Page 6 of Allured By a Lord's Touch

The drunken slumber didn’t last for long, for it seemed like moments after lying down, the cock crowed, and Patrick massaged his eyes groggily. Off in the corner, Ned yawned loudly.

Bo was in considerable pain. “Sod it,” he muttered.

The cock crowed again, and Patrick sat up, stretching his arms. It was nothing that a bit of coffee couldn’t amend, which was why it was a pleasant surprise when Anders entered with four cups to share.

“Come on, boys. Time for work,” Anders said.

After drinking the coffee, the men went outside and started to get to work on the necessary repairs. As they did so, Patrick had finally come-to enough to remember the events of the night before and the wager. A wave of regret washed over him.

“Come to think of it,” Patrick said, “I think the wager is a bad idea.”

The other three men stopped what they were doing and turned to him. Bo spoke, “I don’t want to hear any of this nonsense. The wager is still on. A deal is a deal.”

“Did we shake hands on it?” Patrick asked.

“We drew blood over it,” Jimmy quipped.

Bo said, “If you back out now, you forfeit your wages to us. That’s how the game works.”

“Did you just make up those rules?” Patrick asked.

Bo stopped to think about it. “Yes.”

Patrick knitted his brow and shook his head. No, there was no way he would get out of it, however much he hoped the men didn’t even remember the events of the night before. Patrick was going to need to keep his word. But how the devil was he going to find the proper attire and a coach? He had barely enough money as it was.

“I suppose we’ll need to pop into the village.” Patrick hammered into a board as he spoke. “To find me some finery.”

Bo smiled. “That’s the best part. We’ll go this very afternoon.”

Patrick resigned himself to the rouse. There was no turning back.

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