Page 102 of Seducing the Knave

Elle blinked and slowly shook her head as tears inexplicably burned in her eyes. “There is so much he didn’t tell me,” she whispered sadly.

Caillie leaned forward to grasp both of her hands in a tight squeeze. “There’s so much he did tell you,” she exclaimed. “He shared his past with you. His home in St. Giles. And now us. He arranged for you to come here—to stay with us. Cannae you see how telling that is?”

A lump thickened Elle’s throat. “All I see is that he sent me away.”

“He sent you to us!”

“So I can be introduced to society and find a husband,” Elle argued stubbornly.

The other girl waved off that comment. “I doubt that part verra much. All I see is that a man obsessed with keeping all aspects of his life separate from one another...just crossed a sacred line.” Caillie sat up straight and confident as she eyed Elle with a knowing gleam. “Whatever you were to him before, Elle, you’re now also part of our family. Max’s family.”

Chapter Twenty-nine

“Two gentlemen are here to see you.” Langworth’s tone was only slightly inflected at the unusual announcement.

The man was getting better and better at playing the stoic, unperturbable butler.

Max stretched his legs out in front of him and sunk further into the corner of his sofa, cradling a bottle of gin in the crook of his arm. “Gentlemen, ye say?”

“Aye, Lord Wright and a Mr. Bentley.”

“Fuck,” Max muttered under his breath.

He’d made it clear to his brothers years ago that they were never to visit him in St. Giles. If they ever wanted to see him, they were to send a note only. It was the first bloody term of their arrangement when he decided to make a go of getting to know his siblings. And now Colin and Roderick had decided to renege.

Tonight of all nights. When Max wanted nothing more than to drown in gin and fall into a drunken stuporous sleep.

“What d’ye want me to tell ’em?”

Max was tempted to have them both kicked out into the street. But he suspected they’d not be so easily dealt with. With a ragged sigh, he forced himself to sit more upright. “Ye may as well show the bastards up.”

A few minutes later, Roderick sauntered through the double doors and gave a low whistle. “Damn, brother, nice place you’ve got.”

Max twisted to look over his shoulder but didn’t bother to rise to his feet as Colin followed Roderick into the room. His oldest brother paused briefly to flash a subtle frown at a stack of books as he passed. No doubt the tomes were oddly familiar, given as they’d come from the man’s own library.

“What are ye two doin’ here? Ye both know this place is off-limits.”

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