Deception by Amanda Quick Read Free Book Online

disorganized and disheveled air about her. From the muslin cap that sat askew on her fiery hair to the cotton stocking that had come free of its garter and slipped down to her ankle, there was a cheerfully distracted quality to her attire. She had the appearance of a woman caught between the everyday world and some fabulous landscape that only she could see.
    She was an obvious bluestocking, clearly doomed to be left on the shelf, but she showed every sign of beingcontent with her fate. Jared could well believe that she relished her spinsterhood. By now she had undoubtedly discovered that there were very few men who could understand, let alone share, her private inner world.
    Olympia bit her lip. “It’s very kind of you to promise to stay and I’m certain you have the best of intentions. The thing is, my nephews are somewhat difficult to manage. They have had some trouble settling in here, you see.”
    “Do not concern yourself, Miss Wingfield. I shall manage them.” After years of dealing with wily men of business, belligerent ships’ captains, the occasional pirate, and the unpredictable members of his own family, the prospect of dealing with three rowdy young boys did not alarm Jared.
    For an instant a hopeful expression lit Olympia’s magnificent blue-green eyes. Then she suddenly scowled. “I trust you do not mean to try to control my nephews with floggings, Mr. Chillhurst. I will not allow them to be beaten. They have suffered quite enough in the two years since they lost their parents.”
    “I do not believe that one should control either a boy or a horse with a whip, Miss Wingfield.” Jared was mildly surprised to realize he was repeating something he had overheard his father say years ago. “Such methods serve only to break the spirit or create a vicious streak in the victim.”
    Olympia brightened. “Precisely my sentiments. I realize that many people believe in such old-fashioned techniques of discipline but I could never countenance them. My nephews are good boys.”
    “I understand.”
    “They have only been in my care for six months,” Olympia continued. “They were handed off from one relative to another after their parents died. By the time they landed on my doorstep, they were quite anxiousand very dispirited. Hugh still suffers from the occasional nightmare.”
    “I see.”
    “I realize they are somewhat undisciplined. But I am greatly relieved that in the past few months they have started to become more cheerful. They were much too quiet during those early weeks. I consider their present high spirits a good sign that they are happier now.”
    “They very likely are happier,” Jared allowed.
    Olympia’s laced fingers tightened together. “I knew just how they felt that day when their aunt and uncle from Yorkshire left them with me. I had experienced the same dreadful loneliness and apprehension myself when I was deposited on Aunt Sophy’s doorstep.”
    “How old were you at the time?”
    “Ten. After my parents were lost at sea, I, too, was passed around from one relative to another, just as my nephews were. No one really wanted to be bothered with me, although some tried to do their duty.”
    “Duty is a poor substitute for affection.”
    “Very true, sir. And a child knows the difference. I eventually wound up here in Aunt Sophy’s house. She and Aunt Ida were both past sixty at the time, but they took me in and gave me a real home. I am determined to do the same for my nephews.”
    “Very commendable, Miss Wingfield.”
    “Unfortunately I do not know much about raising young boys,” Olympia admitted. “I have feared to discipline them because I have not wanted to make them feel unwanted or unwelcome.”
    “An orderly routine and reasonable discipline do not make a young boy feel unwanted or unwelcome,” Jared said quietly. “Indeed, just the opposite is the case.”
    “Do you think so?”
    Jared tapped his fingertips together. “It is my opinionas a tutor that a firmly