A Season for Sin by Vicky Dreiling Page B

handed him a personal letter, Bell broke the seal. It was from his old friend Will. He dismissed the secretary and unfolded the letter.
    Dear Bell,
    It’s been an age since last I saw you. Sorry for being so slow to write. It’s been quite busy since we moved last fall. I’m sure by now that Fordham has informed you of his marriage. Well, I never thought I’d see the day that our friend would settle down, but there you have it. He probably told you that Amy and I are expecting our first child this summer. I told her I wanted a girl to please her, but she didn’t believe me. My wife has always seen right through me.
    I hope you’ll visit us in the Cotswolds this summer. It’s quite cozy and rather scenic here. We take long walks, and I’ve even acquired a couple of setters. I thought them good dogs for a gentleman, but as it turns out they’re terrified of my cat. So now I’m stuck with a pair of cowardly setters, and a cat who thinks she’s the queen of our cottage.
    Amy sends her regards and says she will be sure to serve roast beef and pudding when you visit us. I hope all is well in London. Send a letter when you can.
    Yours, etc.
    W. D.
    Bell folded the letter, remembering the four years he and Will had spent journeying on the Continent. Lord, they’d had some wild adventures, but they were over now. Nothing would ever be the same.
    He ran his thumb over the seal, thinking perhaps he would pay his old friend a visit this summer, but he reconsidered. After all, he wasn’t keen on domestic bliss. Lord, dogs, cats, and soon an infant. Will had certainly turned over the proverbial new leaf, and now Fordham would follow in his footsteps.
    Bell sighed, knowing he should have foreseen it all, but somehow he’d just never thought of it.
    He stowed the letter in a drawer, stood, and walked out of the study. Tonight he would attend the ball, and if luck were with him, he’d find a new mistress.

Chapter Five
    L aura tapped her foot in the drawing room while waiting for Justin to appear. When the clock struck nine, she lost all patience, marched upstairs to his bedchamber, and rapped her fist on the door. “Justin, are you ready yet?”
    “Go away,” he said.
    She inhaled, determined not to lose her temper. “Open the door, please.”
    When he didn’t answer right away, she inhaled sharply. “Either you open this door or I’ll take you back to Hampshire early tomorrow morning.”
    Heavy footsteps sounded. When he yanked the door open, a blond lock fell over his brow, and he regarded her with a sullen expression. At least he was dressed for the ball. Then he stepped a bit too close.
    Justin had developed the habit of using his height to loom over her, but she wasn’t the least bit intimidated. “Why are you so opposed to accompanying me?” Not so very long ago, he’d always been agreeable, but since coming to London, Justin had balked at being seen in her company.
    “I don’t see why you won’t let me go with my friends,” he said.
    She wouldn’t let him go with his friends because she didn’t trust them. Frankly, she didn’t trust Justin either, after smelling the liquor on his breath last night. There was no doubt in her mind that his friends were a bad influence.
    “Justin, you have two choices,” she said. “Either you accompany me or we stay home. I’m perfectly content to spend a quiet evening with a book.”
    “You can’t stop me from leaving,” he said.
    “Perhaps not, but if you insist upon rebelling, I’ll have no choice but to contact your uncle.” It was the last thing she wanted to do, because Montclief had made it clear he was too busy with his own large brood of children to be bothered, even though he was the boy’s guardian. At any rate, Laura felt she was the best person to see to Justin’s needs.
    “You always want to control me,” Justin said.
    Her temples throbbed. “You wouldn’t rebel like this if your father were alive.”
    Guilt flickered in his eyes. “It’s