Seducing Eden by Allison Lane

Author:Allison Lane [Lane, Allison]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Regency Historical
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 2007-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Alex studied Ridley as the carriage drew to a halt before the steps. Eden’s estate was a modest manor, ten bedrooms in size, set in a large park. Its drive circled a broad lawn cropped by two dozen sheep. The kitchen garden lurked beyond a band of trees to the right. To the left were stables. Tall privet hedges separated those areas from the formal gardens beyond the house. Dense woods climbed a low hill in the distance.

The house was in reasonable condition, though the door needed paint. But there was nothing unique about it. Dozens of similar structures dotted the countryside.

“Has Ridley always been in the Marlow family?” he asked as the groom let down the steps.

“No. It was Christine’s dowry, though they never lived here. John and I only moved here to escape the arguments with his father.” As her foot hit the ground, she cursed.

“What’s wrong?”

She gestured toward a curricle drawn up nearby. “Why is Jeremy here?”

“Calling on your sister?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. He is personable when he exerts himself, but I can’t trust him. Even if he is innocent of stealing the stone, he is obsessed with John’s collection and is using Olivia to spend time with it. I don’t want her hurt.”

“Would you sell it to him?”

“He couldn’t afford it. And even if he could somehow scrape up the cost of it, he wouldn’t dare offer. His longstanding financial problems have put him under Richard’s thumb. Richard would throw a fit. Ignoring Richard’s wishes would terminate his job and likely send him to the Marshalsea.”

Debtor’s prison. He’d had nightmares about the place during his years of poverty. “Are you sure his pockets are to let?”

“He often mentioned being purse-pinched when discussing antiquities with John. He may have exaggerated in hopes that John would offer him pieces at bargain prices, of course, but not by much. He hates Richard and dislikes Marwood Hill. Only desperation would make him accept a job there that must last months. The collection is a mess. John catalogued barely a quarter of it.”

“So Jeremy must do what Sir Richard wants or lose his income.”

She sighed. “Exactly. Which is why this terrifies me.” She gestured toward the curricle. “Risking Richard’s ire to sneak another look at John’s collection indicates that his obsession is growing dangerous. Perhaps he thinks I won’t notice if a few pieces go missing.”

Alex shook his head. “If Olivia is as levelheaded as you claim, I doubt he can bamboozle her. Nor would a levelheaded miss give her heart to a scoundrel. Don’t fret yourself into megrims when there is no evidence of a problem.”

* * * *

Eden frowned. The collection was not her greatest concern, for her doubts about the authenticity of its contents decreased its value. She would probably end up throwing most of it away. The real problem was Olivia, for the girl wasn’t quite as levelheaded as Alex thought. Raising her to be a lady might have protected her from the seamier aspects of life, but it left her naïve, easy prey for a rogue.

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