Lady Silence Read Online Free PDF Page A

older when she came here—sixteen or more—we might
have wondered, but not our Katy. And would an adventuress have
waited so long to make off with the silver? Do not be absurd, my
dear. That is the trouble with wars, I fear. They take our young
men and turn their noble minds inside out and upside down.”
    “ Mama!” To the colonel’s indignant
protest, his mother returned only the blandest look. He glowered.
“The final possibility is worst of all. If we have been giving
shelter to a runaway, we could be taken up for kidnapping. Whether
she is a merchant’s brat or daughter of a duke, she is under age,
and somewhere she has a father, brother, uncle, or guardian looking
for her.”
    “ She could simply be an orphan. A lost
child in need of a home.”
    “ A lost child with the skills of a
lady,” the colonel riposted drily. “I fear it is all a take-in,
mama. The child aped her betters, giving herself airs and graces as
false as her lost voice. No doubt if she once opened her mouth,
you’d hear Seven Dials or Shoreditch. Indeed,” said the colonel,
accustomed to quick decisions, “she’s bamboozled you long enough.
I’ll send her off today. You may, if you wish,” he added grandly,
“write her a character. I shall see she has a mite to live on until
she can find another position.”
    Lady Moretaine, shocked into silence by her
son’s speech, finally found her voice. “This is Katy’s home,” she
cried. “You cannot throw her out!”
    “ Oh, can I not?” said Colonel Damon
Farr. “I will not tolerate a guttersnipe masquerading as a
lady.”
    The Countess of Moretaine sat up, clutching
the book between white-knuckled fingers. “Then we will leave, Katy
and I. It is time, after all, for the child to know more of the
world.” She nodded decisively. “Yes, indeed, we shall go to
Bath.”
    “ You will do nothing of the kind,” the
colonel roared.
    “ But, indeed, it is the very thing,”
declared the countess. “Bath will do nicely for us. Perhaps we
shall even find Katy a beau.”
    Blast the chit! Did his mama’s life revolve around that encroaching little
minx? Yet . . . somehow the reality of losing the angel who had
brought him tea and biscuits held little appeal, no matter how
sensible the plan might be. Damon suddenly found himself tempering
his blusterings. “Mama, I have just come home. Surely you will
remain for the rest of the summer. You cannot wish to leave the
country when Bath and London are so thin of company. Unless, of
course”—the colonel raised his dark brows—“you fancy joining the
Prince’s fast set in Brighton?”
    “ Nonsense!” the countess gasped. “As if
I would ever—” She broke off. “Naughty boy, you are funning, of
course. “Very well, we shall stay a while, if you are certain you
would not dislike it.”
    Though not best pleased by his mother’s
use of we , the colonel
assured her he would be delighted to have her company.
    “ In that case,” said Lady Moretaine
with rather more care than her usual forthright manner, “perhaps I
should mention that Katy is accustomed to spending several hours
each morning in the bookroom. I am an indolent creature, you may
remember, rarely abroad before noon, so Katy’s mornings are free to
do as she likes. And, even above riding, her preference is
books.”
    All signs of Colonel Farr’s brief slip
into affability disappeared on the instant. His dark brows narrowed
over his angular nose as he scowled at his mother. “I am sure I
regret discommoding your companion, mama, but the bookroom is mine.
I expect to spend the better part of my time there. I do not care
to share it with some . . . foundling .”
    “ Damon . . . dearest boy, I understand
it is difficult, coming home after so many years of war. But,
truly, there are no enemies lurking here. Katy is a good girl,
bright and true. Indeed, when you have become more accustomed to
her ways, I believe you will find her a great help in the
bookroom.”
    “