Pirate's Bride (Liberty's Ladies) by Lynette Vinet Read Free Book Online Page B

brought the earl up sharply. The man’s amusement disappeared.
    Ian grabbed for his cloak, eager to be gone from here and to put the whole sordid mess from his mind when Thomas blocked the doorway.
    “What about the girl? Some sort of an arrangement for her welfare must be made. As the earl’s solicitor, I insist upon it.”
    Ian glared at Thomas with burning reproachful eyes. There was nothing in Thomas’s bearing to cause him to dislike him. Actually, Thomas was well groomed, handsome, and finely dressed for a forty-year-old solicitor. Ian realized money was Thomas’s weakness, though the man made a vain attempt to hide it. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Thomas would love to see him falter, that perhaps he begrudged him his inherited company while Thomas had been forced to struggle through years, of poverty to become a solicitor. Perhaps even the arranged marriage gnawed at Thomas. Might not a man with high aspirations, a man who loved the feel of gold in his palms, have harbored the desire to marry Talbot’s daughter if he’d been rich enough?
    The thought flashed through Ian’s mind that with Thomas and her father constantly beside her, Bethlyn might need some protection. Until that moment he hadn’t known what to do about his bride. The whole ordeal had left him numb. The reaction he’d expected from Talbot about leaving her at Woodsley wasn’t the one he’d gotten, and now he felt responsible for the girl’s welfare. His plan for revenge had turned sour and he didn’t feel the exhilaration he’d expected.
    “Would you like Lady Bethlyn to stay at Woodsley, Thomas?” Ian asked with dispassion.
    Thomas was actually salivating. Ian supposed he was thinking about all the money Bethlyn might bestow upon him for legal advice, at empty business ventures in which he’d come away the richer. But being a dutiful solicitor and careful with his words, Thomas cast an eye at the earl, who shook his head in disgust.
    “Wherever the lady shall be the happiest is my wish, sir. “
    “Well spoken.” Ian laughed heartily and slapped Thomas on the back. “When I arrive in London later this afternoon I’ll pay a call on my great-aunt Penny.” He turned towards Talbot. “You remember her, Your Grace. She is my mother’s aunt on her father’s side. Mother visited her that time she came to London, the time she met you.”
    “I remember,” Talbot said blandly.
    “I’ve heard through mutual relatives that she is quite lonely in her London townhouse. I believe Bethlyn would brighten her life up a bit if she went to live with Aunt Penny. Of course, I’d dispense a large yearly sum to keep my wife in the style to which she is accustomed. She can take any servants she wishes. I’ll incur all her expenses, of course. This agreement is satisfactory with you,” Ian said.
    Talbot bowed stiffly, but his face barely suppressed his shock, his anger. Ian had finally gotten a rise out of the older man and he’d cherish the memory of it to his dying day. “Another thing,” Ian continued. “Both of you must understand that Bethlyn’s household is her own. Aunt Penny is there to see to her safety and never doubt that the old woman is quite right in the head and takes no lip service from anyone. At least, that’s what I’ve heard about her. Whatever my wife wants to do is her business. Neither one of you will have a say in her private matters. Have I made myself clear, gentlemen?”
    “Certainly,” Talbot mumbled, and Thomas nodded, opening the door for Ian.
    “See that my wife’s things are moved to my aunt’s home as soon as is feasible, Thomas. And, please Your Grace, explain to her that I was called suddenly away and wish only for her good health. I shall write her from London and explain the situation as soon as I see Aunt Penny. “ He bowed and unceremoniously left the room. As Ian climbed into the earl’s coach moments later for the journey to London, he knew he left behind two angry men … and a