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You ve never heard of the Hawkscliffe Harlot? No! Who is that? Harriette slanted a nod in the direction of Robert and Alec. Their mother. Their mother, she echoed in shock. Oh, yes, Julia agreed. Georgiana Knight the eighth duchess of Hawkscliffe, you know. She lived for love. In her day she would have madeus look like nuns. What? Bel cried. They say she was a fantastic, passionate, indomitable beauty. She had affairs with all the great men of her day. From poets to prizefighters, Fanny chimed in. I am in shock, Bel gasped. The brawlers had vanished out the door, leaving the hall abuzz with anxious chatter. Don t you know the story of the Knight Miscellany? Harriette asked, taking her slyly by the elbow and drawing her closer for the tale, for the only thing Harriette liked better than a rich man was a good scandal. No! Tell! Robert s father, the eighth duke, was too much of a gentlemannot to acknowledge all his wife s offspring as his own, but only your keeper is his true son. The other four brothers all have different fathers though the little girl is supposedly of the true blood, as well the result of their reconciliation just before the eighth duke died. Oh, my dear heavens, Bel uttered, marveling. She knew she should be above gossip, but she could not possibly help herself. Who was Lord Alec s real father? Harriette leaned toward, her eyes sparkling with glee at the delicious tidbit. Supposedly, Alec was sired by a very notorious Shakespearean actor connected once with Drury Lane. Bel s eyes widened. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Harriette laid her finger over her lips. You didn t hear it from me. My goodness, how perfectly shocking! Bel said, trying to take it all in. Do they know they re actually half brothers? Well, of course, they do, dear. But that doesn t matter to them. You will never find full-blooded brothers more loyal to one another than that pack of gorgeous rogues. Robert s not a rogue, he s a paragon, Bel sighed. No such thing, Harriette snorted. He can polish and shine and triple-starch himself if he likes, but underneath it mark my words he s still Georgiana s son, and her passion flows in his veins. Defending their mother s honor was nothing new to Hawk and his brothers. They had been doing it since they were boys. They might fight like hellions among themselves, but whenever family honor was called into question, all five could be counted on to unite against the world if necessary. Outside the general row continued under the stars and paper lanterns. Twenty or thirty men had gathered on the greensward between the Grand and South Walks to watch the brawl, if not to join in the free-for-all. Most were merely yelling cheers and making wagers, but anyone who had ever met the Knight brothers knew better than to bet against them. With his flamboyant clothes skewed and long hair flown from its queue, Alec continued thrashing the fool who had insulted their mother, while Hawk guarded his brother s back, merely trying to keep things under control, with limited success. Fortunately the summons bell rang across all of Vauxhall, signaling that the time had come for the Cascade to flow. In the distraction, Hawk was able to pull Alec off of the nearly unconscious fellow. As the crowd dispersed, drifting over to view the marvel of the artificial waterfall, the manager of the Pleasure Gardens stalked out and ordered Alec to leave. The belligerent little man then commanded everyone else who had been involved in the fight to do the same. Hawk saw that his brother appeared not much the worse for wear after the tangle, except for the small line of blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth. A consummate dandy, Alec took out his handkerchief and wiped it away with imminently fashionable aplomb. A good night s work, he lightly declared. I believe I shall go visit some low gambling hell and take someone s fortune. I m not leaving, I don t care what that runt of a manager has to say. Belinda was having too much fun to drag her away. It s only nine. That petty fellow won t makeyou leave, Your Grace. Enjoy your new toy. She s a hell of an improvement over Lucy Coldfell. Watch it, he growled. Alec sent him an insolent look then sauntered off with a few of his raffish friends. Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html Just then Hawk noticed Dolph leaving. He was not done with the baronet yet. He smoothly bribed the manager of Vauxhall so that he might stay, then walked after his enemy. Breckinridge! Dolph turned. His friends did, too. A word with you, please. Alone. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |