Mischief Read Online Free PDF Page B

upon a course of action.
    “How did Vanneck compromise your niece, madam?”
    Horatia’s mouth tightened. “It is a very unpleasant story.”
    “If I am to take any sort of action, I must know the facts of the matter.”
    Horatia eyed him with some hope. “I suppose you may as well hear the details from me rather than one of the London gossips. And it is not as though you were not saddled with a somewhat nasty reputation yourself, is it, my lord?”
    Matthias met her eyes. “That is very true, Mrs. Elibank. Your niece and I have that much in common.”
    Horatia suddenly became keenly interested in an ancient Etruscan death mask. “Yes, well, three years ago Lucy asked Imogen to come to see her in London. Lady Vanneck had been married for over a year at that point, but that was the first time she had bothered to invite Imogen to visit.”
    “Did Imogen stay with Lord and Lady Vanneck?”
    “No. Lucy claimed that she could not invite her to stay in the mansion because Lord Vanneck would not tolerate guests in the household. She suggested that Imogen take a small house for a few weeks. Lucy made all the arrangements.”
    Matthias frowned. “Imogen went off to London by herself?”
    “Yes. I was unable to join her because my husband was extremely ill at the time. Not that Imogen considered that she needed a companion, of course. She has a very independent nature.”
    “I noticed.”
    “I lay the blame squarely at the feet of her parents, God rest their souls.” Horatia sighed. “They loved her dearly and meant to do their best, but I fear that they gave her an extremely unconventional upbringing.”
    “How is that?” Matthias asked.
    “My brother and his wife were considerably advanced in years when Imogen was born. Indeed, they had both abandoned any hope of having children. When Imogen came along, they were thrilled.”
    “She has no brothers or sisters?”
    “No. Her father, John, who was my eldest brother, was a philosopher who had radical notions concerning theeducation of young people. He saw in Imogen a golden opportunity to test his theories.”
    “And her mother?”
    Horatia grimaced. “Alethea was a most unusual lady. She created something of a stir in her younger days. Wrote a book that seriously questioned the value of marriage to females. My brother fell in love with her the instant he read it. They were wed immediately.”
    “In spite of the lady’s views on marriage?”
    “Alethea always said that John was the only man in the entire world who could have made her a suitable husband.” Horatia hesitated. “She was right. In any event, Alethea also had developed a host of strange notions about the education of females. Indeed, she wrote another book describing them.”
    Matthias was briefly amused. “In other words, Imogen is the product of a radical philosophical experiment?”
    “I fear that is precisely the case.”
    “What happened to your brother and his wife?”
    “They both succumbed to lung infections the year Imogen turned eighteen.” Horatia shook her head. “I had often warned them that their habit of smoking that vile American tobacco was most unhealthy. Fortunately, Imogen did not adopt the practice.”
    “You were about to tell me what happened three years ago when Imogen went to London.” Matthias paused at the sound of brisk footsteps in the hall.
    Imogen stuck her head around the edge of the door and gave Matthias and Horatia an inquiring look. “How is the inventory going in here?”
    Matthias held up a bound volume of the
Quarterly Review of Antiquities
which he had just come across. “I believe we are making satisfactory progress, Miss Waterstone.”
    “Excellent.” Imogen glanced down at a list in her hand. “I have devised a schedule which, if we adhere to it, should see us finished with the inventory of the first floor before we leave for London on Thursday. Aunt Horatiaand I will finish the rest of the house at our leisure when we return in a few weeks’