The Notorious Widow by Allison Lane

Author:Allison Lane [Lane, Allison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 2000-09-25T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Something halted Blake just outside the library. Maybe it was a sound or the slightly ajar door. Or perhaps it was merely instinct. But once he glanced through the crack, he fled.

Damnation! More explicit curses followed. Never had he been so furious.

He’d been set up. Thank heavens he’d been heading for the breakfast room when he’d received the summons. He’d arrived before Laura had finished arranging the scene. Was William positioned to jump out and cry compromise the moment he entered the room?

A new stream of invective tripped off his tongue. He should have expected this after the fiasco at the assembly last night. For the first time, Laura had experienced the same ostracism Catherine had suffered for weeks, and his disinterest must have finally penetrated her conceit. So she had taken matters into her own hands.

As soon as he found William indisputably alone, he would denounce them both, then move back to the White Hart. Leaving Seabrook would make it more difficult to fulfill his vow, but that was a price he must pay.

In the meantime, he would check on his horses. They, at least, offered undemanding company.

He was rounding the corner of the manor when he nearly ran William down. “Cad!” he snapped, unable to hold his temper. “I hadn’t believed you would stoop so low, though I should have expected it when I realized you brought me here under false pretenses. I should call you out – and would if it would not harm Catherine beyond repair.”

William recoiled. “What?”

He ignored the overdone shock. “This would have been bad enough if I weren’t your guest, but abusing your hospitality after tying me to the estate makes it worse. I will never—”

“What the devil are you talking about?” demanded Seabrook, interrupting. “If you have a complaint, we will discuss it, but let’s at least go inside instead of sharing it with the staff.” He gestured toward a pair of gardeners clipping hedges in the distance.

“You won’t set me up a second time. I’ll see—”

“Stop!”

William’s voice cut through Blake’s protest. Snapping his mouth closed, he stared at his host, then applied curbs to his temper when he spotted the confusion simmering in the man’s eyes.

William let out a deep breath. “I have always considered you a fair man, Rockhurst. If you feel wronged, I must respect that, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Your summons said only to meet you in the library.”

“Summons?” Blake glared. “I sent no summons.”

“No su—” William frowned. “Bill told me that you wished to see me in the library as soon as possible. Since he’d chased me down in the stable to deliver the message, I presumed the matter was urgent.”

“How interesting.” Blake cupped his chin. “Rob met me outside the breakfast room. According to him, you needed me in the library immediately. He was so anxious that I postponed eating.”

“But—”

“The only occupant of the library is Laura. When I peeped around the door, she was pulling the pins from her hair.

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