No Decent Gentleman Read Online Free Page B

aberration in a world filled with untrustworthy women.
    "Well, Adam, what do you think?" his uncle asked, intruding on his thoughts. "Shall I destroy those documents?"
    "Sabrina Savage suits me," he answered simply without taking his gaze from the passing scenery. "I only hope that I suit her. Unlike my father, I would never coerce a lady into my bed."
    "Take an old man's advice," his uncle said. "Proceed slowly and with caution."
    "Of course you'll suit her. You're rich, aren't you?" Belladonna chuckled throatily and added, "A fiery temperament runs in that bloodline."
    "Sabrina is adopted," Adam said, flicking a quick glance at her.
    "Yes, I know," she replied with a feline smile.
    "She knows?" Adam asked, turning to his uncle.
    The Duke of Kingston shrugged. "Belladonna has known for years."
    "You've known for years and haven't circulated that delicious bit of gossip?" Adam said, smiling. "Why, Aunt, I'm proud of you."
    "It hasn't been easy," Belladonna complained. "That knowledge and my enforced silence have tormented me."
    "I can well imagine the horror of it," Adam said, as he feigned a shiver of fear.
    Belladonna burst out laughing. "Oh, Adam, what a tease you are. I wonder what the Countess of Rothbury will do when her marriage plans go awry."
    "What marriage plans?" Adam asked.
    "Do not play coy, darling," his aunt said. "I know that Alexis Carstairs is your mistress and hopes to be the Marchioness of Stonehurst."
    "Dearest Aunt, if you should run out of money, The Times could use you as a reporter," Adam said.
    Belladonna smiled at him and then glanced out the window. "Is that where they buried poor Henry?" she asked.
    "I'm afraid so," the duke answered.
    Adam shifted his gaze to the crossroads as their coach passed by. Sagi and Abdul had left at dawn to get a few hours sleep. At twilight they would return to guard the late earl's grave until his decomposed body would be of no use to any Resurrection men in the area.
    Soon their coach turned off the main road and began its journey to the mansion. Woodsmoke from the manor scented the air, and Adam smiled to himself. He couldn't help but wonder what Sabrina was cooking up.
    And then Adam caught his first glimpse of Abingdon Manor in daylight. The mansion was an incongruous yet pleasing blend of architectural styles. The main house had obviously been built during Elizabethan times, but the mellow-red brick addition was definitely Jacobean.
    Their arrival had been noted. Dressed in mourning black, the Savage sisters and their aunt stood beside the majordomo to greet them.
    When his gaze fell on Sabrina, Adam suddenly wished to see her garbed in the most fashionable gowns and materials and colors that money could buy. Her luxuriant copper mane would be striking if set off by celestial blue or primrose or gold lame on gauze, velvet, or satin.
    "Welcome to Abingdon Manor," Sabrina said in a soft voice, stepping forward to greet them.
    With a smile lighting his expression, Adam reached out with one finger and wiped the spot of flour from the tip of her upturned nose. "Pardon my boldness," he said. "You've been baking."
    "Lemon cookies," she said, returning his smile, a rosy blush staining her cheeks.
    Adam stared into the most disarming green eyes he'd ever seen. If a man wasn't careful, he could drown in their fathomless depths. And then the exclamations from the two older women broke the spell Sabrina Savage had cast upon him.
    "Belladonna," Aunt Tess was saying.
    "Tess, darling," Belladonna replied, hugging the other woman.
    "How many years has it been?" Tess asked. "Ten or twenty?"
    "Not that many, darling," Belladonna told her. "Do not forget how young we are."
    "Why it seems like only yesterday that we were making our coming-outs and being squired around London by all those dashing young men," Tess said.
    "Too bad we cannot turn back the hands of time," Belladonna said, a wistful tone to her voice. "At my age, though, I'm uncertain if I have the energy for the social