Read Duke of Scandal (Moonlight Square, Book 1) for Free Online Page B

was very dear to me.”
    “Oh, of course she was,” he said.
    “It’s true! We were close, even before my mother died. And then she took me in and raised me as if I were her own.”
    Gerald narrowed his eyes and waved a finger at her. “Throwing your orphan status in my face isn’t going to make me feel sorry for you. Are you really so greedy that you’d hoard the whole twenty thousand quid to yourself, just so you can swan about, acting like some top-lofty thing?”
    “I do nothing of the kind!” she cried.
    “You’re not helping your case here, Ger,” Charles observed, examining his fingernails. “The dragon always did look fondly on Felicity,” he pointed out. “She tried to turn her into an Original. Not that it worked. Sorry, coz.”
    Felicity scowled. “I never wanted to be an Original, Charlie. Or a diamond or a toast. I only wanted to be me.”
    And blend into the background.
    Pinching the bridge of her nose and striving for patience, she let out a sigh and looked again at her burly cousin. “You really must desist with this nonsense, Gerald. My answer is no, and if my brother were here, you know he’d put you through a wall for bothering me like this.”
    Gerald paused. “I’ve figured it out,” he said, then leaned closer, glaring at her. “You know what you are? Selfish.”
    “Indeed? Well, frankly, I would rather drown myself in the Serpentine than marry you. No offense intended,” she added sweetly.
    Charles snickered, but Gerald feigned outrage.
    “No offense?” he exclaimed.
    “Oh, for heaven’s sake! A lady picks a husband for his character,” she snapped. “Do you fancy I’ve forgotten how you used to bully Peter and me before he outgrew you? Both of you!” she added with a scolding glance at Charles.
    “That was just boys having fun!” Gerald scoffed. Impatiently, he turned away, shooing the cat off the windowsill. Daisy fled with an indignant meow.
    “Me, you only called names,” Felicity charged on, “but my poor brother? Why, the two of you used to gang up on him and use him for a punchbag—at least until he made friends with the neighbor boy and evened up the odds.”
    “Neighbor boy?” a deep voice drawled from the doorway just then. “Is that all I was? Why, Miss Carvel, you cut me to the quick.”
    All three of them looked over.
    “Your Grace!” Charles jumped to his feet, but Gerald bristled when Jason appeared at the threshold of the parlor, hat in hand.
    The butler looked a trifle worried as he showed the notorious scoundrel in. “The Duke of Netherford, Miss Carvel.”
    “So I see.” Felicity stared at him in a shivery blend of wariness and pure thrill. I can’t believe he actually came.
    Fortunately, she remembered she was still annoyed at him.
    “What are you doing here, Netherford?” Gerald grumbled as Jason drifted in, drawing off his gloves. “Obviously, you know Pete’s out of town,” he said, then muttered under his breath, “I swear, this one thinks he belongs to this family.”
    “Gerald!” Charles chided with an uncomfortable laugh, sending their blustery cousin a panicked look for insulting a higher member of the realm’s hierarchy.
    But Jason ignored Gerald’s fuming with a telltale quirk of his brow—a signal that warned Felicity the rogue intended to enjoy this. “Why, I just popped by to congratulate Miss Carvel on her marvelous inheritance,” he said, smooth as silk. He bent down, picked up the cat, and began stroking her. “What are you gents doing here? Already trying to wrest the blunt away from her?”
    “Trying to talk some sense into the girl is more like it!” Gerald retorted. “Not that it’s any of your concern, Netherford.”
    “Cousin Gerald believes that I should marry him,” Felicity said wryly, setting her displeasure with the duke aside for now. “He doesn’t realize I am well aware he lives with his mistress and is deeply in debt.”
    “You really should lay off the gambling, ol’ boy,” Charles