Page 134 of Seduced

“But the Whigs are his dearest friends, Fox, Burke, Sheridan,” Mr. Burke pointed out.

Savage smiled and spread his hands. “Exactly, and who better would know their character flaws?”

“Oh, dear,” Roz said with pretended pity, “all those Whig hostesses who rule society like lionesses will have their noses pushed out of joint.”

“Well, that should improve their looks, if not their tempers,” Tony said, laughing.

“I predict the lovely Lady Blackwater will become the leading Tory hostess,” Adam said, drinking in her dark beauty.

“Yes, darling, you’ll become the envy of the ton. The nobility will kill for an invitation to Edenwood.”

Adam added, “Our sons will be brilliant enough to attend Eton.”

“What about our daughters?” Tony demanded. “Surely you believe in equal education for females?”

“That won’t be a problem. We’ll simply dress them in their brothers’ clothes and send them off to Eton,” he said with a straight face.

“Will you never let me live it down?” Tony demanded.

Adam raised his eyebrows to Rosalind and Mr. Burke. They all three looked at her and solemnly shook their heads.

TheRed Dragonhad been almost three months at sea when it dropped anchor in Madagascar. However, it had only taken Bernard Lamb three hours to conclude that it was Adam Savage who had given the orders to kidnap him. At first he thought he’d been removed because he was a rival for Angela Brown’s sexual favors, but common sense soon asserted itself. To a man with Savage’s wealth and power a trollop from the stage would mean nothing.

No, this little caper involved his pampered cousin, Lord Anthony Lamb. Savage must have finally realized Bernard’s intent and removed him from England.

Bernard thought back to the last time he’d seen his cousin. It had been the foggy night he had stalked him at Vauxhall Gardens. With his own hands he had pushed him beneath the horses of a hackney carriage. Bernard had been sure Tony could not survive the ordeal, yet no body had been found, no death notice had appeared in the newspapers.

Bernard smashed his fist into the heavy door of the hold as a thought gripped him. His cousin must have lingered before he died of his injuries. He was probably the rightful Lord Lamb and Savage had disposed of him so that he could not claim the title and the property!

The lure of the sea could become a powerful addiction to some men, but Bernard Lamb found it an abomination. Kept in close quarters as the days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months made his hatred fester. Now, however, the focus of his hatred was Adam Savage.

Whenever the half-naked Lascar took him up on deck for a daily airing, Bernard was on his best behavior. The size of the Lascar’s muscles were terrifying and his dark eyes seemed to be watching for an excuse to toss him overboard.

In the hold, however, his revenge against Savage had already begun. In the dim light he had discovered boxes of Paris fashions. One by one he removed the gowns, slashed them to ribbons, then carefully repacked them in their boxes. When he discovered the expensive Venetian talc for powdering hair, he took particular pleasure in pissing in the barrels.

By the time the damage was detected, Bernard intended to be carrying out his plans for further destruction against the bastard who had sentenced him to three months of living hell aboard this hot, heaving hulk.

Chapter 42

TheRed Dragonfreed its prisoner the moment it docked, but when Bernard Lamb realized he was on the island of Madagascar he almost went mad with frustration. All his plans had centered on Ceylon and he would not know a moment’s peace until he reached that fatal destination.

On the streets of Cape Amber it took Bernard Lamb less than an hour to learn that ships sailed every day for the Port of Colombo in Ceylon. It took him until nightfall, however, to acquire the money he would need for the journey. By morning he had enough funds to purchase a stylish tropical wardrobe, a gun, and transportation to Ceylon. The hapless sailor he had robbed lay in an alley with his throat cut.

Bernard Lamb had learned at an early age how deceptive appearances could be. When he reached Colombo, his expensive clothes coupled with his polished manners and air of supreme confidence would get him anything he needed from these colonials. He bought a passage on the most impressive ship in port. It took only days to sail to Colombo, and when he disembarked he appeared to be a man of business. Without hesitation he walked into a small government office to hire a guide to take him to Leopard’s Leap.

The official was most impressed, however, by his name.

“You must be related to the late Lord Russell Lamb who administered the East India Company.”

“Yes, indeed. He was my uncle. As a matter of fact I am here on family business. Could you also supply me with directions to their plantation? My aunt, Lady Lamb, has begged me to come to her aid. It cannot be easy for a woman left widowed and alone here in the Indies.”

“I should say not,” agreed the government clerk. “When Lord Anthony arrived recently, it was a most touching reunion for mother and son.”

“Lord Anthony?” Bernard said doubtfully.

“He, too, needed directions to Government House, so I took him myself. Their plantation is the next one to Leopard’s Leap.”

“How very convenient,” Bernard said silkily. “My cousin Tony is in for quite a surprise.”So, the young swine still lived and breathed He had more lives than a fucking catHe had no idea how his cousin had reached Ceylon ahead of him, but it couldn’t have worked out better! Now he would be able to revenge himself on Savage and rid the world once and for all of the present Lord Lamb.

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