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Chapter One

Lord Calluically near one of the open garden doors The spring breeze kept the air around hie social gatherings made him uncomfortable Not that he couldn’t participate in them, he just didn’t like them

He rolled his neck fro it to crack Hell, he hated parties and balls Unlike the otherhe was part of the peerage His friends called him Exile, and the na his own family

A gentleman bumped him and Exile let out a deep rumble of dissatisfaction The ht Exile’s gaze then his own eyes widened in surprise “I beg your pardon” The lances backward

He cracked two of his knuckles as if to underscore his point Exile had that effect on people His sheer size was inti

Exile’s cousin, Eas supposed to be the next Earl of Exmouth Ewan had been born and raised for the position of a Scottish earl and had taken to the role naturally Fair and decent, Eould have ht back to his larger-than-life cousin Though, physically speaking, they’d been the same size, even as kids, Ewan had always knohat to do One summer, Exile had stayed with his aunt and uncle on their estate north of Glasgow While playing with a group of boys, one of them had fallen froe, Ewan had taken charge He’d sent one child for help, another was to hold the boy’s hand, a third was to go directly to the doctor At ten, Exile had wondered if he’d ever be as capable as Ewan Now at eight and twenty he was still asking himself that same question

Two ladies passed by hi loudly “Did you see the cut of her dress? Awful”

“I know,” the other replied, snapping open her fan and giving hi stare over the top

Exile looked away, not interested His ht of his cousin rather than less Ewan should be the earl now Instead, Ewan had died five years prior The worst part was his cousin had left this world atteut clenched Bloody unfair So now, his family, his people, were stuck with Exile as their earl No one was happy about it Certainly not his aunt Definitely not the farland and most certainly not himself

Exile had never wanted the responsibility Of course, he still tried to do the best he could Hell, he’d even gone into business running a ga hell to make sure his people remained fed Not that anyone would appreciate his efforts if they knew the truth They’d likely call hiht told hi In fact, Exile reed

He shifted, uncoed hie feathered hat stepped in front of hi his view As he ht of the door His friend and fellow club oalked into the roo a full head taller than everyone else, was easy to spot Next to hi out in the crowd He searched just behind her and saw the woinally come to see: Lady Diana Chase

His insides tightened He hadn’t one to the ball to see her, yes, but not to be with her In fact, he already had an intended, though he hadn’t chosen that woman either Fiona an’s fiancée and his aunt was convinced that Exile should honor the commitment If he recalled, her exact words were to the effect of, “It’s the least you could do”

His chest puffed out as he drew in a long breath Marry a woain, after all the losses his aunt had endured, he wasn’t certain how he could refuse

He gazed across the roo with awareness He’d o when she and her sisters had arrived at the illicit club in the ht Diana’s sister, Emily, had been in search of her fiancé But the ladies had put both their reputations and the club’s secret nature at risk by going there Even worse, one of Darlington’s enemies knew the ladies had been there