Mastering the Marquess by Vanessa Kelly Read Free Book Online

before her, Meredith smiled apologetically to the other woman.
    â€œI beg your pardon, your ladyship. I still find myself somewhat distracted by all the bustle of the city. Did you ask me a question?”
    The older woman smiled kindly. “Yes, London does tend to overwhelm if one is not used to it. You will become accustomed sooner than you think. I was asking, my dear, how you traveled from Hans Town to Stanton House today?”
    Meredith frowned, surprised Lady Stanton would care about something so trivial. “My coachman fetched me a hired hack.”
    Her ladyship hesitated, her aristocratic brows drawing together in a frown. “Miss Burnley, did you not think to have your maid come with you to Stanton House? Or, failing that, have your coachman accompany you and wait outside? It concerns me that you were traveling in a public conveyance without an escort.”
    Meredith jerked her head back, stung by the implied criticism. For many years she had been managing her own life and the lives of those who depended on her. Then her aunt and uncle had bullied themselves into her household, forcing her to submit to their will. And although Lady Stanton clearly meant well, Meredith was tired of people telling her what to do.
    â€œI don’t require a maid to accompany me,” she said, more abruptly than she intended. “I am far from being a schoolgirl and have been managing my own affairs, as well as Annabel’s, for years.”
    Meredith glanced at Lord Silverton, who regarded her with an impassive expression on his face. She bit her lip in vexation, ashamed at how ungrateful she sounded. Lady Stanton gave her a small but uncomfortably astute smile.
    â€œForgive me, my dear. I have no wish to offend or interfere where it is neither desired nor necessary. You must please yourself, of course.” Her pleasant expression grew serious. “I would imagine, however, that my daughter, Elizabeth, would have viewed the matter differently.”
    Meredith blushed as she thought of Elizabeth Burnley. Her stepmother had drummed into her head all the rules of propriety that would protect her daughters from the kind of gossip and scandal she had been subjected to. As a child, Meredith had been defiant, her will clashing with Elizabeth’s gentler, but immovable, force of character.
    Those early years had been trying for Meredith, and both mother and daughter had shed many tears. But the lessons were valuable, and Meredith knew she would need to adhere to them even more strictly if her sister had any hope of making a good match. The ton had a long memory, and one scandal in the family was quite sufficient.
    She smiled ruefully as she met Lady Stanton’s shrewd gaze, aware the older woman had masterfully backed her into a corner. “Yes, my lady, she would have agreed with you.”
    Lady Stanton rewarded her with a warm smile. “Come, Miss Burnley, you speak of yourself as if you were an aging spinster, which I know you are not. I do not believe you are more than four and twenty. Is that not correct?”
    Meredith again became intensely aware of the golden-maned lion sitting opposite her. She felt a burning flush heat her cheeks. How mortifying to be forced into such an intimate discussion in front of the self-possessed Lord Silverton. Was there not one humiliation to be spared her this day?
    He observed her carefully. Lord Silverton must have read her thoughts, for he smiled at her in that dazzling way that made her knees turn to pudding.
    â€œDon’t mind me, Miss Burnley. After all we have been through today, you must surely consider me as part of the family.”
    He leaned forward, his cobalt blue eyes narrowed slightly against the sun. His voice dropped a notch to a low, seductive timbre that seemed to curl its way up her spine. “You should know that my aunt has been managing all of us for as long as I can remember. I assure you, it is pointless to resist.”
    Meredith