Page 46 of Ravishing His Wicked Lady (The Shadows 4)

He wasn’t certain if the ploy of swapping out his muse for Lady Carlyle would work, but as long as he had the inspiration to paint, the subject didn’t matter. Did it?

“Lord Cunningham is right, I am afraid,” Sebastian said. “If we want the game to run quickly, we need to pick the best hunter. Kensington, perhaps you’d show us all how this is done.”

All eyes turned to the duke. He just tipped his head in agreement. He was not a man of many words, and neither was he known to be an emotional fellow, which just made his exchanges with Lady Lavinia all the more interesting to Sebastian.

“Perhaps the duchess would indulge us in playing a deer?” Lady Carlyle said with a giggle. She’d definitely had a little too much champagne.

Caroline smiled widely. “Oh, I would never play the part of a prey.”

The entire room fell into heaps of laughter.

“Perhaps you would want to switch and play the hunter, then?” Lord Cunningham offered and guffawed.

Caroline looked at her husband in a challenge, and he just tipped his head again in agreement.

“Now we’ll all see the reenactment of how Her Grace ensnared the Duke of Kensington into marriage,” Lord Sutton said, and laughter filled the room again.

Caroline’s jaw tightened.

Sebastian was friendly with the duchess. After all, she became his ward when he’d inherited the title. But no matter how warm and welcoming Caroline was, they’d never become close.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that she’d been in mourning when he’d arrived. Or that she’d married soon after. She was very helpful with Victoria, and she was essential in helping Sebastian settle in, but Roth did not know anything of substance about his cousin.

The marriage between her and the duke was an enigma to him. Beyond the fact that the marriage had been prearranged by Caroline’s uncle, Sebastian didn’t know anything about the duchess’s feelings toward her husband.

Perhaps Sebastian should have paid more attention to everyone around him, but he was too busy with his responsibilities. And too busy pouting that he couldn’t go back to Europe.

He heaved a sigh. He needed to make certain he didn’t make the same mistake with Victoria. He needed to make certain she made the best match she could.

Sebastian searched the room for Victoria and found her standing arm in arm with Lady Lavinia, laughing and exchanging whispers.

Were the two friends? When did that happen?

Sebastian inched his way toward them while the footmen moved a long table to the center of the drawing-room. When he reached their side, Lady Lavinia stood fiddling with her fan and nervously watching the Kensingtons as Lady Payne covered their eyes with a dark cloth.

“My lady,” he said by her ear.

She jumped in reaction. She was easily spooked, he noticed.

“Unc—My lord,” Victoria exclaimed with a smile. “I do not think you should have foregone—forewent?” She waved her hand in irritation. He and Victoria had a shared frustration with the English language. Because even though Sebastian was born in England, he’d spent most of his life in France. Whereas Victoria had only started learning English a few years ago.

“I don’t think you should have given up your chance at playing the game,” she finally finished her sentence. “It looks like quite a lot of fun!”

Sebastian shrugged. “I do not advise you to play it either. These games can get quite scandalous quickly. And we don’t want any gossip following you around.”

Lady Lavinia threw him a sidelong glance. She leaned closer to him, the scent of lilies permeating his lungs, and spoke so softly that he could barely make out her words. “Is that why you came here? To rid your niece of the scandalous influence of a fallen woman?”

Sebastian blinked at her, startled. Ah, she was still upset about his earlier remark. “You are a very suspicious person, Lady Lavinia. Why is that?”

She took a deep breath. “Perhaps it is because you constantly say the most scandalous things, and I am now conditioned to act suspicious around you.”

Sebastian stifled a smile. “Trust me, out of all the influences in Victoria’s life, you might actually be the least scandalous even if youwerekeeping company with the duke.”

Lady Lavinia looked at him sharply. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Lady Payne’s loud voice. “Let’s begin!”

The entire room erupted in shouts and cheers as the Duke and Duchess of Kensington stood across from each other on either side of the long table.

“To the left!”

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