Lavender Lies (Historical Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

like?"
    "I don't know if anyone can answer that. His Grace is an extremely private person. He is a handsome rogue, and it's a well-known fact that many a fair lady has lost her heart to him. However, he retains his own heart, even though I hear there is some dispute as to whether he even has a heart. Pity the poor woman he finally decides to make his duchess. He will expect her to be a saint or a paragon of virtue."
    "I take it he is not married then?"
    "No, but if one can overlook his domineering ways, he would be a brilliant catch. His mother and father both died when His Grace was but a boy, leaving him in charge of numerous holdings and estates. I believe he and his brother were raised by their grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Mannington. It is said Julian is extremely shrewd. I would wager the Swallow is about to sing her last song if he has come to put an end to her treachery."
    At that moment the front door opened and a blast of cold wind swept through the room, its icy fingers rattling the pewter plates that were lined up across the mantel.
    Colonel Grimsley and Cleave Wilson turned to observe the men who stood in the doorway. It was easy to see that the newcomer was someone of importance because he was flanked by a second man who was obviously a servant.
    As the newcomer's eyes moved over the room, he appeared to view his surroundings with remote indifference. Slowly and deliberately, he removed his silk-lined cape and handed it to his attendant. His knee-high boots, though muddy, still held a high shine. His dark blue jacket and trousers were of the finest material and were London-cut. His black hair was without benefit of powder and tied back in a queue. His face was handsome despite the supercilious expression he wore. Tall and broad of shoulder, the Duke of Mannington looked out of place in the quaint country inn.
    "It's him," Cleave Wilson remarked, rising respectfully to his feet. "He's here!"
    Julian Westfield, Duke of Mannington, surveyed the common room of the inn with distaste. To him, the room was drab, like everything else he had encountered since first stepping ashore. He paid little heed to the innkeeper, who rushed forward to greet his important guest. Julian Westfield brushed the little man aside with a haughty glance, and moved in the direction of the two men who were standing respectfully, waiting for the duke to be seated at the table.
    "Good evening, Cleave," he said in a deep, clipped voice. "Will you present me to your friend?" There was neither warmth in Julian Westfield's voice nor in his dark eyes that swept across Cleave's face.
    Cleave Wilson almost choked on his pipe smoke, and after a fit of coughing, he cleared his throat and made the customary introductions. "Your Grace, this is Colonel Grimsley, whom you asked to see tonight. Colonel, I have the great pleasure to present His Grace, the Duke of Mannington."
    Both men bowed politely, while the innkeeper lurked nearby, straining his ears, hoping to overhear scraps of conversation between the three men.
    Julian gave the innkeeper a scalding glance that sent him out of the room. "I would ask that you keep my title to yourself, gentlemen, and address me only as Julian. If at all possible, I want to keep my identity a secret."
    Wilson and Grimsley exchanged glances, each wondering how they could dare bring themselves to call a man of such distinction by his given name. It was Wilson who first found his voice. "How may we be of service to you, J-Julian?"
    The duke rested his arm on the table and lowered his voice. "May I assume that both of you know about the death of my brother, Lord William Westfield?"
    Wilson and Grimsley nodded grimly, each reluctant to speak on such a delicate matter, not knowing how the duke would react to their limited knowledge of his brother's death.
    Julian sensed the men's hesitation, and his irritation was apparent in his tone of voice. "Let us not pretend ignorance. I believe we can all safely assume that both