and Mrs. Chapter One London, 1749 Nicholas Addison tossed back a mouthful of flat champagne and watched the swirling mass of people on the dance floor with a jaded eye. If he didn’t have an important meeting in a few moments he would have left already. Hell, he wouldn’t have attended in the first place. “We’ve only just arrived. You can’t leave yet.” Nicholas switched his gaze from the dizzying dancers to his brother, Sebastian, Earl of Claybrook. Sebastian grinned but the amusement didn’t reach his tired eyes. “So what did Kenmar have to say?” he asked, referring to Nicholas’s earlier appointment with the marquess. Nicholas shrugged and looked around one more time. You never knew who could be lurking in the shadows. Listening. And he wasn’t taking chances. Not tonight. He took another swig of champagne and frowned when the alcohol hit his stomach like a round from a twenty-two-pounder.
