Chapter 12

12

Sebastian leaned back in his office and eyed the other three men in the room. They were known as the Notorious Bastards, a moniker they readily accepted though never used themselves. They were bastards though. Each and every one of them sired by a wealthy and powerful member of the aristocracy, none of them claimed, for obvious reasons.

Regardless of what initially brought them together—ignoring the fact that one of them was his own twin brother—he counts all of them his closest friends.

They met weekly for no other reason than to drink and gossip as if they are women. Occasionally they’d meet in public merely to set tongues wagging about their notoriety.

“What the devil are you smiling about today, St. Claire?” Tennyson asked.

Among their joint friends, as the eldest twin, he was known as St. Claire, his brother though was relegated to using his given name. Sebastian doesn’t think Spencer much cared one way or another though.

Sebastian leveled his gaze at Ten. “Was I smiling?”

Jameson nodded. “It’s rather off-putting.”

“Pitiful,” Spencer muses. “Had I not gotten all of the handsomeness, perhaps your smiles would be more welcoming.”

“Bugger off all of you,” Sebastian said.

“It’s this new bird, isn’t it?” Spencer asked with a grin.

“New bird?” Jameson asked.

“I take it your first lesson went well?” Spencer said. He swirled his glass of amber liquid and raised a brow at his brother.

“Let us gossip then,” Ten said. “Then onto business.”

“There is nothing to gossip about. I am assisting a woman in her quest to learn how to become a mistress.” He lifted a shoulder in a casual motion. “It will no doubt be a short lived affair, but admittedly for the moment, I’m entertained.”

His words sounded hollow and false even to his own words. He couldn’t afford to entertain notions of anything long-term with Agatha. A dalliance with him would certainly soil her reputation.

“As is she, I’m certain,” Spencer said.

Sebastian glared at his brother, then turned his gaze to Ten. “Be glad you have a sister instead of a brother. Brother’s are from the devil.” But even Sebastian couldn’t keep a straight face with that statement.

“If you ladies are done with your gossip, we do actually have important matters to attend to,” Ten said. He glanced at Sebastian and Spencer and gave a slight nod. “I took our contribution and invested it and now we have tripled the monies.”

Jameson frowned. “What are you talking about? I never put in a contribution.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Unless you caught me when I was soused.”

“No, we pooled some funds together and Ten invested it in whatever he does and now we have a larger chunk to put towards your invention.”

Jameson’s mouth opened, then his frown deepened. “I told you that I did not want a loan from any of you.”

Sebastian shook his head. “Not a loan. Consider us investors. Most inventors have them. Benefactors, if you will. It is a worthwhile contraption that we would all benefit from at some point in the future.”

Ten pulled out an envelope with bank notes and handed it over to their friend.

Jameson exhaled slowly. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say thank you, arsehole,” Spencer said.

“Thank you, arsehole,” Jameson repeated.

Sebastian listened while his friends continued to discuss the safety lift that Jameson had been designing. The man had a mother who could no longer walk on her own. Moving her up and down the stairs of her home had become impossible so she was either confined to her bedroom upstairs, or could have reign of the downstairs with the aid of her wheeled chair. A lift that could carry her and her chair up and down the stairs would solve any number of problems. It was a worthwhile investment to be certain.

His thoughts wandered back to the night before and Agatha laid out on the bed, positively glowing with pleasure. Her pale skin had taken on a rosy hue and he’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He was hungry for her again. And he was thankful that his brother hadn’t mentioned her name or the would-be connection with their father.