All the Honorable St. John Ashford ever wanted was his father’s love, but if he can’t have that, he’ll settle for being noticed. In an effort to do that, St. John sets his sights on Andrew Dorincourt, a man for whom the Viscount has nothing but disdain. Surely this will draw his father’s attention?  Unfortunately, while Andrew seems willing to date him, he appears entirely disinterested in anything else. St. John knows it’s just a matter of time before all his plans going up in smoke, especially when Andrew becomes attracted to an exotic young man he rescued from Malossini’s House of Oddities.<br><br>Robin Dorincourt is something of a playboy who enjoys nothing so much as flitting from one boyfriend to another. He doesn’t poach, though, and when he finds himself attracted to St. John Ashford, he does what he can to keep a healthy distance between them, using taunts and teasing. It’s difficult, until he realizes his brother is in love with someone else. Robin’s path toward St. John is clear, and he makes his move.<br><br>But is his path as clear as he imagines? St. John might be as attracted to Robin as Robin is to him, but he’ll be damned if he allows himself to be passed from one brother to the other as if he’s nothing more than a poor second choice. Now it remains is for Robin to persuade St. John he’s no one’s second choice.

More, by All Mores

St John placed his hand on mine. “My dear.” I subsided back into my chair, feeling as if I had taken a blow to the chest. I hoped I never became blasé about him calling me that. He turned back to his uncle. “Why would I lie about something like that, sir? Father never spoke of it to me, but Garrick told me Mama did not love us anymore and had found someone she loved better.”


I turned my hand over under his and clasped his fingers, and he flashed me a sad smile. There was more St John wasn’t telling, I could see that, but I’d wait until later, when we were in bed, to ask if he wanted to talk of it.


Trevalyan meanwhile was tugging on his lip, the gesture similar to his father’s. And his nephew’s. “I’m going to look into this, St John. Your father never struck me as one who did anything without a reason. It seems to me, given his personality, he would have taken great pleasure in revealing all the details to his four-year-old son of his mother’s desertion of him.”


Chapter 36