Seductive Deception

Chapter 2

The next morning Morgan's cousin Tess burst into his office, her huge blue eyes as wide and round as marbles. "I've got it!" she cried as she rushed over to him.

Morgan stood, but she shooed him.

"That's unnecessary," she said, flopping the broadsheet on top of his ledgers, as he sat back down.

Lavinia, Morgan's eldest cousin, whose baby Charlotte sat on her lap chomping softly on her finger, looked up at her sister. "Tess, Whittington must adhere to all the rules of propriety. Standing while a lady enters is imperative."
Tess rolled her eyes, but said nothing as she looked back at the broadsheet and tapped a spot with her finger.

Morgan spent most of his morning in the office scribbling wheels and axles on the corners of the ledger pages. It was a huge foreboding place without the company of his cousins, and he was glad that they all like to convene there instead of the parlor or drawing room, which were much too embellished for his tastes.

This room was a good mix of masculine and feminine, a balance with its plush velvet sofas in deep forest green, chestnut leather chairs, ornate, bulky furniture and burnished yellow drapes. A curio cabinet sat on the far end showcasing a series of peculiarities that his uncle had treasured— knick knacks like coins, feathers, eggs and taxidermized animals. A little too morbid for his tastes, but he'd never deem to insult anyone by pitching his 'treasures'.

Preoccupied with fixing the damages around the estate property before spending more money on frivolities, Morgan found expense after expense as he rifled through the pages, doing his best to understand why his uncle purchased gold candlesticks and tapestries instead of investing money back into the property. Which, by Morgan's impression, desperately needed upgrades, fixes, and general maintenance. The prospect, however, made Morgan feel hopeful. He knew how to use his hands; he liked to use his hands. Perhaps he could be helpful as an earl after all.

"What's this?"

"Read the headline on page two if you will please, Morgan."

"Whittington," Lavinia corrected, setting Charlotte down. The cherubic-faced baby, who was a contrast of pudgy, adorable baby rolls, dark eyes and blond curls to her mother's willowy frame, dropped to her bottom and reached for a wooden toy train.

Tess and Lavinia were opposites despite sharing their mother's blond hair and the renowned Clayton blue eyes. Where Tess was bubbly and cheeky, Lavinia was refined and collected. Where Tess was petite and curvy, Lavinia was tall and lithe. Morgan could draw their contrasts for days and never understand how either came from the same family.

"Whit," Tess amended.

He flipped the page open and read aloud— "Lady Amabella Quimby to wed Mr. George Bennett."

He peeked over the top.

"What does this have to do with Whittington?" Strickland interjected from his spot on the sofa opposite Lavinia; he was opening and shutting the top of his pocket watch, the click rhythmic.

Lord Strickland, Calvin Newell, was a family friend, the best friend of his cousin Leo, rest his soul. And while Morgan believed Strickland processed the death of his cousin, he kept coming around, perhaps as a way to assuage any displaced guilt he felt, despite Leo's death being accidental— a fall from a horse.

"Keep reading," Tess piped up from the piano bench as she randomly plunked keys. She was a fair pianist; he'd heard her play a few concertos, but instead, she chose to plunk each key firmer whenever Strickland spoke.

Strickland's jaw clenched.

"Lord Edgar Reddick the III, Viscount of Westonshire, Baron of Highcount, formally announces the engagement of his daughter Lady Penelope Jane Reddick to Mr. Benjamin Pardoe."