Restless Rake (Heart's Temptation Book 5) by Scarlett Scott

Author:Scarlett Scott [Scott, Scarlett]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scarlett Scott
Published: 2018-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

ady Ravenscroft.”

Clara looked up from the characters for domestics she’d been poring over, still startled to find herself the object of address. Whenever she heard Lady Ravenscroft, she half expected someone else to take her place. Someone who’d been born and raised to the position of countess. A true lady, of noble blood, rather than a native Virginian with a rebellious streak a country mile wide.

Five days wasn’t long enough to grow accustomed to all the abruptly altered facets of her situation. Five days of being patient yet firm with Julian’s sisters. Of contending with the badly needed refurbishing of his home, of fretting over his injuries, of taking her wifely duties to heart.

Osgood stood on the threshold of the drawing room, his face an expressionless mask. Though the rest of Ravenscroft’s staff seemed dubious at best, his butler at least remained a bulwark of old world dignity.

She smiled at him now. His assistance over the last few days was an immeasurable source of comfort to her as she grappled with her newfound role. “Yes, Osgood?”

“His lordship requests the courtesy of your presence, my lady.”

The mere mentioning of the earl kindled a languorous slide of heat through her entire being. They’d spent a great deal of time together as he convalesced and she rather enjoyed her husband’s company. He’d taught her to play vingt-et-un and told her bawdy jokes that made her cheeks flame. He’d listened with rapt attention to her stories of growing up in Virginia and her dream of founding a group dedicated to women gaining the vote. She’d yet to see him this morning, caught up as she’d been in household matters.

She’d missed him, and the sudden realization bemused her.

“Where may I find him, Osgood?”

The butler remained impervious to her good cheer. His expression was impassive. “His lordship may be found in his chamber, my lady.”

One day, she vowed, she’d wring a smile from him. Surely he was capable of levity the same as anyone else. She suspected that his disapproval stemmed from her unsolicited evening call and the resulting mayhem of her father tearing through the earl’s home brandishing a weapon. There was also the matter of the attempt on Ravenscroft’s life. Yesterday, she’d sworn she spied a glimpse of suspicion lurking in Osgood’s dark gaze.

But his suspicions were most assuredly being cast in the wrong direction. The attack on the earl had occupied her thoughts with the heaviness of iron weights. She’d already begun keeping a mental tally of who might have been responsible. For some reason, her mind kept returning to the Duchess of Argylle with fierce persistence.

“Thank you, Osgood.” She gathered up the characters, deciding to bring them along with her so that she could continue her work while entertaining Ravenscroft in whatever madness he delighted in for the day.

As she took her leave of the drawing room and made for the hall, her mind flitted back—as it invariably seemed to do of late—to her husband. She knew so little of him and yet he had overtaken her thoughts just as he’d overtaken her world.

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