England's Perfect Hero Read Online Free PDF

lighting with amusement rather than with the fire and thunder that had terrified many a green recruit into reconsidering his choice of career. "Look at him, Lucinda," he returned, gesturing her to join him at the window. "Red jacket, white waistcoat, and green trousers. He's either an anarchist or the flag of Spain ."
    Chuckling, Lucinda stopped at his elbow to gaze down at the street. "Good heavens. At least Spain is an ally."
    "They wouldn't be if they saw an Englishman making such a mockery of their colors." His scowl deepened. "Good God, now he's waving at us. He's not a suitor, is he? If he approaches the house I'm going to have to shoot him."
    Stepping back from the window, Lucinda shook her head. "No, he's not a suitor. I'm not going to marry anyone's flag. Now, do you have another chapter for me?" She motioned at the dark mahogany desk, crowded with haphazard piles of notes and stacks of heavily inked pages.
    "Not yet. The notes I took at Salamanca are a bit worse for wear, I'm afraid. But don't change the subject."
    "Which subject?"
    He tapped a hand against the back of the chair facing his formidable desk. "Suitors."
    Wonderful . "Papa, do not begin inviting your officer friends over again. You, me, and thirty men in red and white. I felt like the flag of France , under siege. I prefer peacetime negotiations. And you owe me a chapter. Stop stalling."
    The general sank back into his own chair. "The notes are… much more of a mess than I'd realized. It's a damned nuisance." He hesitated. "And my memory's not what it used to be."
    "Hm, Considering the responsibilities the Horse Guards and the War Office keep heaping on you, I don't think they believe your incapacity any more than I do."
    "A little sympathy would be a nice gesture, daughter."
    "Yes, General." She didn't believe that his memory was fading, but the claim could very well provide her an opportunity for lesson giving. A low buzz of excitement ran down her spine. "You know, I believe Lord Geoffrey Newcombe fought at Salamanca . He'll be at Almack's tonight. Perhaps I might ask him to stop by and see whether he can assist you in deciphering your journal."
    "Ah, Lord Geoffrey. Brash young lad, full of vinegar. Took a ball in the arm at Waterloo . You waltzed with him last night."
    His gaze slid over to her, but she pretended to be occupied with straightening reference books. "I danced with at least a dozen gentlemen," she returned. "As I usually do. Lord Geoffrey mentioned the war, and I just thought he might be of some help to you."
    "You know, you may just have something there, Lucinda," he said after a moment of silence. "In fact, I think I'll send a note over to him, and ask for his assistance."
    "Splendid."
    For the first time he seemed to notice the old blue muslin gown and straw hat she wore. "We have a gardener, you know."
    "I know. I like tending the roses. And yes, I'll wear gloves so I don't get pricked."
    The general dug into a drawer. "Just like your mother," he muttered, abruptly occupied with sharpening a quill. "Marie and her roses."
    Lucinda smiled. "I'll make you up a bouquet for the office."
    Retrieving her heavy gloves and pruners, she waited while the butler pulled open the front door. "I'll be in the garden, Ballow," she said.
    "Very good, Miss Lucinda."
    Worley, the gardener, had already set out a weed bucket for her, and humming last night's waltz, Lucinda strolled around the side of the house to the small garden. Her mother had planted one new rose per year after Lucinda's birth, and since her death from pneumonia, Lucinda had tried to keep up the tradition. The twenty-fourth rose, a lovely double-petaled yellow with a scent like cinnamon, had arrived from Turkey last week.
    "How are you?" she asked it, kneeling on her skirts to check the soil. "You need some water, don't you?"
    She hummed as she clipped a few bedraggled leaves that hadn't survived the plant's long journey. Using her father's memoirs as an excuse to have Lord Geoffrey