For Love and Honor by Cathy Maxwell, Lynne Hinton, Candis Terry Read Free Book Online Page B

all doors to her, an effort that had not succeeded, since London loved nothing more than a scandal—and the feud between the mighty duke of Duruset and his disinherited sister was great fodder for gossip.
    Horace’s next action had been to block all reasonable landlords from letting to her. His machinations came to naught, because Thea was determined. London offered opportunities for her to make a living, something difficult for a penniless widow with children to do on her own elsewhere. This had been her home before she’d run away to marry Boyd Martin, and it offered the only hope for her small family’s future.
    Thea had found a tiny set of rooms for let in a shabby building in a less-than-respectable neighborhood. It meant she would keep her boys in all day instead of giving them a garden for play, but it was a start, and that had been what Thea had needed—a new beginning.
    Using the connections she’d made during her debutante years, she’d set about using the only skill she knew, matchmaking. She knew the ways of the ton , she knew marriage, and she understood the desperation of parents. She also knew how to be discreet.
    And if her brother was not pleased? Well, she was already disowned. What more could he do?
    Thea feared she’d discover the answer to that last question in Sir James’s letter.
    “What is it, Mother?” Jonathan asked. He was a bright, towheaded seven-year-old who wanted to be her protector. His brother, five-year-old Christopher, stood by his side, his little forehead wrinkled in concern. Their small family didn’t receive letters often.
    “I will tell you in a moment,” Thea murmured. “Are you waiting for my reply?” she asked the messenger, who still lingered in the hall with a distasteful sniff at his surroundings.
    “Yes, ma’am. I’ve been ordered to return with your reply.”
    Thea forced herself to focus on Sir James’s slanting handwriting. He wanted to see her on “a matter of Some Importance.” He mentioned he was the uncle of Peter Goodfellow, for whom she had “performed a service that was nothing short of a Miracle” and that he hoped she’d be willing to “assist Someone again facing the same Situation.”
    Peter Goodfellow had been one of Thea’s matchmaking challenges. He was as tall as he was wide, had a squint, liked to pick at his face, and had a distressing tendency to burp. She’d found a wife for him, but it had not been an easy task. His family’s handsome commission had compensated for the difficulty. Thea wondered if this request could mean another large commission.
    Oh, were it to be so. She’d hidden most of the Goodfellow commission in her “Future Box,” the small, wooden money chest kept under the floorboard beneath her bed. Her goal was to see that both her sons received a gentleman’s education. Jonathan had an interview in a month’s time with the headmaster of Westminster School, a prestigious day school that would offer him the opportunity to meet boys from the right sort of families, families far different from those living in their present neighborhood.
    “Sir James wished to know if you could meet with him today at half past two,” the messenger said politely.
    “Half past two?” Thea consulted the clock on the mantel over the hearth. It had been Boyd’s mother’s and was the nicest thing she owned. It was already one. “Yes, of course I can.” She reached for her reticule and pulled out a coin to tip the man.
    The messenger smiled as he saw her open her purse, a smile that turned brittle at the small amount she placed in his palm. She knew what he was thinking, but she didn’t care. She must watch every penny.
    “I shall return to him with your acceptance.” The messenger bowed and was on his way.
    Thea shut the door. For a second, she allowed herself a moment’s relief over the letter not being from her brother—and then she danced a little jig. Christopher started dancing with her, his worry giving way to a huge