Chapter 15
The big day had arrived and Maurice was nervous.
Today Maurice would win his bet with Prinny and he’d bring home the Derby winner Smolensk to give to his Sebastian.
Sebastian had travelled to Doncaster two weeks ago with the four zebras and a couple of the stable lads to help the zebras settle into their new environment.
Maurice had spent the intervening time getting married—shock, horror—and today his new bride, Lady Victoria, the Duchess of Edenwick, would accompany him to the St Leger.
If either of them were that way inclined, it would’ve been a good match.
Victoria had many of the same qualities that Maurice liked about Sebastian, and in the past two weeks since they were married, they’d become friends.
They both needed more friends, and he enjoyed seeing Victoria grow more confident.
Her Ginny was a petite softly spoken Scottish woman with strawberry blonde hair and pale blue eyes, while Victoria was elegant rather than classically beautiful, and often had a stern expression.
“Your Grace, will you ride in the carriage today?” Sebastian raised one eyebrow and Maurice immediately wanted to kiss it. It’d been two weeks since they’d seen each other, and damn it, there were too many people around for him to greet him exactly how he wanted.
“Yes.”
“And your bride?”
Maurice flinched. “I’m sorry.”
“Why? It’s the perfect way to announce your marriage. No one will be looking at your stable master driving the zebras when they have a new Duchess to gossip about.”
“If the world was fair, you would be at my side, Sebastian.”
Sebastian’s nose crinkled up. “But the world isn’t fair and yet we’ve found a way to make it work for us regardless.”
“We have. Will you be jealous of Lady Victoria?”
“Would you be jealous if I kissed her maid?”
Maurice crossed his arms over his chest as his heart burned. “Damn it. Yes I would.”
“Then you understand how I feel.”
He stepped closer to Sebastian, who glanced over his shoulder but held his ground. “It’s all for show, Sebastian. A distraction from the truth.”
“And what is the truth?”
“You are the only person for me. The love of my life.”
Sebastian’s smile was sweet, a victory of sorts. “Good, because I wouldn’t go to all this trouble for anyone else.”
Maurice chuckled, loving the way Sebastian’s gaze dropped to his mouth as he smiled. “Bollocks. You’d do anything to have a Derby winner in your paddock.”
“Oh, Duke, you know me too well.” Sebastian lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over Maurice’s bottom lip. “Until later, Maurice.”
“I’ll hold you to that promise.” He was staying with Lord Horden who had a property near the Doncaster track, while Sebastian had been staying on course with the zebras for the last two weeks. “Lord Horden has promised a dinner to celebrate, or commiserate, after today’s antics.”
“It will be a celebration.” Sebastian frowned.
“Please don’t tell me Earnest has been invited?
” Sir Pashley and the Earl of Horden had an on-again, off-again relationship that was currently in an off phase, or at least that’s what Sebastian had said.
Maurice enjoyed listening to Sebastian talk about his friends but he couldn’t quite keep track of all the dramas in Sir Pashley’s life.
“I am unaware of the details of Lord Horden’s guest list. What time are you planning to parade the zebras?” All he wanted to do was drag Sebastian back to his bed. Two weeks was far too long to be apart from each other; Maurice missed Sebastian terribly.
“When the Prince Regent arrives. The stewards would prefer the timing to be just after the third race, but it depends on His Royal Highness’ schedule.”
“I will see what I can find out.” He glanced around, and thankfully, all the stable lads were busy, so he quickly grabbed Sebastian’s hand and kissed his knuckles. “Until later, my love.”
Sebastian’s brown eyes softened. “Until later, Maurice.”
***
Sebastian bit back a smile as he drove the four zebras along the course proper and into the birdcage.
They’d chosen a smaller carriage for the parade, only big enough for himself as the driver and two passengers; the Duke and Duchess of Edenwick.
They made quite a sight, and there was only one hairy moment when Wibbles thought about lying down, but Dungeon nudged him before Sebastian had a chance to give him a reminder, and everything went smoothly from there.
He pulled them to a halt in the birdcage, hooked up the reins, and jumped down to hold Wibbles by the head.
The zebra gave him a small head-butt, and Sebastian focused on giving him a good scratch just above the wither where he liked it.
“It’s quite a sight, Edenwick.” The Prince Regent was decked out for the races, wearing more jewels than Sebastian could have imagined existed in the world.
“I believe I have fulfilled my end of the wager. When will you deliver Smolensk?”
“Imagine doing all of this just for a horse.”
Sebastian held his tongue. Smolensk wasn’t just any old hack. He was a stunningly athletic black colt with a high well-formed neck, excellent shoulders and withers, and that swagger in his back end that all good horses had.
“There is no need to imagine. You have witnessed the achievement with your own eyes, your Highness.”
The Prince Regent rolled his eyes, his jowls wobbling. “Fine. Have the bloody horse. A wager is a wager, and never let it be said that I don’t pay my gaming debts.”
Maurice nodded, then walked calmly back to the carriage. “Wildgoose. We are done here.”
Sebastian didn’t enjoy the reminder of his place in the world and tried not to flinch.
Wibble noticed—of course—and stomped his near fore hoof.
“Yes, yes, I’m impatient to be out of here too.
” He gave the zebra one last pat, then climbed back into the driver’s seat and guided the team of four zebras out of the birdcage, back to the stabling area, leaving the Duke and his bride to entertain the Prince Regent.
Ten minutes later, Sebastian was hanging up the traces in the tack shed, only to hear the door slammed shut. Maurice pushed him against the wall, surrounding him as he kissed him. Sebastian shoved him on the chest.
