by Jane Ashford
No. Jean pushed off the bed and stood up like a soldier reporting for duty. She knew what it was like to be a miserable child. Memories of cold, dark silence rushed over her, setting her heart pounding and making her mouth dry. With practiced determination, she shoved them away. She’d come here to do the right thing. She would fight, and she would prevail.
Two
Arthur slipped his arms into the evening coat his valet was holding for him and waited while Clayton smoothed it over his shoulders. The mirror told him that they had achieved his customary understated elegance. “What word among the household?” he asked. “What do they say about young Geoffrey?”
Clayton looked thoughtful. The man had been with the earl for more than twenty years, and Arthur valued his canny insights as much as his personal services. “Opinions vary, my lord, depending on how close the person is to the young heir. Concerning the incident today, the general suspicion is that Master Geoffrey was playing a prank. He does not habitually run about the house clad in a tea towel, I gather.”
“That tomahawk was no toy,” Arthur pointed out.
Clayton nodded. “Yet he didn’t actually strike anyone, I understand. Even under, er, provocation. He’s said to be an intelligent child. Apparently, he can read.”
“What, at four years old?” The earl was impressed. “Who taught him, I wonder?”
“People were reluctant to discuss the exact arrangements of the nursery with an outsider,” Clayton said. “Particularly after the housekeeper entered the kitchen.”
“Hmm.”
“Yes, my lord. The head gardener is of the opinion that the boy disguises what he can and can’t do and is devious in bargaining for what he wants.”
“At his age?” Arthur replied. “That would be precocious indeed.”
“The junior kitchen maid believes he is possessed by the devil.”
Arthur laughed. His valet didn’t, but his eyes showed amusement. “It sounds as if he might become a son for a father to be proud of.”
About the Author
Jane Ashford discovered Georgette Heyer in junior high school and was captivated by the glittering world and witty language of Regency England. That delight was part of what led her to study English literature and travel widely in Britain and Europe. She has written historical and contemporary romances, and her books have been published in Sweden, Italy, England, Denmark, France, Russia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Spain, as well as the United States. Jane has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award by RT Book Reviews. Born in Ohio, she is now somewhat nomadic. Find her on the web at janeashford.com and on Facebook. If you’re interested in receiving her monthly newsletter, you can subscribe at eepurl.com/cd-O7r.
Thank you for reading!
Get to know beloved author Jane Ashford, go behind the scenes, see what’s new and what’s coming, and find entertaining blogs and special materials.
If you love Regency romance, sign up now for Jane's monthly author newsletter.
SIGN UP NOW!
