The Village Spinster by Laura Matthews

Author:Laura Matthews [Matthews, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Regency Romance
ISBN: 9780451175687
Google: srARXm9a3OIC
Amazon: B00405R5AO
Barnesnoble: B00405R5AO
Goodreads: 2753381
Publisher: Signet
Published: 1993-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

The Earl of Kinsford was arguing with himself. It was not something he did as a rule, and it annoyed him. Half of him seemed to believe that Miss Driscoll was exactly what she appeared to be: a spinster of some seven-and-twenty years, brought down in the world from a position of decided country eminence by her father’s gambling; who now with complacence taught the sons and daughters of the neighborhood quality various accomplishments that they would otherwise not have acquired until they reached London.

The other half of Kinsford, perhaps irrationally but with some small encouragement from his own observations, believed that Miss Driscoll led a double life, which was not at all in accord with her position. This part of him believed that she only maintained the appearance of a suitable teacher for his brother and sister, that she was in actuality nothing like what appearances declared she must be.

This half of him believed that she was carrying on with Steven Traling. And it infuriated him.

The earl believed wholeheartedly that the reason it infuriated him was that he had the purity and integrity of his brother and sister to protect. The earl was, on occasion, quite able to fool himself in a spectacular way. There had been the instance of the horse which he had been determined to purchase from his friend Rutherford some years ago. But he hadn’t dwelt on that after the fact, and so he had not perhaps learned the lesson it offered.

Ordinarily it was without the least difficulty that his lordship reached an opinion on any manner of subject. It was uncomfortable and somewhat perplexing for him not to understand what was going on with Miss Driscoll, especially as he was, at the moment, quite dependent on her good nature and her goodwill. Aria was ensconced in her house, next door to her bedroom, as it were, and he had to accept this arrangement or possibly jeopardize his sister’s future health.

Miss Driscoll's bedroom, which he had seen that morning in retrieving the dog for his sister, had given no clue as to any sinister behavior on the spinster’s part. It had been a bright, charming room with several family miniatures on the flowered-paper walls. There were a great number of books resting in a wooden trunk which served as a bookcase, and almost no toiletries on the vanity. That struck him, now, as strange. No woman of his acquaintance could manage for long without these feminine essentials. There had, in fact, been just the sort of things one would expect in Miss Snolgrass’s room. Very odd, indeed.

To establish the truth of the situation Kinsford was willing to have another go-round with his younger brother, except that he realized it would do little good. Will had fixed himself as Miss Driscoll’s champion. Though one could undoubtedly pick up bits and pieces from a discussion with him, there would be nothing definitive. The same could be said for any discussion with his stepmother, who knew very

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