An Affair to Remember by Karen Hawkins Read Free Book Online Page A

Greyley, my lord. He has come to see Miss Thraxton.”
    Sir Phineas waved the earl to his side. “My granddaughter just left to fetch something. She should be back in a moment. Come and have a seat, Greyley, while we wait for her.”
    Once Hawkes quit the room, Sir Phineas confirmed his first opinions of the earl as he crossed the room toward him. The earl moved with a grace that belied his large size, and Sir Phineas shrewdly guessed there was solid muscle beneath the neatly fitted coat. The man carried himself with real presence and a sense of contained power that bode well. Very well, indeed. It took a strong man to master a Thraxton female. It always did.
    “Hope you don’t mind if I remain sitting—bad knees, you know.” Sir Phineas motioned for the earl to take the chair opposite his. He watched as the earl examined the chair with the faintest lift of his brows. The red velvet chair was hardly the chair for a man of Greyley’s size; it was tiny and delicate looking. Worse, two springs were broken and the worn seat sagged pitifully.
    After surveying it for a moment, the earl perched on the edge, relaxing some when it didn’t so much as creak beneath his weight.
    Phineas decided that a full frontal attack was the only way to cut through the confining civilities before Anna returned. He harrumphed noisily. “So you’ve come for my granddaughter. An excellent choice, if I say so myself. You won’t find a better wife anywhere in London.”
    Greyley gave a lazy lift of an eyebrow. “I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. I am here to offer Miss Thraxton employment, not marriage.”
    “Employment?” Sir Phineas affected a scowl. “Not asking her to be your lightskirt, are you?”
    That should have shook the man, but instead of looking angry or upset, the earl said coolly, “I’ve come to ask your granddaughter to be governess to my wards, the largest parcel of brats ever to grace the earth.”
    Sir Phineas gave a grudging smile. “Elliots, I take it.”
    “Every blasted one of them. They are about to run me out of my own house.”
    “Not surprised. Don’t mean to speak ill of your relatives, but they are bad ones, the whole lot.”
    “Unfortunately, I agree,” the earl said. “However, the children might be spared if they are exposed to the influence of a common set of rules and some discipline now, while they are still impressionable.”
    “Could be,” Sir Phineas said, regarding Greyley shrewdly. “I should warn you—my Anna’s a pricey parcel. She’s not a woman to be gained without struggle.”
    “I’m willing to pay whatever it takes. Peace must be restored to Greyley House, regardless the cost.”
    Sir Phineas’s blue eyes shone with approval. “Demme, but you’ve a direct way about you. I think you’ll do very well, Greyley. Very well, indeed.”
    Anthony glanced toward the door. The man was obviously addlepated. Where the hell was Anna?
    The old man chuckled, his thin face bright with humor. He was a tall man, but slender, his skin parchment pale, his white hair neatly brushed back from his temples. From the strength of his prominent nose to his glittering blue eyes, Anthony could tell that here was a man who had lived and not regretted a single moment. A pang of envy hit Anthony.
    He frowned. Damn it, why on earth would he envy a man like Phineas Thraxton, a man who had squandered his life on lost causes and, through gross mismanagement of his fortune, had sent his family to the poorhouse? It was ridiculous.
    Anthony decided that today had started out dismally and appeared to be getting worse by the minute. He’d risen far later than he’d meant to, mainly because some fool had closed all the curtains in his bedchamber and it was as dark as a tomb. Then, while he was attempting to find a decent waistcoat among the horrid display of florid atrocities his valet had packed, he’d received a missive from Dalmapple, his man of business who resided at Greyley House, who had written in