Duke Looks Like a Groomsman - Valerie Bowman Page 0,22

don’t confuse lust for love. That’s a fool’s mistake. When it comes time to pick a bride, choose her based on her family pedigree and nothing else. Lust is for mistresses.”

Rhys had been fourteen years old when his father had shared that particular bit of wisdom with him. Years of similar conversations had followed. His father had continued dispensing his advice right up until his last breath. Rhys, at twenty-six, had sat next to the old man’s deathbed, dry-eyed and stoic while his father shared his parting advice. “When it comes time to take a bride, my son, it will be the most important business decision of your life. Do not make a mistake.”

And Rhys thought he hadn’t. He’d actually fallen for Julianna’s lies and flirting. But she’d been ready to toss him over at a moment’s notice. And if there was one thing he abhorred, it was a woman who was only out for money and title. Loyalty was of the utmost importance. He would stand for nothing less than a loyal wife.

Kendall’s experience with Lady Emily had affected him greatly. Kendall had truly loved Lady Emily, all of his friends knew it. The damn sop was head over heels for the chit and she’d written to him days before their wedding and told him she’d received a better offer and was leaving him. She bloody well had expected him to understand, for the love of God. Kendall’s heart had been broken.

But when Rhys had heard the news, his heart had hardened. If anyone deserved better, it was Kendall. And now the bloody fool was forced to dress up and playact to find a true bride. It was ludicrous.

Perhaps Rhys would have his solicitor choose his wife for him. At least he wouldn’t have to pretend to care, and neither would she. Though he had years left to enjoy himself before he took that irreversible step.

That was another thing that angered him when he thought about how close he’d come to tying the parson’s noose around his own neck with Julianna. He’d actually considered marriage at the age of eight and twenty. It was true that he’d had quite a scare last year, but he’d somehow come through it remarkably. He’d been raised to think that fifty would be a more appropriate age to consider fathering his heir. The dukes of Worthington were all long-lived and the last three had produced their heirs past their own middle age. Rhys had every intention of following suit. That is until he’d met Lady Julianna and she’d turned his head so thoroughly. She was an actress and he was a fool.

And far from frustrating him and making him want to quit, the chores she’d had him do today had actually made him feel useful for the first time in as long as he could remember.

He tossed again upon the mattress and came down hard on his side, eliciting an oompf from his throat. Damn this uncomfortable bed and damn this bet and damn Julianna for appearing and making it that much more difficult for him to win.

But if it was the last thing he did, he refused to let her break him.

Chapter Ten

Mary was terribly frightened of horses. Julianna had convinced her to come to the stables by promising her a nice long walk by the lake after they ate their breakfast picnic. Mary adored walks by the lake. In fact, she preferred them to nearly all other things.

Thankfully, during their months of courtship, Rhys had never met Mary. Mary hadn’t been of age at the time, so there had been no occasion for them to meet. It wasn’t as if Julianna and Rhys had been betrothed, after all.

Mama, however, was certain to notice Rhys if she saw him, and there were few people Mama hated as much as Rhys Sheffield, so Julianna took care not to let Mama know what she and Mary were doing.

Mama was under the impression that her daughters were going for an early morning stroll through the gardens. She’d no idea they were headed off on a breakfast picnic with a groomsman who was none other than the Duke of Worthington. Not that Mama would believe Julianna if she told her. Why, it sounded ridiculous. What Mama didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her, however. And at the moment, Julianna had a duke to persecute.

She’d decided that her mistake yesterday may have been in giving him tasks to do that he actually enjoyed. He’d chosen not to be a