Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Kenneth

I strode into my father's study with confidence. Then faltered when I found his desk empty and him not in his chair. Confused, I scanned the room. This was his favorite spot. Although I was certain he loved Mama, he also frequently needed a break from her and my younger sister. I had understood them all to be at the Sussex estate, but Louis insisted I come to my father's private space immediately.

As I spun, I found a man lurking in the corner near a bookshelf. Well, perhaps lurking was too strong a word.

The large man leaned against a bookshelf and eyed me.

I stood a little taller. "Who are you?"

"I am the man who will teach you manners and civility. I am the man who will ensure you stop carousing and start taking your responsibilities seriously."

The dark man stood half a foot taller than myself. Perhaps even more than that. "And how are you going to do that?"

His dark eyes glinted. "Your father has given me permission to do whatever is necessary. Whatever," he repeated .

I placed a hand on my hip. "Oh really." I wasn't certain how I felt about this. Aroused…certainly. Cowed…certainly not. "You wouldn't dare."

"I can." He crossed his arms. "And I will. That's a promise."

"I'll have you fired."

"I work for your father. His lordship will decide whether I stay or go. If I do a good job, I bet I will stay."

"Well…" I wracked my brains. "Then I won't improve. I'll…get worse."

He appeared to consider. "That's a choice. But one I suspect you'll come to regret."

"If you lay a hand on me?—"

"It'll be with your father's permission." This time, he stepped forward. "So we're clear—if you misbehave, there will be consequences. If you choose to step out of line, you cannot claim you weren't aware of what the punishment will be." With that, he slipped from the room with far more grace than I would've attributed to such a big man.

I'm my own man. I shall do as I please.

Punishment from him sounds like fun.

Consequences, my father, and…that man…be damned.