Page 104 of Seducing the Knave

“Always.”

“And what of Lady Elvina?” Roderick asked with an arched brow.

Max forced a casual shrug even as his heart lurched and his stomach gave a violent twist. “What of her?”

“Rook wasn’t wrong in thinking the young lady meant something to you.”

“By the lady’s own insistence, our arrangement was strictly temporary. She’s back with her kind now and will soon be able to reclaim her place in the world.”

Roderick’s chuckle earned a sharp look from Max but his brother was unabashed. “Her kind? Her place? My God, Max, do you know anything at all about women?”

Narrowing his gaze, Max retorted, “I don’t need to know about women—I know Elle. And this is what she wants.”

Colin’s subtle frown made his concern clear.

It was almost enough to make Max doubt himself. But he knew what he was about. He’d thought through his decision a thousand times. No matter how fucking torturous it proved to be, he knew in his soul he’d done the right thing.

“I sure as hell hope so, brother,” Roderick declared with another laugh as he reached for the bottle. “For your sake as well as hers.”

#

NOT QUITE A WEEK LATER, Max stood leaning against a terrace pillar just beyond the reach of light spilling from the dining room windows of Wright House. Inside, a formal dinner party was in motion. The Earl and Countess of Wright were hosting the event to introduce Lady Elvina Fowler to some of their closest—and most influential—friends. The intimate gathering was only the first step in a strategic campaign to reverse the damage Jasper had managed to inflict upon Elle’s reputation and reinstate her rightful place within London high society.

Max knew all this because he’d insisted Colin keep him informed.

Though his oldest brother hadn’t questioned his motives outright, Max had seen the curiosity and lingering concern in the earl’s steady gaze.

“What are you doing out here?”

Speaking of questioning siblings...

Max resisted the urge to groan in annoyance as he turned his head to see Caillie creeping along the side of the house. He tipped his head toward the dining room window. “Ain’t ye s’posed to be in there with the rest of them?”

The girl made a face of pure disgruntlement. “Not until I have my official come-out next Season. In the meantime, I’m relegated to watching the proceedings from a distance.” Her grimace slid into a sly half grin. “But whereas my spying can be explained away by youthful curiosity, I’m wondering what excuse you’ll come up with for such behavior.”

Her stare was expectant and annoyingly smug. As if she already knew his reasons for being there but she relished the idea of forcing him to admit it.

Poor minx was going to be horribly disappointed.

“Ain’t it obvious?” he replied, bumping her shoulder with his as he shifted position to face her more fully. “I’m here to fleece our bruvs’ fancy guests.”

Caillie arched a skeptical brow. “From the garden? You must be a verra talented thief.”

“I am that,” he said with a smirk as he lifted his hand to dangle a sparkly bracelet between them.

Caillie gasped as she felt her naked wrist. “Did you just...just now?” Her wide eyes found his. “You mun teach me how to do that,” she breathed, her voice full of insistent awe.

Max laughed and refastened the jewelry around her wrist. “Per’aps someday.”

“Seriously,” she stated, “I insist.”

He chuckled. But unfortunately, his little trick wasn’t as effective in distracting her as he’d hoped it would be.

“But we both ken such tactics are useless from such a distance,” she added with a sigh. “So why dinnae you just admit to missing her.”

Max turned back to the window.

Elle was seated between an older gentleman with graying hair who smiled way too often and far too long and a much younger man who seemed incapable of keeping his eyes off Elle’s face unless it was to sneak a peek at her gorgeous bosom.

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