Less Than a Gentleman by Kerrelyn Sparks Read Free Book Online Page A

She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. For some reason, all her senses had suddenly gone on alert. And her heart was thudding in her chest.
    The butler’s gaze circled the table and stopped briefly at Virginia. He tilted his head, apparently noticing her state of pregnancy. Immediately, he focused on Caroline.
    It was more than a simple look; it was an examination.
    She lowered her gaze to her hands as her heart pounded. Why would he stare? Unless . . .
    Could he be her assailant from last night? A penniless servant, the man had said. But this man was far from weak and humble. On the contrary, he exuded power and confidence.
    She ventured a peek. His uniform of pewter-blue velvet fit snugly. Too snugly. Long legs, strong thighs, trim waist. If memory served her correctly, the man last night had possessed similar attributes. Heat rushed to her face as she recalled the way he had pinned her beneath his body. His naked body.
    She lifted her gaze to the butler’s hands. It seemed odd for a manservant not to wear gloves. She noted his firm grip on the coffeepot. Was it the same hand that had circled her wrist and stroked her skin?
    Her gaze drifted past his broad shoulders to his face.
    He slowly smiled.
    He knows . Her cheeks blazed and she looked away. What should she do? Tell Jane that her butler accosted women in the middle of the night?
    “Are you planning to serve that coffee today?” Jane glared at him.
    “Yes, madam, forgive me.” He filled her cup before moving on to Edward to fill his.
    Edward, unaccustomed to coffee, gave his mother a questioning look.
    Caroline gripped her hands together, determined not to show any reaction when he approached her. She stared at the pink rosebuds on her china cup as he poured coffee into it. Surely he was standing closer than necessary. Her gaze drifted to his hand.
    Teeth marks, clear and red. She stiffened with a gasp. Good Lord, she’d really sunk her teeth into him.
    “Is something wrong?” He had completed his task, but remained standing close to her.
    “No.” Caroline turned away, determined to ignore him.
    “Miss Agatha Ludlow, I presume?”
    “Yes.”
    “Interesting.” He eased around her, too closely, and tilted the coffeepot over Charlotte’s cup.
    “My daughter doesn’t drink coffee,” Virginia said.
    “Oh. Of course.” The butler moved on to fill Virginia’s cup.
    “Haversham.” Jane observed him with a disapproving frown. “May I have a word with you in private?”
    “Later. I must attend to my duties first.”
    “I don’t like my name anymore,” Charlotte announced. “Can I change it, Mama?”
    With a wince, Virginia exchanged a frustrated look with Caroline.
    Jane smiled at the little girl. “What name did you have in mind, my dear?”
    Charlotte wrapped a glossy black curl around her finger while she considered, then perked up with a dimpled smile. “I want to be Princess of the World.”
    Edward snorted. “There’s no such thing, you bufflehead.”
    “You will apologize at once.” The butler’s voice was low, but commanding.
    Edward’s mouth dropped open.
    Haversham regarded the young boy with a grim expression. “A man does not insult a lady in such a fashion.”
    “She’s not a lady. She’s my sister.”
    Haversham cocked an eyebrow.
    Edward gulped. “I . . . I apologize.”
    Without a word, Haversham swiveled and returned to the sideboard.
    Caroline marveled at the butler’s effect on Edward. It hadn’t occurred to her ’til now that with Ginny’s husband gone, Edward would be in need of male guidance.
    And the butler was certainly male. Very male. She had pounded on those broad shoulders, felt his bare skin hot against her hands. She dragged her gaze off his strong back and vowed once again to ignore him. After all, the rascal attacked women in their beds. He was the last man on earth who should be lecturing Edward on how to treat a lady.
    “I think Charlotte is a lovely name,” Jane said.
    “I used to