“We are done here? What was that?”
“It was for show. I’ll never be done with you.”
Sebastian hissed as Maurice slid his hands under Sebastian’s shirt. “I don’t like it when you sound so convincing.”
“I had to.”
Sebastian growled, prickles stinging the backs of his eyes and anger flooding his veins. “Explain.”
“I was so goddamned proud of you, my love. I wanted to kiss you there in the birdcage, in front of everyone. If I didn’t dismiss you, I would’ve fallen on my knees for you with the whole world watching. With Prinny watching.”
Sebastian gasped as he stared into Maurice’s brown eyes, seeing the truth reflecting in his harsh features. “You were proud of me?”
“Did you hear what Prinny said? Never let it be said that I don’t pay my gaming debts.
” Maurice mocked royalty—something Sebastian would never have the courage to do out loud—and smiled.
Fuck, his smiles always made Sebastian’s knees soft.
They were so rare and beautiful. “You won the bet. You earned your horse and stole my heart.”
Sebastian didn’t have any words for that, so he kissed Maurice, pouring all his worries about class and desire for Maurice into it. Eventually, Maurice’s words sunk in.
“My horse?”
“Yes. I remember you said that every horse on the farm is yours emotionally, but they’ll never truly be yours. I want to gift you Smolensk. He’ll be yours on paper, my lawyer will write up the deed of ownership. I will pay you for every service to him.”
“Why?”
“You earned him.”
Sebastian swallowed, suddenly overcome with more emotion than his body could contain. “But I’m just a stable master?”
“No. You aren’t ‘just’ anything. You own the most prized stallion in all of England. You are an owner. My equal in every way.”
It wasn’t quite true. He’d never be a Duke, but Sebastian definitely appreciated the gesture for what it was.
Until now, he’d never owned any property, nothing except the clothes on his back, and now he owned a Derby winner.
It was more than the horse, though, it was an attempt to show that he understood the inequalities between them and how it might impact them in the future.
The income from Smolensk would give Sebastian independence.
“After one season, I could walk away without needing a new employer.”
Maurice shuddered, blinking hard. “Yes. I want to know that you are staying because you want me, not because of my horses or the job. I want you to have the money and the freedom to leave, so that when you stay, it’s deliberate.”
Sebastian breathed out slowly, his whole body warm and relaxed. “Thank you.”
“I won’t be easy to live with.” Maurice was stiff, a contrast to how Sebastian felt, and so he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer.
“Who wants easy? I wouldn’t risk the rope for just anyone.”
“I will try my best to be worthy.”
Sebastian pressed his forehead against Maurice’s. “Just love me. That’s all we can do.”
“I do. More than I ever imagined would be possible to love anything or anyone. You hold my heart in your hands, Sebastian. If you ever walk away, I’ll be ruined, crushed, lost.”
Sebastian, an orphan whose loyal friends had helped him understood how special it was to be loved, appreciated this gift of love from Maurice for what it was. “Let’s hope we never have to discover how that feels. I want to love you every day. I want you to choose me and I want to choose you.”
“Every day.” Maurice pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. “I need to have you inside me. Now.”
“I’m not rutting you in the stable block at the races, Maurice. Take me to Horden’s estate and we can take our time with each other.”
Maurice kissed him once more, then stepped away. “Yes. Now, while everyone is distracted at the races?”
“Your Grace...” Sebastian bit the inside of his cheek to stop a smile.
“Yes?” Maurice had one hand on the door—keen to leave—and so he looked over his shoulder, back at Sebastian.
“Remember that you are the Duke and I love it when you come apart for me.”
“Sebastian.” Maurice’s voice rumbled through the air with a promise for the future. He half-stepped towards Sebastian again, then shook his head, and opened the door. One of the other trainers walked in, ignoring them both to grab a saddle bag from the floor.
“When you are done here, we need to discuss delivery of Prinny’s prize. Come to Horden’s. I’ll be waiting for you.”
“Your Grace.” Sebastian waited until everyone had left before he let out a smile so wide that his cheeks hurt.
If this was love, he understood why Earnest chased after it so much.
Six weeks ago, he’d imagined his crush on Maurice was foolish, but now there was nothing foolish at all about being in love with someone who completely rearranged his life to make sure that Sebastian would be safe to be with him.
From being dumped at an orphanage to falling in love with a Duke, who gave him security, safety, love, and his own Derby winner. Sebastian’s heart was full.
***
If you enjoyed this book, the second book in the series is An Earl’s Bet. And yes, it’s the story of Earnest and Lord Horden.
HUGO CLAUDE PLAYFAIR, EARL OF HORDEN must follow the rules or bad things will happen.
The only time he ever broke a rule was one night with Sir Earnest Pashley, but then Earnest camped on his front lawn for two days, making an uncomfortable scene.
Several months later, Earnest accidentally falls asleep in Hugo’s bed after a dinner party.
Hugo can’t risk a repeat, even though he really wants to break all the rules for Earnest. When Earnest bets that nothing will go wrong, he accepts the bet to prove his point (and maybe because he can’t resist Earnest) . ..
SIR EARNEST PASHLEY has abandonment issues thanks to be sent to an orphanage when he was twelve.
He falls in love (lust) easily and always makes sure he is the first to leave before the fun ends.
Except once, when Lord Horden threw him out, and he disgraced himself by camping on Horden’s lawn in a dramatic gesture that went ignored.
After a drunken dinner when he wakes up in Horden’s bed, by accident, he decides to get his .
.. revenge? This time he’ll be the one to leave first.
***