Anne Barbour by A Dedicated Scoundrel Read Free Book Online

quite a way into my estate from the main road—and not a great distance from the house, which is why I thought you must have made your way there purposely.”
    “But, if I am unknown to you, why would I be visiting you?”
    “Indeed, Mr. Smith.”
    Neither referred to the fact that, in view of his humble raiment, the possibility loomed large that he might have been a trespasser on Miss Meade’s land.
    “I shall see you later, then.” Miss Meade bestowed another of her charming smiles on him and left the room.
    Shrugging philosophically, John addressed himself to his dinner, which proved to be a simple meal, but well prepared. He had finished his broiled chicken with vegetables in an Italian sauce and had just tucked into a pupton of fruit, when a footman entered, bearing several books and an armful of newspapers.
    Setting the books aside, he casually perused the Times. The front page bore today’s date. Evidently, living so close to London, the family was able to receive the current journals in a timely fashion. The stories dealt mainly with the progress of the war in the Spanish peninsula. There was also a piece on the king’s health, which appeared to be unimproved. Last was a report that the authorities were still looking into the matter of the escape of the French General Rivenchy, captured after the Battle of Salamanca. It appeared, that the initial suspicion that he had been assisted in his flight by a British officer, one Major Lord Justin Belforte, was now confirmed by the discovery of a body, identified as that of the major, just beyond English lines. Justin. The traitor had apparently died in the escape, and any coconspirators in the operation were still at large.  The report closed with a description of the villain, which Justin skipped with a yawn.
    There was little else of interest in the paper, and a quick glance at the books revealed them to be two volumes of poetry and an alarmingly thick history of Rome. Lord, had they been Miss Meade’s choice for his entertainment, or merely a random selection on the part of the footman?
    Pushing back the fray, he settled back for a further contemplation of his predicament.
    Downstairs, Catherine and the other two ladies were also just finishing their meal.
    “So you still do not trust him?” Catherine asked Mariah.
    “It’s not that I don’t trust him—precisely. I just think it would be wise to keep an eye on the silver while he’s here.”
    “But what is there about him to arouse suspicion?” Catherine asked the question, well knowing that she hoped for a reply that would answer her own uneasy reflections on the stranger with the polished-metal eyes.
    “I don’t know. He speaks and acts like a gentleman but he dresses like a peddler. And then there’s that devil with four feet in the stable. The grooms tell me he’s wild as bedamned and won’t let anyone near him. They had a time of it just getting him into a stall. I just think we ought to watch the fellow,” she concluded, more or less coinciding with Catherine’s own assessment.
    “Well, we can do that starting this evening. I promised him we would visit him after dinner.”
    “Excellent,” interposed Lady Jane. “I do love a mystery, and dredging up that young man’s past may prove vastly entertaining.”
    Catherine’s face shadowed momentarily. “Perhaps that would be unfair. I mean, sometimes one’s past is better left uninvestigated. I would not want to cause the man needless discomfort if there is something in his history he’d rather forget.”
    “Catherine, really.” Lady Jane spoke with asperity. “If you are going to bring up all that tedious nonsense—
    Catherine smiled warmly at her grandmother. “No, of course, I’m not. How could I repine over a dismal little episode that occurred so long ago, when I have so much happiness in my life now?” She reached to grasp the hands of the other two ladies.
    “You’d be a lot happier,” said Mariah dryly, “if you’d let