Tenacious Trents 01 - A Misguided Lord Read Online Free PDF Page A

is
Lord Stanhope’s granddaughter. She preferred to remain with her
family until her grandfather finally forced her to London so that
he could find her a husband.”
    “ Her parents are not with
her?”
    “ They are dead, I
believe.”
    Clayton glanced back. Was Miss Westin
responsible for her siblings? Surely not. Stanhope probably took
care of the lot and it was about time Miss Westin did marry. She
had been left alone for far too long. If she had been trained to be
a proper lady, she wouldn’t be acting like such a hoyden
now.

    *

    Of all the people to run into, why did
it have to be that lord of all people? She didn’t even know his
name, but certainly knew his face and disposition. Goodness, did
the man even know how to smile? Did he not know how to have fun? Of
course Toby should have watched where he was going and should not
have run into the gentleman. But really, what harm was done? Nobody
was hurt.
    How dare he tell her to take them off
somewhere else. Both he and Lady Anne looked at them as if they
carried the plague. It was truly a shame because she had actually
liked the young women when introduced to her the evening before.
Quiet and shy, but Eleanor hadn’t realized how rigid. Those two
were perfect for each other. Their frowns even matched. Maybe one
day they would marry and produce many frowning children.
    No they wouldn’t, because Lady Anne
wouldn’t be around her children. She would have nursemaids and
nannies.
    Why was she so angry about something
so unimportant?
    “ Boys, we need to return to
the house.”
    Together, the group turned and made
the long trek back to Cheapside. It was quite a distance, but she
couldn’t afford to pay for a hackney today and the boys didn’t seem
to mind.
    Oh, why did she let that gentleman get
under her skin? She didn’t even know him so why should it matter if
he approved of her or not? Though unhappy with the encounter, at
least he hadn’t yelled at Toby, which would have been his right,
she supposed. Toby had practically run him over.
    Eleanor shook the thoughts from her
mind when they arrived at the house. Why was she thinking about him
anyway? With any luck, they wouldn’t encounter each other
again.
    Mrs. Hartley was just arriving when
Eleanor opened the door. The woman was a Godsend. .
    Eleanor was so grateful to have met
the widow shortly after they arrived. Each evening Mrs. Hartley
came and stayed with the children until the morning. It served both
of their purposes. It allowed Mrs. Hartley to be away from her
brother-in-law, a detestable man who drank too much, and gave
Eleanor peace that the children were not alone.
    Eleanor hugged each child individually
before moving onto the next. Their time together was always so
short. Today she had only been allowed three hours because her
grandmother had made further demands on her time. Oh, why couldn’t
she find a husband? All she wanted to do was take the children and
go home.
    “ When will you be back?”
Toby asked, his sad brown eyes looked up at her.
    She caressed his cheek. “Tomorrow. And
we will find something fun to do.”
    Ethan, the second brother, wrapped his
arms around her legs and squeezed. “I love you.”
    Tears sprang to her eyes. “I love you
too.” She pulled away and squatted to look him in the eye. “Now you
be good for Leigh and Mrs. Hartley.
    Ethan sniffed. “I will.”
    Eleanor ruffled his hair. “Help Leigh
take care of Jamie, too.”
    He smiled proudly and nodded his head.
Jamie was only two, the youngest, and even though Ethan was only
eight, he liked the idea that he was able to help and protect his
younger brother.”
    With a heavy heart Eleanor walked to
the door. She hated leaving them. It was so unfair. While she
dressed in expensive gowns and attended balls and danced, her
siblings were shut up in this modest dwelling in Cheapside. Eleanor
was fairly certain she would not forgive her grandfather once she
was free of him. But, for the moment, and only until