Undressed (Undone by Love) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the child, now a woman, has been located and brought to her rightful home.”
    “After all these years ? That’s astonishing.”
    “Isn’t it ? She has my mother’s hair and my father’s eyes, even the Ballard nose.”
    “You must be beside yourself, then,” Colin offered .
    “Well, old boy, it’s both a blessing and a burden . She’s well past the marriageable age, so I suppose she’ll be left to my care for the rest of her days.”
    “Surely your parents will generously dower her ? If they’re so sure of her identity.”
    “They are, but I’m not certain any gentleman of breeding will take her off our hands, dowry or not . She’s coarse and stubborn, not at all schooled in ladylike charms or behavior. Nor is she the least bit grateful for being discovered and rescued from her deplorable situation, and I’m afraid she’s far too intelligent for her own good. And I’ve left out the worst of it—she’s a Scot.”  Ballard spat out the word as if it were distasteful.
    Colin looked toward the empty doorway in surprise . A Scot? Of course! That was why she had looked so familiar. He recalled her face—full, rose-tinted lips, a fine nose, round aqua-colored eyes under finely arched reddish-gold brows. No doubt she was Ballard’s sister. The likeness was striking, now that he reflected on it.
    “But...” Colin sputtered at last, “but she’s not really a Scot, not if she’s your sister.”
    Ballard strode to the desk under the bookshelves and picked up a clear-glass paperweight. “She might not be a Scot by blood, but she’s all Scot in disposition. My mother has an arduous task ahead of her, if she’s to civilize her in any manner fit for the drawing room. But it shall be amusing to watch her try, won’t it?”  He set down the paperweight with a thunk .
    With a yelp, some sort of creature leapt out from behind the desk and streaked by, nothing but a silvery blur .
    “Whatever was that?” Colin asked.
    “The wretched cat my sister brought with her,” Ballard answered with a sneer. “Nothing but bad luck, I say.”  He shook his head, his frown giving way to a wry smile. “Anyway, society will get their first glimpse of my sister tonight at Lady Brandon’s soiree.” 
    Colin’s scowl deepened . Dear Lord, he’d only engaged the poor girl in conversation a minute or two before she’d fled in tears, and he was nothing compared to the dragons of the ton . Lady Brandon was perhaps the cruelest, most critical of the lot. What were they thinking, taking the girl out in society so soon? A shudder snaked up his spine. If they meant to ruin her prospects, then this was the surest way.
    Colin shook his head . A wave of pity washed over him, temporarily distracting him from his own desperate plight. Blast it, the girl was Ballard’s sister—where were his protective instincts? Colin’s own brotherly sensibilities were affronted.
    “You must speak to your mother,” he said . “You cannot allow this sister of yours to go to Lady Brandon’s soiree. Surely you must see that?”
    “Don’t be a spoilsport, Rosemoor.”  Ballard reached up to draw one finger across a dusty tome’s worn spine . “She must go. It’ll be amusing, I assure you.”  His voice held an unfamiliar edge, and Colin felt his own jaw tighten in response.
    Something did not seem quite right about his friend today. He seemed restless; his face looked strangely pinched .
    Colin forced himself to shrug off the sensation of unease . He had worries enough of his own to occupy his mind without involving himself in Ballard’s problems. He would think on it no more. “I should go to my lodgings,” Colin said, suddenly wishing to remove himself from Ballard’s company.
    “Very well.”  Ballard clapped him on the back . “I’ll go at once to Berkeley Square and have a word with your Miss Lyttle-Brown. You’ve really gotten yourself into a bind this time, haven’t you, old boy?” 
    “I’ve done nothing wrong,”