nothing compared to how Connie and my father lay into me. You’d think they don’t remember what it was like to be eighteen.”
She smiled at his grumbling tone. “I’m sure your father does, since it was around that age that he conceived you, though he didn’t know it until years later. And I’ve heard what they say about him when he was on his way to being the most notorious rake in London, that he used to have a different girl, morning, noon, and night, and that was every day. Is that the kind of fun you’re talking about?”
“Blister it, Amy,” he snapped. “You ain’t supposed to mention stuff like that—and where the devil did you hear about it?”
She laughed, because he was actually blushing. “Reggie, of course. You know how she loves to brag about her two favorite uncles. ’Course, Uncle Jason and my father never had any high adventures to brag about, though I do know a thing or two about Uncle Jason that no one else does.”
“And what’s that?”
“I can’t tell.”
“Come now, Amy, you know I’ll pry it out of you eventually, so you might as well fess up.”
“Not this, you won’t. I promised.”
“Well, I like that,” he huffed. “Here I tell you all my secrets—”
The rude sound she made cut him off. “You don’t tell me even half of them. But what you’ve done, again , is manage not to say why you went off last night. Don’t you think your father would have appreciated your presence at such a time? He was a bit outnumbered, you know.”
“Tony was there,” Jeremy scoffed. “And I’ve heard your father can throw a mean punch if he has to.”
“He can?” she said in surprise. “Where the deuce did you hear that?”
“Never mind,” he replied, getting back at her for keeping her secret about Jason. “Andyou’re forgetting that my father’s already taken on George’s brothers, by himself, no less, and he would have won that fight if they’d kept it fair instead of ganging up on him.”
“Why are we talking about fighting? That’s not what I meant when I said he was outnumbered.”
“Because I know him. He was aching to light into someone, and I’ve always been a convenient scapegoat. Didn’t care to catch the brunt of his anxiety when I was so bloody happy for him. So I left.”
“He held up very well, actually,” she said. “Though it was close.”
“You don’t know how close. Ain’t seen him look like that since he was out for Nicholas Eden’s blood.”
Amy had never heard that entire story, just bits and pieces of it. “Were they really such mortal enemies?”
Jeremy grinned. “No. My father just wanted to bash him around some. But Nicholas up and married our cousin in the meantime. Don’t think my father will ever forgive him for doing that.”
Since Amy had heard a number of verbal skirmishes between James and Reggie’s husband, she was inclined to agree. ’Course, at the moment, James had new blood to do verbal battle with, all five of Georgina’s brothers.
Thinking of those brothers, Amy recalled watching Warren last night when he didn’tknow it. That had been a pleasure for her, though she wished it had been under other circumstances, for he had been just as distraught as James was. Warren obviously loved his sister a great deal, so he was capable of that tender emotion, despite all signs to the contrary.
“Am I intruding?”
Amy gasped, recognizing that deep voice now, and he was there, standing in the doorway, six feet four of breathtaking handsomeness. Her heart started tripping to a new beat. Her tongue wouldn’t move.
Jeremy did the answering, and quite cheerfully. “Not at all, Yank. I was just leaving myself.”
Chapter 8
Jeremy hadn’t been joking about leaving. He stuffed a couple of sausages in a bun, then charged out the door and out of the house. Warren stared after him. Amy stared at Warren, her mind reeling with the blaring fact that they were suddenly, unexpectedly, alone.
But not completely alone,
She smiled at his grumbling tone. “I’m sure your father does, since it was around that age that he conceived you, though he didn’t know it until years later. And I’ve heard what they say about him when he was on his way to being the most notorious rake in London, that he used to have a different girl, morning, noon, and night, and that was every day. Is that the kind of fun you’re talking about?”
“Blister it, Amy,” he snapped. “You ain’t supposed to mention stuff like that—and where the devil did you hear about it?”
She laughed, because he was actually blushing. “Reggie, of course. You know how she loves to brag about her two favorite uncles. ’Course, Uncle Jason and my father never had any high adventures to brag about, though I do know a thing or two about Uncle Jason that no one else does.”
“And what’s that?”
“I can’t tell.”
“Come now, Amy, you know I’ll pry it out of you eventually, so you might as well fess up.”
“Not this, you won’t. I promised.”
“Well, I like that,” he huffed. “Here I tell you all my secrets—”
The rude sound she made cut him off. “You don’t tell me even half of them. But what you’ve done, again , is manage not to say why you went off last night. Don’t you think your father would have appreciated your presence at such a time? He was a bit outnumbered, you know.”
“Tony was there,” Jeremy scoffed. “And I’ve heard your father can throw a mean punch if he has to.”
“He can?” she said in surprise. “Where the deuce did you hear that?”
“Never mind,” he replied, getting back at her for keeping her secret about Jason. “Andyou’re forgetting that my father’s already taken on George’s brothers, by himself, no less, and he would have won that fight if they’d kept it fair instead of ganging up on him.”
“Why are we talking about fighting? That’s not what I meant when I said he was outnumbered.”
“Because I know him. He was aching to light into someone, and I’ve always been a convenient scapegoat. Didn’t care to catch the brunt of his anxiety when I was so bloody happy for him. So I left.”
“He held up very well, actually,” she said. “Though it was close.”
“You don’t know how close. Ain’t seen him look like that since he was out for Nicholas Eden’s blood.”
Amy had never heard that entire story, just bits and pieces of it. “Were they really such mortal enemies?”
Jeremy grinned. “No. My father just wanted to bash him around some. But Nicholas up and married our cousin in the meantime. Don’t think my father will ever forgive him for doing that.”
Since Amy had heard a number of verbal skirmishes between James and Reggie’s husband, she was inclined to agree. ’Course, at the moment, James had new blood to do verbal battle with, all five of Georgina’s brothers.
Thinking of those brothers, Amy recalled watching Warren last night when he didn’tknow it. That had been a pleasure for her, though she wished it had been under other circumstances, for he had been just as distraught as James was. Warren obviously loved his sister a great deal, so he was capable of that tender emotion, despite all signs to the contrary.
“Am I intruding?”
Amy gasped, recognizing that deep voice now, and he was there, standing in the doorway, six feet four of breathtaking handsomeness. Her heart started tripping to a new beat. Her tongue wouldn’t move.
Jeremy did the answering, and quite cheerfully. “Not at all, Yank. I was just leaving myself.”
Chapter 8
Jeremy hadn’t been joking about leaving. He stuffed a couple of sausages in a bun, then charged out the door and out of the house. Warren stared after him. Amy stared at Warren, her mind reeling with the blaring fact that they were suddenly, unexpectedly, alone.
But not completely alone,
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