The Lady and the Earl by Diedre Clark Page A

wise choice.  It led to other, more pleasurable activities,” Lucas said smugly.
    “Such as?” Connor asked.  I should have kept my mouth shut, he thought as soon as those words were out. 
    “I played The Game, Connor.   It’ s always relax ing to make love to a beautiful woman . ”
    “What?” Connor croaked.  His body visibly jerked, his sherry sloshing around in his glass.  He set the glass down hard.  Panic rushed through him, followed by a fierce rage as he thought of Lucas seducing Allana.  Was she his latest trophy?  Don’t jump to any conclusions just yet, Connor.  Calm down.  It could have been any one .  “Do I know her ?” he asked aloud, trying to sound as casual as possible.  Inside he felt murderous.   
    Lucas raised an eyebrow at Connor, eyeing his glass of sherry and his sudden tenseness.  “Been a while since you’ve cared.  Why now?”
    “Just curious,” Connor lied.  He needed to know if it had been Allana Lucas had played for.
    “Of course,” Lucas replied with a knowing look .  “You may relax, Connor.  It was Maggie.”
    “The maid?”   Relief flooded through Connor, causing him to sink back into his chair. 
    “Yes, and probably the best opponent I ’ ve had in a long time.  At least since you quit playing,” Lucas replied as a smug smile spread across his face. 
    Connor rolled his eyes.  He knew what was coming next: a drawn out, detailed tale of Lucas’s conquest.  Connor had tried in the past to get Lucas to quit telling him about each woman he seduced and conquered, but it only made Lucas draw out his stories more.  He found it amusing to enlighten Connor with the details of The Game . 
    The Game, Connor thought sadly.  It had started when they were sixteen and were first invited to the Davenhue’s yearly Christmas party.  They made a bet to see who could get a kiss from one of the girls attending.  Connor picked the lucky girl for Lucas, and Lucas picked for Connor.  At the end of the night, they gave the details, and the winner of the bet took the pot.  Connor remembered Lucas winning that first night.  It had been exhilarating, so they continued the bet at each party they attended, calling their little competition The Game to keep suspicion at bay.  If they both succeeded, then the money they had bet would carry over to the next time they played until someone won. 
    When they moved to London, the stakes rose from a kiss to more, and eventually they were betting on who could seduce his girl to his bed first.  There had been a time when Connor actually enjoyed the thrill of it.  He even bested Lucas a time or two, but then he fell in love with his bet.  Lucas had chosen her for her innocence and seeming hate for Connor, and Connor had fallen f or her, fallen beyond hope.  T hen he found her in bed with Lucas.  The pain it caused his heart was excruciating.  That was the last time he played The Game, and the last time he trusted Lucas. 
    Lucas, on the other hand, continued to play even without a challenger.  He claimed the challenge each woman brought was enough for him.  Thus, he continued his roguish ways, seducing woman after woman and giving Connor the repulsive details.  Now Lucas was telling Connor about Maggie.
    Connor shook his head in disgust.  “Do you ever think of what this does to these young women , Lucas?  How much chance does this give them of a normal marriage, or for some like Maggie, any marriage at all?” Connor asked in frustration.
    “Do not lecture me, Connor.  I remember a time when you were the same as I,” Lucas said coldly.  “We were both players of The Game at one point.  In fact, there was even a time when you might have been the better player.”
    Connor shook his head.  That was not entirely true.  Connor played the game in his own way:  make Lucas believe he was bedding his bets when in actuality he was not.  “But I’ ve changed.  I haven’t participated in it for nearly five