Page 16 of A Duke But No Gentleman
“Fair enough.What are the stakes?Money?Property?My new stallion that you covet?”
“I was aiming for something more original.After all, we do not want you to grow bored.How about something so rare and precious to the owner that it can only be claimed once in a lifetime.”Sensing he had captured Tristan’s curiosity, he paused to heighten the anticipation.“The lady’s maidenhead.”
“The owner of the maidenhead might consider the price too high for a gentlemen’s wager,” Tristan said lightly, though his stomach was heavy with dread.
The ladies they had pursued and fought over had never been innocents.Some had been married and others widowed.There had been celebrated courtesans, actresses, and singers.All of them had been women who had surrendered their virtue years ago.Granted, these liaisons never lasted, but no one was truly hurt.
“The lady in question does not need to know about the wager.Her family is intent on placing her on the marriage market.No one will question our deliberate courtship.”
Norgrave was a depraved bastard.“We are speaking of Lady Imogene Sunter, I presume,” Tristan said bluntly.
“A most exquisite challenge, do you not agree?”
“Surely you jest.Do you recall the part of our conversation when I mentioned that her father is likely to castrate the fellow who lays a hand on her?”
“The danger adds spice to the chase.”
Tristan hesitated.He despised the part of himself that was grudgingly intrigued by the challenge his friend presented.The wager gave him permission to seek out the lady and pursue her, because his attraction to Lady Imogene was far from honorable.Perhaps Norgrave sensed this depravity he tried to keep hidden, and was dangling the lady’s virtue as a delectable temptation that he did not want to refuse.
Still, he resisted.“No, it isn’t fair.Choose another lady.Another stake.”
Norgrave grasped him by the chin.Instinctively, Tristan struggled to break free of his grip because he disliked being directed by anyone, especially his friend.However, it was not a battle worth winning and soon he found his gaze settling back on Lady Imogene.
“Look at the gentlemen hovering around her like drones around their queen,” the marquess whispered in Tristan’s ear.“Do you think any of them would not sample her charms if given the opportunity?”
He recognized many of the gentlemen vying for the lady’s attention.The urge to stride across the ballroom and stake his own claim startled him.He blamed the man standing beside him.All of Norgrave’s talk of wagers and seduction was awakening Tristan’s protective instincts toward someone who was more vulnerable than she could possibly fathom.“With the intention of marriage, not ruination.You go too far, even for you.”
The marquess parted his hands in a gesture of capitulation.“Very well.Then I shall declare myself victor of this wager.”
Tristan’s hands curled into fists.Their friendship was too competitive for him to yield without a fight.Through clenched teeth, he muttered, “If you must, to appease your pride.”
“Scruples make you grumpy, my friend.However, you are correct.What is a triumph without the spoils?It all seems so hollow.”Norgrave stepped in front of Tristan, blocking his view of Lady Imogene.“I have a brilliant idea.What if I honor the spirit of the wager before I declare my victory?”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Without your interference, it should be appallingly simple to seduce Lady Imogene.She will surrender her innocence, thus fulfilling the conditions of our nonexistent wager.Do not fret.When I coax her into my bed, she will be begging for my touch.”
“The devil you say.”Tristan’s jaw hardened with mute fury.Whether he accepted the wager or refused, Lady Imogene would lose her maidenhead.Norgrave, the manipulative bastard, had backed him into a corner.He had a choice—stand aside and watch his friend seduce Lady Imogene or fight for the right to claim her for himself.
I had seduction in my thoughts long before Norgrave tossed his wager like a goddamn gauntlet at my feet.Why not take her?
It was a weak excuse for committing debauchery, and he silently cursed his friend for goading him into agreeing to his wild scheme.“I have reconsidered.I will accept your bloody wager, and I shall be the victor in your sordid little game.”
Instead of being angry, the marquess appeared oddly satisfied with Tristan’s declaration.He took a step backward as if he sensed his friend was resisting the urge to punch him.“You can try.However, Lady Imogene has her part to play.I am curious to see which one of us she will eventually choose as her lover.”
Chapter Five
“I was told you attended Lord and Lady Kingaby’s ball last evening,” Lady Charlotte Winter said, after their hostess, Lady Yaxley, had introduced Imogene to the nineteen-year-old young lady since they were close in age.
She glanced over at her mother who was chatting with an older woman who was unfamiliar to her.As if sensing her scrutiny, the duchess halted her conversation and gave Imogene and her companion a brief appraising look before she returned to her conversation.
Her mother had told her that the connections she made in town were likely to follow her for the rest of her life.There were days when the weight of being born the daughter of a duke and duchess was a burden.
“Yes, I was there with my parents.”She nodded, pleased that she had something to contribute to the conversation, though, so far, Lady Charlotte appeared to be capable of handling both sides.
The young lady loved to talk.
“I attended with my parents, as well,” the blonde said, her hazel eyes warming to her subject.“Did I mention that Lady Kingaby is a very close friend of my mother’s?”
