Mahogany Is The Color Of Devotion

Prologue

Lafayette huffed in exasperation. The man couldn't be anymore dense, she mused. How many more signals did she have to shell out in order for the man to understand?

"If you frown any harder your face will fall off," Angel, Lafayette's twin, said with amusement.

"Oh, bug off. I'm not frowning. I'm merely...not smiling."

Angel laughed, "Oh, what is it? You've been in the foulest of moods these days. And don't lie, you know that I know you better than anyone. I'm your bloody twin, the moment you start feeling different, I start feeling different."

Lafayette sighed, smiling faintly at her sister. "Oh, I'm fine. A little frustrated but fine."

Angel tilted her head at that, "Are you going to tell me what has you so frustrated? Or must I guess?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about," she mumbled.

"Oh, stop being silly and tell me!"

Lafayette nibbled her bottom lip for a long while, contemplating what she was to do. This was her sister, her other half. Telling her wouldn't be a problem? "I'm in love."

Angel sputtered before grinning ear to ear. "Really? I'm so glad for you!" She cried as she ran over to her, grasping her hands, "Do tell, who is it?"

"I can't tell you." Lafayette mumbled once more.

"What do you mean, you can't tell me? Spit it out!" Angel said with giddiness.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you but I just can't right now! And I'm utterly frustrated with the whole situation! He's as dense as a bloody mule, he is! I've been virtually sitting on the man's lap and still he has yet to figure it out! Not to mention that if papa finds out he'll have a bloody heart attack over an-," Angel gasped at Lafayette's words, finally connecting them and then burst out laughing.

Lafayette snatched her hands out of her sisters', blushing with slight embarrassment. "It's not funny!"

"Yes it is! If I've guessed who it is you're talking about, and I'm sure that I have, you might as well have just told me the funniest joke!"

"Stop laughing and help me!" Lafayette shrieked, "I haven't the slightest clue on how to get the man's attention. Everything I say to him goes in one ear and comes flying out of the other!"

Angel stopped laughing, twisting her lips in humor, "Goodness, I never would have seen this one coming."

Lafayette gathered her dress in her hands and began to pace, her patience was dwindling and had been doing so since the moment she realized her attraction was so much more. And she felt like a fool, no one had ever disregarded her as much as he did.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Angel sighed, crossing her arms in thought, "Well, think of it this way? What would our cousins do? Hell, what would I do? What would our father do? What are Hugh's known for?"

Lafayette froze and then chuckled with disbelief, "Seduction?"

"Yes."

"You want me to seduce him?"

"What other choice do you have?"

Before Lafayette could remark the sound of heavy footsteps and childlike giggles caught their attention.

Viktor, Angel's husband, was playfully chasing their four old son, Andrei. Angel tsked, turning on her husband and son. "What are you two doing? If my mother catches you, even I won't be able to save you from that tongue lashing!"

Viktor caught Andrei, lifting him in his arms before gently kissing Angel. "Now, now, love, I'm the last person you have to warn about your mother's temper." He said in his thick russian accent.

"You did drop her favorite tea set, you were so nervous." Lafayette giggled. Her giggle got her a stern look from Angel.

"Don't tease my husband, you know he's still on touchy ground with mum."

They were gathered to have dinner with their parents, their mother, Hany, had insisted that they show up to try her new roast recipe. And with Hany being the great cook that she was, no one had said no.

"Well, of course, he did kidnap us, if I remember correctly."

Viktor blushed at the reminder and Angel laughed.

"It was four years ago," he said as he shuffled Andrei in his arms.

"Tell that to our mother," Lafayette and Angel said in unison.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Lafayette stiffened. Angel hurried Viktor and Andrei off to the dining hall before turning to Lafayette.

Lafayette nibbled her bottom lip, "Do you honestly think I'm capable of seduction?"

Angel laughed, her grin wide.

"Oh, please. Do you know who our father is? Seduction is very well in our blood. Make it happen, you want him don't you?"

"Of course."

"Then he'll be yours. No man has ever been able to resist the charm of the Hugh women, it's a known fact. And if I were you, I'd hold off on telling papa. If everything works out, you know he'll kill poor, Nicholas."