Pleasure For Pleasure by Eloisa James Read Free Book Online

that whereas a year agohe hadn’t any prospects of marriage, now he was set to become a prime candidate. And he didn’t want his chances of gaining the very best to be marred by any unpleasantness resulting from their mockery of the Scottish Sausage.
    â€œDo you suppose he really means it about not coming to the Convent tonight?” Thurman asked.
    Berwick looked at him. Sometimes the man’s stupidity was truly astounding. “He’s dropped us, you ass.”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œHe’s dropped us. Darlington. He’s gone off and he’s not coming back to the Convent. He’ll find a rich wife, I suppose, or get his father to buy him a pair of colors. Either way, he just said good-bye.”
    Thurman gaped at him. “He said good-bye because he’s going to look for a wife. We’ll all meet in a few hours and discuss how we did.”
    Berwick’s mouth quirked. “He’s gone. Wisley went first; he just didn’t have the manners to comment about it.”
    â€œWisley?” Thurman looked around wildly as if the man was standing silently at his shoulder. Then he turned back to Berwick, blinking rapidly. “Nonsense. We’ll all meet at the Convent tonight, or tomorrow, and enough of this nonsense. We always meet at the Convent.”
    Berwick wouldn’t be there, but he didn’t see any point in arguing over it.
    â€œLet’s find the Sausage,” Thurman urged. “I’m sure her dress is bursting at the seams over the excitement of her sister’s wedding.”
    Berwick shrugged again. “All right.” Privately, he thought the whole subject was tedious. Thurman had been the one to nourish the gossip, to repeat over and over little unpleasantries about this Scottish girl. The rest of them didn’t really care, and Darlington had even reminded them of Crogan’s repulsive behavior at school.
    But they’d done it, for lack of anything else to do, as muchas anyone. And because it was a suitable follow-up to the Wooly Breeder.
    The whole thought process gave Berwick an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. Had they really made something of a career out of ruining young women’s marriage prospects?
    Unpleasant, that.
    He walked after Thurman, who kept wedging his large body into groups of people, searching for the Scottish Sausage. After a time Berwick walked in the opposite direction. There are times in a man’s life when he finds that he’s ashamed of himself. Berwick had felt it before, and he never liked it.
    Thank God for Aunt Augusta, he said to himself.
    Just then a tight-lipped woman stepped in front of him. “Mr. Berwick,” she said majestically, “I trust you remember me? I was a good friend of your dear mother’s.”
    After a second’s chill panic, Berwick remembered her name. “Lady Yarrow, what a pleasure to meet you again.”
    She pulled a thin, dyspeptic-looking girl from behind her like a fish on a line. “My daughter, Amelia. I’m quite certain you met as children; in fact, you probably gamboled together on the lawn of Yarrow House when your mother came for tea.”
    Berwick was quite certain that never happened. From his few memories of his mother, he guessed that she would no sooner think of taking her second and thus worthless son with her on a social engagement than she would take holy orders.
    Amelia eyed him. He bowed. And then he suddenly understood.
    This was the beginning.

4
    From The Earl of Hellgate, Chapter the Second
    Believe me, I know the anguish this depraved and wicked story must be causing you, Dear Reader, but my confessor assures me that I must tell all in order to keep other youthful sinners from my path. This duchess—so young in years, so old in depravity—opened a door that led into some sort of a service closet. There did she charge me with the task of making her the most happy woman in Court…

    U nder my direction,