The Prince of Pleasure (Notorious 5)

Julienne shot Dare a quelling look even as she blushed. "I believe Lord Wolverton has a tendency to embellish the truth, my lady."

"Please, I am Vanessa, and this is my husband, Damien."

Lord Sinclair stepped forward. "It is indeed a pleasure to meet you. I'm well aware of Dare's tendencies, but in this case, I think you deserve the laurels. Castlereagh's endorsement gives significant weight to any claims this frivolous fellow"-he slapped Dare on the back-"might make."

Dare's smile was pained. "I vow I am being maligned unjustly. You forget, Sin, that I have a new medal to prove just how unfrivolous I can be."

"Indeed you do," Damien agreed with a chuckle. "It's just that I'm damned envious of your exploits. It will only add luster to your legendary halo and make you even more favored by all the ladies."

Lucian went to the sideboard to pour her a glass of sherry while Brynn led Julienne to a settee and drew her down.

"I told you we are very informal," Brynn said to her. "Regrettably our other close friends couldn't be here. Raven and Kell sailed for the Caribbean three months ago. I wish you could have met them. I know you would have loved Raven. She helped ease my way in society last year when I wed Lucian and had to face all his haughty relatives."

When Lucian returned with Julienne's wine, he proposed a toast to the guests of honor-Julienne and Dare-and was roundly endorsed. Once the applause died, Dare raised his own glass.

"I think another toast is in order," he said with a wicked smile. "To the latest addition to the League. May he have no trouble following in his father's footsteps."

Brynn shook her head fiercely. "Dare, that is a horrible thing to wish. You take that back!"

At the genial laughter, Julienne frowned quizzically.

"Our son is barely two weeks old," Brynn explained. "And already Dare is plotting for him to resume Lucian's membership in the Hellfire League." She gave Dare a mock glare. "Over my dead body."

"Dare is only jesting, sweetheart," Lucian said, amused. "He knows the League's ranks will remain thin for some time. Which reminds me… I would like to thank my lovely wife," he said softly, "for giving me the son I always longed for." He shared a lingering look with Brynn, one so tender and intimate, it made Julienne's heart hurt.

"At least we don't have to worry about that just yet," Vanessa murmured to Julienne, "since we have a daughter. Our difficulties will likely be of a different sort. Catherine is only three, but she has her father completely wrapped around her finger, along with every other male she sees."

"But the next one could be a son," Damien said, giving his own wife the same kind of heated, cherishing glance, his gaze burning with love.

With a secretive smile, Vanessa pressed a hand to her abdomen. "We're fortunate to be expecting another child."

Julienne had to look away as a bittersweet yearning pierced her. She would likely never have children. Not Dare's, at any event, which was all she wanted.

Glancing at him, she found Dare regarding her intently. Julienne forced herself to smile and ask an innocuous question regarding attendance at the planned public peace celebrations, which fortunately served to change the subject.

For a time she enjoyed herself. The conversation held a amiable warmth, and Dare's friends treated her with a graciousness she never would have expected from such blue-blooded members of the British nobility. The men seemed like brothers; the teasing banter and ribbing between them showed an affection for one another that Julienne suspected was very rare.

Dinner was announced shortly, and they adjourned to what Brynn called the small dining room-which provided a more intimate setting than the formal room the Wycliffs usually used for entertaining. Over a scrumptious meal, Julienne discovered more about Dare than she had learned in the three months since meeting him again.

When one of the company addressed him as Wolverton, Vanessa momentarily looked blank before shaking her head and confiding to Julienne in an undertone, "I have difficulty sometimes recalling Dare's new title. When I met him several years ago, he was the Earl of Clune, and he had a profound impact on my life. In fact, he precipitated Damien's proposal of marriage. Dare abducted me in jest, so that Damien would be forced to acknowledge how much he cared for me."

"And did he?" Julienne asked curiously.

"Yes," Lucian interjected. "But Damien called him out for it and wound up getting shot himself."

"I wanted to shoot them both for their childish obstinacy," Vanessa admitted with wry exasperation.

"Dare managed to hit me almost by accident," Damien said. "I was fortunate his marksmanship was never very good."

Dare flashed an unruffled grin. "I've made it a point to improve my skills since then. I will never be the marksman you are, Sin, but I've become fairly adequate with a pistol and quite accomplished with a blade. You never know when you might need to duel. Or confront a ruthless spy." His grin faded. "My skills proved invaluable a few weeks ago, but I will be retiring from the spy business. No more clandestine snooping or undercover machinations from now on."

"And you, Julienne?" Lucian asked.

Dare responded for her, his tone adamant. "She is retiring as well."

"There doubtless will be factions who refuse to accept defeat and will attempt to bring Napoleon back into power."

"You will have to find someone else," Dare insisted.