Improper Pleasures (The Pleasure Series #1) by Cheryl Howe Read Free Book Online

mentioned this nonsense before,
but Astra had ignored it, considering the source.
    “Lady Phillina should be happy to know that many of those
awful gossips forfeited a good deal of their fortunes since James’s safe
arrival in England.” Her mother shook off Astra’s grip with a smug smile. She
leaned on the back of Lady Phillina’s chair and gazed down at James. “I, on the
other hand, made out like a highway robber. For those who wish to recoup their
losses, Whites is already fielding wagers that James won’t last the year.”
    “Cursed? I don’t understand,” Lady Phillina said, though
her face grew pale.
    “How could you wager on our misfortune, Mother?” Astra
turned away, unable to watch her examine James like a prize bull at the
Cornwall Royal Faire. “You, no doubt, are the one who started such rumors and
the gaming to make yourself a more interesting house guest.”
    “Well, I didn’t bet against you, did I, darling?” Her
mother winked at Astra, but was still leaning over, flashing much too much
cleavage in James’s direction. Her mother’s famous figure was something Astra
hadn’t inherited. And if she had, she hoped she would have been a thousand times
more discreet.
    James stood. “So they think an American isn’t up to the
task of being an English aristocrat?”
    “Heavens, no. They thought you wouldn’t live to inherit
the title. It seems the Lords Keane inherited a significantly shortened life
along with their barony,” her mother whispered theatrically.
    “How can you be so crass about circumstances that can only
be described as tragic? I lost my husband, Mother, in case you have forgotten.
And Lady Phillina, has mourned two sons, not to mention the man she loved.”
Astra felt James’s curious gaze on her, but could not meet it. Her fate had
also been altered by the deaths, and she sometimes wondered if she herself were
cursed.
    “Please, Astra,” intervened Lady Phillina. “Do not argue
with your mother. All that sorrow is in the past. We have James now, and I
think all talk of wagers will end after our ball.”
    “We’re having a ball?” James strode toward Astra, and she
could no longer avoid him. He held her gaze with a subtle threat that made her
tingle all over.
    “Lady Phillina, we no longer have a townhouse in London,
and I am sure all the fashionable accommodations are already leased,” Astra
said gently, wondering if the older woman even recalled that the Keanes had
been in self-imposed seclusion since their string of misfortunes.
    “This all sounds very expensive.” James went to his desk
and flipped open the leather-bound ledger he had confronted her with the night
before.
    “We shall hold our ball at Eastlan, of course,” declared
Lady Phillina, “during Parliament’s Easter break. We must not delay in
introducing James properly.”
    “We won’t be able to make arrangements in such short a
time,” Astra argued calmly, counting the weeks in her head. “Easter week is in
little more than a month, and we are hardly out of mourning.”
    “And what better way to welcome our friends and peers back
into our lives,” Lady Phillina said, sounding almost giddy with the idea.
“Lynette will help us, won’t you, dear? We should be in debt for the boon of
your guidance.”
    “Nothing would please me more. And as it is, I am between
engagements at the moment.” Her mother’s eagerness to stay in the country for
longer than a fortnight boded ill for them all. The smile the two women
exchanged worried Astra even more.
    “Oh, I must attend to my correspondence then.” Lady
Phillina pushed herself to a standing position, grabbing Astra’s mother for
balance. “Excuse me, James, for cutting our first visit short but I wish to
make your party spectacular. I have much to do. Astra, be a dear and help me to
my room?”
    “We’ve not a single moment to spare.” Her mother wrapped
her arm around Lady Phillina’s shoulders. “Astra, you must stay and