Liberty for Paul by Rose Gordon Read Free Book Online

brought his head up and blinked when he saw it was not Turner at the door, but John. “Hello, John,” Paul said cheerfully.
    “Paul,” John said stiffly, making a hand gesture that staid Paul. “Let’s go for a ride,” he suggested flatly.
    Paul had never seen John so rigid before. And considering all the uncomfortable conversations the two of them had had in the past, something must be very wrong indeed for John to have such a stiff demeanor.
    “What can I help you with?” Paul asked without ceremony after John shut the carriage door.
    “Marry Liberty,” John said with the same frankness as Paul.
    Paul coughed. “Excuse me?” If John had said, “Marry my daughter,” Paul could have pretended he meant Madison, and might have seriously considered the request. But he could have sworn John said, “Marry Liberty,” and that was a request he hoped he’d misheard.
    “That rapscallion of a butler we used to have went to the press with details of last month’s—” he broke off, trying to think of a good word. But when he’d decided no word fit, he shoved a well-worn newspaper into Paul’s hands.
    Paul flipped open the paper and his eyes flew to the headline: A Botched Seduction, Butler Tells All. Quickly he read the article.
     
    It has come to my attention that last month a young lady by the initials LB set out to seduce a country vicar. Her anonymous butler claims she invited him to her family’s London residence and while he was in the bath, rinsing off the traveling dust one would assume, the young lady snuck into his room and began to undress. The young lady’s plans for seduction were brought to a screeching halt when her parents arrived home early from visiting a certain noble relation.
    When the young lady’s parents opened the door to the bedchamber the two were occupying, they found a naked vicar and a half dressed young lady. When asked why this had not come to the public’s attention until now, my source informed me the family pretended it never happened and paid money to keep it hushed up.
    Now, I ask you, dear reader, is this the kind of young lady we want patronizing our events, mingling with our daughters, and marrying our sons? I think not.
     
    Paul felt the paper slip out of his hand and flutter down to the floor. He’d heard of Lady Algen’s weekly gossip column, appropriately named Tattle and Prattle , but he’d never read it before. His life was full of enough gossip without having to read about it.
    “Paul, I wouldn’t ask it of you if there was any other way,” John said solemnly. “I know you don’t like her, but her reputation is beyond repair.”
    Paul looked at him skeptically; resisting the urge to ask how it was his problem her reputation was in shreds. “Are you sure people have figured out it was Liberty?” he asked hopefully.
    “They know,” John said flatly. His normally laughing clear blue eyes looked old and worried. “Every day this week we’ve had more callers than usual.”
    “That doesn’t mean—”
    “Yes, it does,” John snapped. “Sorry,” he said in a softer tone. “They have to know. Nobody has brought it up directly, but the only people who have come by are either the old gossip hungry harpies or the biggest rakes in a hundred mile radius.”
    “They know,” Paul agreed grimly.
    John nodded.
    “What about going back to New York early,” Paul suggested, ignoring the little voice in the back of his head that was chastising him for denying John’s request.
    “I thought of that already,” John conceded. “The problem is, with the weather being what it is, there are no passenger ships.”
    That was a valid excuse, Paul thought with a sigh. The Thames was still frozen over; the ocean was bound to be full of ice, too. Biting his tongue so he wouldn’t suggest the family try walk across the ocean on the stretches of ice, he stared at the floor in silence.
    “You do need a wife,” John said helpfully. “You never know, it might help your