He shoveled a bite of eggs into his mouth, followed by a hunk of toast. He refused to be teased this morning. Yes, there was attraction, but an attachment? Hardly.
Maybe he had gone a little soft at the thought of seeing her again, but another place was hard with anticipation. And that was lust. He’d experienced it enough times to recognize it for what it was, but it wouldn’t do to argue his position with the females in his family.
But this is different. Sebastian shook his head slightly, trying to dislodge the annoying thought from his mind. How was his association with Helena different? Because he wondered what churned behind her troubled eyes at times? Because he wanted to hold her and soothe her hurts when she mentioned her husband?
The bloody bastard. Sebastian would like to drive his fist into Prestwick’s fat face, even though he didn’t know what the man had done to Helena, and it was ludicrous to want to fight a dead man.
Fine. That part was different, but nothing else.
“It’s odd,” Eve said, “but Helena had that same soft look on her face last night when she spoke of you.”
His gaze snapped to his sister’s face to see if she was laughing at him, but she looked pensive, as if trying to puzzle out what she had seen on Helena’s face last night.
It was called sexual contentment, but he didn’t want to discuss such things with his mother or sister.
“I’m sure it was nothing, poppet. Eat your egg before it gets cold.”
“No, it was something. Of that I am sure.” She drummed her fingers against her lip. “I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now I am thinking it’s possible she has formed an attachment to you too, Bastian.”
A soft chuckle slipped from his lips followed by a heartier laugh.
Eve drew back with a scowl. “I wasn’t making a jest, and I don’t see what is funny about love.”
Laughter spilled from him again, earning a darker look from his sister. He stifled his humor. “You are right, of course. There is nothing funny about love. Forgive me.”
But Helena? In love with him? That was laughable. Eve knew nothing about the goings-on between men and women, so he could understand how she would get attraction and affection confused. Not wishing to disillusion his sister, he returned to his breakfast. “If you don’t want your egg, I will eat it.” When he reached for her plate, she smacked his hand.
“Your name is not on my plate either.”
Seventeen
Sebastian entered Maggie Montgomery’s fashionable brothel that evening in a less than pleasant mood. His duties at the House of Lords had consumed most of his day and evening, so that he hadn’t had time to call on Helena before setting off on his nightly rounds.
God, he missed the smell of her skin and her taste on his tongue. If she weren’t so skittish about him calling at her town house, he would go there after his search was completed. Perhaps she felt differently about allowing him into her home after their encounter at the theatre, but he would be wise to wait for her invitation. She felt strongly about being in control of such things. Not that he blamed her. She was an independent woman with no need for a man.
He smirked. Or so she thought.
A beast of a man dressed in livery blocked the doorway to Madam Montgomery’s receiving room. “Greetings, Lord Thorne. It is a pleasure to welcome you this evening. This way, if you please.”
“Thank you… Charles, isn’t it?”
“Yes, my lord.”
It had been a lucky guess. As far as Sebastian could tell, every man under Maggie Montgomery’s employ was named Charles. Sebastian followed her man through the large room where two young bucks waited to be entertained. One was red-faced and perched on the edge of a gold brocade chair as if he was waiting to be called before the headmaster to answer for an infraction.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow at him. “Does your nurse know you’ve escaped the nursery?”
His blush deepened and as soon as Sebastian passed he hissed, “This is foolish. I’m leaving.”
Charles held the door open for Sebastian, and he entered a cozy sitting room outfitted with plush crimson fabrics. “Madam will not be pleased you are scaring away her clientele.”