The Wary Widow Read Online Free PDF Page A

sidewalks were quiet except for the odd servant or man-about-town on his way to tend to important business. Chloe welcomed the peacefulness. Between Daisy’s incessant barking whenever she was indoors, and her rowdy cousins, Chloe rarely enjoyed a moment of serenity.
    Since she came to London, she'd become accustomed to taking Daisy on her morning walks. It was a good way to explore the city a bit — at least the Mayfair portion of it, for she wasn't so brave as to venture beyond its borders.   Today they left Mount Street, wandered through Berkeley Square, past New Street, zig-zagged a bit more and then Daisy turned down Berwick Street.
    As soon as they rounded the corner onto Berwick, Chloe’s foot caught on a wobbly cobblestone, and she stumbled until she finally fell face-forward to the ground. Luckily, she caught herself with her hands. Better to have torn hands and gloves than a scraped-up face.
    She didn't have much time to assess the damage though, as Daisy barked and pulled at her, apparently disgruntled they had come to a stop.
    “Hush, Daisy!” Chloe chided as she struggled to pick herself up from the sidewalk. “People are still sleeping at this time of the morning.”
    She examined her skirts and brushed away the dirt, losing her grip on Daisy’s leash in the process. Instantly aware that she was free, Daisy broke into a run down the street.
    “Daisy!” Chloe yelled after her as she too broke into a run. “Daisy, stop!”
    The dog feigned deafness and continued running at a speed Chloe could never hope to maintain. She lost sight of her after mere moments and slowed to a walk, her breath coming in ragged spurts. How was she ever going to find her now?
    “Daisy!” she called, hoping that by some miracle the dog would come running back to her.
    She dredged on, scanning both sides of the street for any sign of her wayward pet. Halfway up the lane, Chloe caught sight of Daisy's white and brown coat and heaved a great sigh of relief. That relief however, was quickly replaced by a racing pulse . Kneeling in front of Daisy, on muscular haunches, was Lord Andrew. He was dressed for the day in a crisp white neckcloth , tight, tan breeches and a dark brown jacket. His hair was slightly disheveled unlike the night before when it had been slicked into a distinguished coif.
    Air suddenly eluded Chloe.
    She watched him for a moment, unable to move or breathe, fascinated at his behavior with the dog. Clearly he was well acquainted with her, and Daisy seemed to know exactly where to find him. He had her by the jowls and rubbed her frantically while she licked his face. Lord Andrew laughed and sputtered, but didn't pull away. He was enjoying himself immensely it seemed.
    “ Who are you here with, girl?” he asked in what Chloe thought to be a rather silly voice for a grown man. “Where is one of your many masters?”
    Lord Andrew finally turned away from the dog and immediately honed in on Chloe, who blushed and stammered like a ninny.
    “I-I was walking her, and she ah...her leash, you see, I dropped it.” She paused, trying to gather her wits before she finally said, “Good morning, Lord Andrew.”
    He stood to his full height, still elevated on his front stoop, forcing Chloe to tilt her head up and shield her eyes from the sun. Her heart fluttered but she immediately told it not to.
    It didn't listen.
    “Well, good morning, Mrs. Hawthorne,” Lord Andrew said as he grabbed Daisy's leash and descended the few stairs to the sidewalk. “I wasn't expecting to see you walking this beast.”
    Chloe smiled. “It's become my habit since I arrived. It's a nice way to see the city, and I'm not required to bring a chaperone.”
    “Ah, I see.” He held out the leash to her. She reached out and their hands grazed slightly as she took it from him. Good heavens, her heart was going to jump out of her chest. “Which way are you headed?”
    “I don't know,” she admitted, breaking their eye contact to look up and down