A Wicked Gentleman Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Why, man? Was it not a fair offer?”
    â€œOh, yes, my lord. I considered it to be more than fair…considering…” The lawyer meticulously adjusted the papers on his desk so that every edge was neatly aligned. “Considering the condition of the property,” he concluded, raising his eyes to meet his visitor’s steady green gaze. “I explained that to your own solicitors, my lord.”
    He coughed into his hand. “I have to say that I expected to be dealing with them rather than yourself, my lord. It is customary to conduct such affairs through the solicitors of the parties concerned.”
    â€œI prefer to conduct my own business,” his lordship declared with an impatient toss of his hand. “It’s a damn sight quicker for one. All that middleman nonsense. As to the condition of the house, I don’t give a fig.” The viscount frowned at Masters. “I told you that already. Is it more money they’re after?” His eyes narrowed, and he leaned back in his chair, crossing one buckskin-clad leg over the other, regarding the lawyer closely.
    Mr. Masters fussed a little more with the papers. “There’s no mention of that, sir. No counteroffer has been made at this point.”
    â€œMmm.” Harry, still frowning, tapped his booted foot with his riding whip. “So who owns the house now that the old lady’s gone?”
    The lawyer hesitated, wondering about the ethics here, but Viscount Bonham did not strike him as a man it would be wise to obstruct, and there were no confidences in the lady’s letter. He selected one of the papers in front of him and pushed it across the desk. “A Lady Livia Lacey, my lord.”
    Harry picked up the paper and read it. The hand was elegant, the vellum plain and unscented, the message unequivocal. It seemed that Lady Livia Lacey wished to inspect her inheritance for herself before making any decision as to its disposition.
    â€œAnd who exactly is the lady?” he inquired, returning the letter to the desk with an air of finality.
    â€œI believe her ladyship is distantly related to the late Lady Sophia Lacey, although I’m unsure of the exact connection.” Masters took the letter and returned it to its place in the sheaf of papers with yet more care over the alignment of the edges.
    â€œLady Sophia was not specific, but she was most insistent that the property be left to a female relative who bore her name. Lady Livia was the only one who fitted the specifications.”
    â€œSome old spinster biddy, I presume,” Harry said without any particular malice in the description.
    â€œWell, as to that, my lord, I’m not sure,” the lawyer said. “The handwriting is not that of an elderly lady.”
    â€œNo, but she probably has a young companion, a charity-case relative, to walk her pugs and see to her correspondence.” Harry held out his hand. “Show me the letter again, Masters.”
    With a barely concealed sigh, the lawyer disturbed his neat pile to extricate the sheet of vellum and passed it over.
    â€œRingwood, Hampshire,” Harry murmured. “A nice sleepy little village in the New Forest. Now just why would some maiden lady living in peaceful country retirement want to trouble herself with a trip to London to inspect a deteriorating property for which she’s already received a more than handsome offer?” He shook his head. “Beats me.”
    Masters cleared his throat. “It’s always possible, sir, that the lady’s circumstances are not what we think.”
    Harry uncrossed his legs with an energetic movement that made the lawyer flinch reflexively. “Maybe so. Do what you can to discover the circumstances, Masters. And offer another three thousand.” He uncoiled himself from his chair, rising to his feet with the same energy as before.
    The lawyer gazed at him in consternation, then blurted, “Indeed, my lord,