelyn and Marilyn shared a smile.
“I am Victor.”
“Nice to meet you,” Katelyn and Marilyn murmured simultaneously.
“Would you do me the honor of joining me for lunch?”
“Of course,” Marilyn said.
Katelyn smiled, sliding her hand around the elbow he offered. The brothers had not only been blessed with striking good looks, but an exceedingly large amount of charm.
“Sinjin tells me your aunt will be joining us shortly.”
“Yes, this weekend.”
“Well, then we shall have to have as much fun as we can before she arrives,” he said with a wink, and Marilyn laughed under her breath.
They took a seat on the grass nearest the fountain, where Neptune rose from a chariot out of the water.
“Who is she?” Marilyn asked, motioning toward the blonde lady with Sinjin.
Victor followed her gaze. “Lady Celeste is the daughter of a duke. Apparently she has spent the past five years in a convent just outside of Paris. She is fluent in three languages, and her dowry is downright obscene.”
“Impressive,” Marilyn said, glancing at Katelyn.
Katelyn’s heart nearly fell to her feet. How could she possibly compete with a beautiful duke’s daughter? True, she understood that Sinjin desired her, but would he consider marrying her over someone of Lady Celeste’s station?
They waited silently as a servant poured them each a cup of tea, and Katelyn took the opportunity to watch Sinjin and Celeste without being too obvious. How at ease they looked in each other’s company, the very picture of pre-wedded bliss.
“I am sure your parents would be elated if you, or one of your brothers, were to marry Lady Celeste. Perhaps you should fight for her attention?” Marilyn murmured, and Victor lifted a brow.
“Lady Marilyn, I am but a second son. My brother is the prize.”
Marilyn and Victor chatted incessantly, while Katelyn spent the next hour in misery, watching Sinjin as he listened attentively to everything Celeste had to say. To her great dismay, he had not so much as glanced in her direction.
A gust of wind blew the shawls off more than one of the chaperones in attendance. A crack of thunder followed, and a few of the ladies squealed loudly.
Lady Rochester stood and clapped her hands together. “Ladies and gentlemen, let us return to the manor before our situation becomes even more dire. We shall see you all in the dining room this evening. Until then, take cover!”
Sinjin stood and escorted the willowy Lady Celeste and her chaperone straight past Katelyn. To her chagrin, the other woman was even lovelier up close.
Victor stood and extended his arm to Katelyn. She slipped her hand around his elbow, trying not to lose faith that Sinjin wanted her. He patted her hand in silent commiseration.
Marilyn caught her gaze and smiled softly, but Katelyn could see the sympathy in her eyes.
6
Katelyn slid farther into the luxuriously warm bath. For as long as she could remember, she always enjoyed taking long baths, but these past weeks Ronald had told her time and time again that taking a bath more than once a week was a waste of water and the use of his servants’ good time.
Thankfully, Ronald was not here now. He would be horrified by her scandalous behavior.
She smiled inwardly.
Marilyn had left her fifteen minutes ago, saying she wanted to take Victor up on a game of chess before dinner. The two had certainly created a bond, and Katelyn hoped her sister was well on her way to landing a Rayborne brother.
If only she were so lucky.
She tried not to think about Sinjin and Lady Celeste, but it was nearly impossible. He had been so enraptured with the duke’s daughter, it was as though the moment alone in the woods had not happened.
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