A Lady of Hidden Intent Read Online Free PDF Page B

masquerade ball.” Lee chuckled. “I had nearly forgotten.”
    “I wish I could.” Carter lowered his arms and leaned forward. “However, it does keep my mother much occupied for the latter half of the year, and that alone is well worth enduring the rest.”
    “You know, if it becomes too much, you have an open invitation at our house. My mother already considers you an extension of the family. Had I any sisters, you would have no doubt found an engagement imposed upon you.”
    Carter laughed. “Had you any sisters and were they of the same quality as your mother, an engagement would have been no imposition. I am wont to find a good wife, but I despair of there being any unattached woman of my requirements within one hundred miles of this place.”
    “True,” Lee said with a sigh. “I have often thought the same. Mother suggested that I would find such a young lady at our church, but I see no one there to interest me.”
    “And my parents only consider attending any type of religious service to be for social purposes and financial gain. If others are of their mind, I frankly have no desire to look for a wife at church.”
    “Still,” Lee said, moving a stack of books to one side, “there must be women of worth in this town.”
    “Perhaps, but I am certain they are either over fifty, under twelve, or already happily situated,” Carter said with a laugh.
    “I suppose we must trust that in time our hearts will show us where true love lies,” Lee stated as Carter went to the window and pulled back the drape. “Have you come in your carriage today?”
    “Yes. Do you want a ride home?” Carter let go the drape and turned. “I would be happy to have your company.”
    “I would appreciate that. It’s still raining, and I have a stack of books to take with me. Father lent them to me a month ago, and I have been negligent in getting them back.”
    “The Judge won’t like that—nor would he like it if they got wet,” Carter teased. Leander’s father was a retired judge, but he still commanded great influence in the community. People respected and loved him, unlike Carter’s father, Elger Danby. People feared him, despised him, and mistrusted him, but still he managed to succeed. The contradiction of men left Carter somewhat confused. Where Lee’s father was a good man who reverenced God and looked out for the oppressions of mankind, Carter’s father was simply an oppressor.
    The confusion was in why God allowed both men to do well—to profit and accomplish great things. Carter constantly worried that his father would bring ruin not only upon his own head but upon the entire family. He prayed that it might not be so, but at the same time he truly desired that his father leave off his illegal practices and illicit affairs and conduct himself more along the lines of Judge Kendrick Arlington.
    They reached the Arlington house just as the rain lessened to sprinkles. Directing the horse through the narrow wrought-iron gates, Carter wished that this were his home as well. He could only imagine the joy and satisfaction he might have in sharing his accomplishments with Lee’s parents. With a sigh he pulled the carriage to a stop and tipped his hat.
    “There you are, sir. Safe and sound.”
    “Think about what I said, Carter. You are always welcome here.”
    “I appreciate that, Lee. I think the time has come for me to actually consider obtaining my own living quarters.”
    “People will think it strange for an unmarried man to leave his father’s home for another in the same town.”
    Carter laughed. “They’d think it even stranger for that unmarried man to strangle his father. No, I think it would do all of us good for me to leave.”
    Lee gave Carter a nod and opened the carriage door. “If I hear of a small place, I will let you know.”
    “And if I hear of a good woman . . .” Carter smiled and raised his brows before adding, “I’ll probably keep that news to myself. At least until I see if it