Lucy Muir Read Online Free PDF Page B

listened to Lord Stanton talk to Melissa, she found it hard to believe that he was the same man who had drawn her into his arms and kissed her the night before. Memory of that kiss made her flush, and she glanced up quickly to see if it had been observed, but his attention was still on Melissa. Anne wondered why his kiss had disturbed her so much more than the few others she had received. She had been popular with Charlie’s young fellow officers, and several had pressed their suits upon her, although none had won her heart. In Medford there had been no eligible men, and she had been content to live alone, joining in local society as one of the village spinsters.
    “Anne,” Melissa’s voice interrupted her musings, “you have been woolgathering. Lord Stanton was just suggesting that if we are able to leave tomorrow, he would be pleased to offer us the use of one of his carriages.”
    “Thank you, Lord Stanton, but that will not be necessary. The carriage the squire lent us is quite satisfactory.”
    “I think it would be better if you accepted my offer, Miss Southwell. I know I may depend upon the discretion of my servants, but the squire’s may not be as trustworthy. Were it to get about in London that you stayed here, even though it was necessitated by the weather, your reputations would be ruined. Indeed, I should warn you that if I should chance to encounter you in London I shall not recognize you, nor should you recognize me. It would be your undoing.”
    “I think it is most unfair,” declared Melissa, her blue eyes darkening. “You have been so kind to us. I am sure you come by your reputation unjustly,” she added ingenuously.
    “Thank you for your defense, Miss Amberly, but I must stress the importance of not appearing to recognize me or telling anyone of your sojourn here.”
    “If you really think it necessary,” Melissa capitulated, “but I think it a pity we cannot associate with our first friend.”
    “It is not quite that bad, Miss Amberly. We may be formally presented during the Season, in which case we may speak to each other, although you must not show any partiality for my company, nor I for yours.”
    “Perhaps after you are married you will be able to receive Lord Stanton,” said Anne, looking challengingly at Lord Stanton. “If you were a married woman, there would be less danger to your reputation.”
    “I shall be able to, shan’t I?” agreed Melissa. “I promise I shall invite you to the first entertainment I hold as a married woman, Lord Stanton.”
    “Thank you, Miss Amberly. I shall be honoured to attend. Perhaps Miss Southwell will allow me to escort her,” Lord Stanton replied, looking questioningly at Anne.
    Anne chose not to respond, commenting instead upon the sun, which had broken through a crack in the clouds. Lord Stanton accepted her change of subject with only a quirk of his eyebrows, and the remainder of the meal passed with no further awkward moments.
    * * * *
    The promised tour of Longworth took most of the afternoon. Longworth had been built in the latter half of the seventeenth century, Lord Stanton informed them, by the second Marquess of Talford.
    “I am fortunate,” he continued, “that the three intervening holders of the title were all astute politicians who loved Longworth. They managed to stay in favour with the ruling parties and kept Longworth up well.”
    “Who will keep it up after you, Lord Stanton?” Anne asked somewhat presumptuously.
    “My sister has three boys,” he explained. “They all seem good children, so I have no worries about the fate of Longworth after my demise.”
    At Anne’s look of surprise, he added, “Are you surprised that such a rake as myself has family? Not only do I have a sister, but I believe that she is quite fond of me. Although,” he added fairly, “I know she wishes I would change my ways.”
    Their tour would have to be confined to the East Wing, Lord Stanton explained, as he led them up the stairs to the