Leo Devlin and Elliot Markham hovered near the doors. The gentlemen were similar in appearance. Elliot’s hair was as black as night, cut shorter than the current fashion, which accentuated his firm jaw and gave his face a more rugged appeal. He was taller than Leo Devlin, his shoulders more muscular. Devlin’s brown hair hung past his collar, his face holding a more boyish charm. Noticing his scrutiny, both men gave an arrogant smirk before sau
ntering out into the garden.
He should have left them to their game, but instinct told him to follow. His anger needed an outlet, and he could think of nothing better than wiping the pathetic grin from their faces.
Chapter 11
Alexander stalked his prey across the lawn, through the maze of box hedges to the orangery. The Gothic structure looked more like a miniature castle than a house for plants. Although its parapet walls and stone pinnacles were there purely to support the blanket of arched windows.
Once inside, he followed the gentlemen through the jungle of tropical greenery before stopping at the cherub fountain. Leo Devlin and Elliot Markham were seated on the stone bench, their legs stretched out in front of them, waiting for him to catch up.
“Ah, here he is. The Earl of Hale heard your little gibe, Leo, and by the stern look on his face seeks satisfaction,” Elliot said with a smirk.
Alexander turned his attention to Leo Devlin. “What the hell did you mean by it?” It felt good to release some of the hostility he’d spent an hour keeping at bay. He would have the answer to his question one way or another.
Devlin raised an arrogant brow. “I meant exactly what I said.” He thrust his head forward and whispered, “We know what you are.”
Fear clawed away at him, his mind bombarded with images of being bound and dragged out into the daylight to answer for his crimes. The excruciating pain would hold him in its vice-like grip to scorch his soul, to brand him a monster for all eternity.
Alexander opened his mouth to speak, but Elliot stood, his attention moving to a point amidst the exotic trees. “Shush. Don’t say another word,” Elliot whispered, tapping his finger on his lips to reinforce his point.
Pushing aside his anger, Alexander listened. The grunts and groans were audible, and he scanned the curtain of dark foliage. Devlin jabbed his finger at a tree, and Elliot sauntered over and disappeared behind it.
“Ah, Lady Conley. How nice to see you again. Although I had not bargained on seeing quite so much of you.”
Alexander heard a squeal, the rustling of material and a gentleman’s muffled protest.
“My dear,” Elliot continued, “your husband asked that I find you, for fear you’d make him a cuckold again. Now, what am I supposed to tell him?”
“Don’t tell him,” the lady begged. “Please. Don’t tell him anything.”
“Such a predicament,” Elliot sighed. “It is a little too late you see, as there are more witnesses beyond this tree.”
“That sounded rather poetic,” Devlin hollered. “No doubt, the sight of bare breasts has turned your brain to mush.”
“I’m afraid I must speak with the lady alone.” Elliot stepped around the tree and thrust the gentleman forward. The startled fellow was still busy tucking his cock back into his breeches as he scurried past them and out into the garden.
“Now, what am I to do with you, Lady Conley?”
They heard the lady give a long, drawn-out hum. “You … you could always take his place.”
“You mean fill in, so to speak?” Elliot snorted. “I don’t think so. It would be like bathing and slopping about in dirty water.”
With his anger temporarily forgotten, Alexander pursed his lips to suppress a snigger.
“Well … what about this? Do you think this will help you forget all about it?”
“I might be persuaded.”
They heard more rustling, playful giggling and he noticed Elliot’s bare hands grip the scrawny tree trunk.
“Yes, holy hell, you’ve the tightest mouth.”
Devlin glanced at Alexander, gave an amused grin and made a lewd gesture with his hand and mouth. He removed his pocket watch and flicked open the lid. “I wouldn’t bother leaving. By the time you reach the door, it will be time to come back. It will all be over in less than a minute.”
“I bloody well heard that,” Elliot panted. “Oh, God, don’t stop.”
Elliot’s roar of satisfaction announced the end of the lascivious act.