Two Notorious Dukes by Lyndsey Norton

first erection since the night at
the opera.
    ‘Damn!’ he said under his breath as he went to
the kitchens. He saw Mrs. Simmons quickly and she
bustled upstairs with the housemaids to get a room
ready. Robert squeezed his penis very hard to try and
get it to go down and eventually it did, but only as he
heard the carriage pulling up outside.
    He got to the door at the same time as Mrs.
Simmons and shooed her back to her task. He opened
the door as Argyll stepped out of the coach.
‘Damn me, if you aren’t a sight for sore eyes!’
    Argyll said cheerfully. ‘Is there brandy?’
‘Yes. But only after you have tea with your
mother!’ Robert replied and was laughing and slapping
Argyll on the back. ‘Damned if I haven’t missed you.
How was the sport at Goring?’
‘The same as always, the coveys were
overflowing, so I did some shooting, but that’s about
all.’
Argyll saw Elizabeth and bowed formally,
greeting her correctly. ‘Good afternoon, Lady Elizabeth.’
Elizabeth gracefully inclined her head and said
‘Good afternoon, Your Grace,’ and promptly turned the
page in her book and started to read again.
Argyll raised an eyebrow at Robert. ‘How’s it
been?’ he asked softly as they turned for the garden.
‘Fairly quiet. Elizabeth’s only had two
nightmares.’ He said as they arrived on the terrace. ‘And
Sarah is out walking with little Amelia.’
‘Johnny!’ Lady Verity said, all formality forgotten
in her haste to get up and give him a crushing hug. ‘It’s
so good to see you.’
‘Thank you, Mother. It’s good to finally be here.’
‘When did he arrive?’ Robert asked softly.
‘The day you arrived here. I gave him a few wild
goose chases, I think.’ He laughed. ‘I told him you could
be in Leamington, so he could be halfway up the
country by now!’
‘Well, he won’t be able to approach here, not
without the children seeing him. I’ve got the estate
workers clearing the ditches on every approach, so we’ll
know if he comes.’
‘Unless he comes at night!’ Argyll muttered.
Argyll ended up with a small room at the back,
which was fine by him, his valet was installed in the
servant’s quarters along with all the others.
Robert’s shoulder started to ache fiercely as the
day wore on and he knew it was going to rain. After an
evening of pianoforte entertainment, which he actually
enjoyed for a change as both Sarah and Elizabeth turned
out to be fine pianists, the ladies retired and Argyll and
Robert drank, talked and played cards, as men always
do.
‘So are you going to tell me about Craanford?
Robert asked after they had consumed half a bottle of
brandy and were well into the cards.
‘I don’t know much about the family, but I know
Alexander. He was at Cambridge when I was there.’
Argyll shook his head. ‘We all liked to tup the ladies in
the town. It was a sport for most of us, and the more
you were talked about, the better you were, so the
more in demand you became!’ he said blushing coyly.
‘Don’t tell me, every one talked about you!’
Robert laughed.
‘I’m afraid so. I was third most popular of my
year!’ Argyll boasted, ‘marginally pipped by Viscount
Dean and both of us were hammered by the Earl of
Rathbone.’ He shook his head. ‘The bastard tupped
every girl in the brothel in one night. Has the stamina of
a bull!’
‘But, what about Craanford?’ Robert asked
again.
‘Craanford was bottom of the list. The ladies
wouldn’t let him touch them after the first night.’ He
shuddered dramatically. ‘Unfortunately I was in the next
room with my favourite girl and I heard the screaming.
Affronted I burst in the room, along with the chap from
the room the other side, to find her tied face down on
the bed and him whipping her with his riding crop.’
Argyll gave a cold laugh as he wiped his hand over his
mouth. ‘She was already covered in blood and I’m afraid
the other chap and I took him outside and gave the
bastard a beating.’
‘He’d do the same to