The Lady Gambles by Carole Mortimer

Author:Carole Mortimer
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2011-09-15T04:00:00+00:00

‘Will Lord Vaughn be down soon, do you think, Simpson?’ Caro enquired lightly of the butler at nine o’clock the next morning as she sat alone at the breakfast table, drinking tea and eating a slice of buttered toast.

What had remained of the night, once Dominic had left her bedchamber, had been long and restless for Caro, as she’d tried to fall asleep but was unable to do so, her thoughts too disturbed after yet another incident of finding herself in the earl’s seductive arms. All of those disturbing thoughts had come down to the simple fact that it was becoming nearly impossible for Caro to remain at Blackstone House, under Dominic Vaughn’s protection.

‘His lordship breakfasted and left the house some time ago, Mrs Morton,’ the butler answered her question.

Caro’s eyes widened. ‘He did?’

‘Yes, madam.’

Caro’s heart sank. Much as she appreciated the grandeur of Blackstone House, and the attentiveness of the servants, the mere thought of having to idle away the morning here alone was unthinkable, reminding her as it did of the tediousness of the life she had been forced to lead at Shoreley Hall for the first twenty years of her life.

Strange, it had only been two weeks since she had come to London, and yet during that time—and despite some of the more risqué aspects of her behaviour!— Caro had come to enjoy having control over her own actions. So much so that she could no longer bear the thought of having her movements restricted in this way, least of all by a man whose emotions she could not even begin to understand…

She looked up to smile at the attentive Simpson as he stood ready to provide her with more tea or toast. ‘Does his lordship have another carriage that I might use?’ Caro held her breath as she waited to see if Dominic had acted with his usual efficiency and left instructions with the servants to restrict her comings and goings from Blackstone House.

The elderly man nodded. ‘His lordship keeps four carriages for his use when in London, Mrs Morton.’

Caro’s heart began to pound loudly in her chest. ‘And do you suppose I might use one of these other carriages?’

The butler gave a courtly bow. ‘If you wish, I am sure one can be readied for your use as soon as you have finished breakfast.’

Caro released her breath slowly, her features carefully schooled so as not to give away her inner feelings of elation; Dominic had not had the time—or, as was more likely, in his arrogance, he had decided he did not need to bother—to issue the instruction that Caro was never to leave Blackstone House unaccompanied.

Not that it was her intention to leave for good. She was not so foolish, and knew enough to believe Dominic when he’d warned of the danger that might be lurking outside these four walls—indeed, the attack on Lord Thorne was proof enough! But a drive in one of Dominic’s own carriages, driven by his own servants, was surely safe enough?

‘I do wish, Simpson,’ she told the butler brightly.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.