Rules of Passion Read Online Free PDF Page B

abandoned in a cottage upon the estate. At the time Rawlings was their estate manager, but he had proved unsatisfactory and Lady Greentree had let him go—only for him to bob up in that inn and ruin Marietta’s life.
    Mr. Jardine was a mature gentleman of medium height and build, and handsome. His skin had been darkened by the years he had spent in the West Indies.
    “Lady Greentree will be so pleased,” he said now, and it was clear from his expression that he was imagining her joy when she heard about her grandson.
    Such a wish to please an employer might be due to friendship or gratitude or loyalty, but Marietta knew differently. It had been obvious to her for many years that Mr. Jardine loved Lady Greentree. Unfortunately his love went unrequited, for although Amy Greentree was clearly fond of her secretary, she was still mourning her husband, and perhaps she always would be. It did seem to be a pity that she could not put aside his memory for just long enough to allow herself to brush the past from her eyes. If she could once see Mr. Jardine clearly, without the veil of her bereavement, Marietta was certain she would love him, too.
    Marietta left Mr. Jardine and slipped down the stairs. News of the new Montegomery heir had already spread, and servants with beaming faces had gathered in the entrance hall. Soon congratulations would begin arriving at the town house, and with them would come Lady Marsh, Oliver’s wealthy aunt. Mr. Jardine would send a message posthaste to Lady Greentree and Francesca, and Marietta wouldfollow that with a letter of her own. A notice would be placed in the more important newspapers, and that would bring more congratulations. Queen Victoria herself would send a gift, for Oliver was a favorite of hers, and Prince Albert would attach a personal note, because Vivianna was a favorite of his.
    But there was someone else, someone Marietta considered more important than Her Majesty. Someone who should be told the news as soon as possible, and with Vivianna so completely absorbed in her brand-new family, that important person might be otherwise forgotten until tomorrow.
    A grandmother deserved to be informed face-to-face.
    Marietta hurried off to find Lil, her sister’s maid. Lil could keep an eye on Vivianna while she slipped out to tell Aphrodite the good news.
    And it has nothing to do with my wish to visit Aphrodite’s Club and my plans to be a courtesan. Nothing whatsoever…
    But Marietta was fibbing to herself, and she knew it. Visiting Aphrodite’s Club was not a whim, it was an important step toward her future. Everything depended upon Aphrodite’s reaction to her request for patronage—for if she was going to be a courtesan, she wanted only the best advice.
    “Do you think you should go off to that place, miss?” Lil said. “I don’t know if Lady Montegomery would approve.”
    “Lady Montegomery’s approval is neither here nor there,” Marietta retorted.
    Lil opened her mouth as if to argue, and then took note of the stubborn tilt of Marietta’s chin, and closed it again. The Greentree sisters were all alike, shethought wryly to herself. When they wanted their own way there was just no stopping them.
     
    Aphrodite’s Club had a somber elegance that gave little clue to its real purpose, thought Marietta as the hansom cab set her down. She had never seen her mother’s club before, but she had read of such places and steeled herself for a certain amount of gaudiness. This was more like a private school for young ladies!
    Marietta lifted the hem of her skirts above her slippers to climb the stairs towards the white portico that framed the entrance. Apart from tossing on her emerald velvet cloak, Marietta had not changed her clothing from the red and green shot silk dress she had worn all day. Changing would have meant delay, and the news she carried seemed too important to wait. Besides, this might be her only chance to speak to Aphrodite privately, and Marietta meant to take