Seduction Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee Read Free Book Online Page A

window. She’d hoped that in the light of day, she’d be able to totally dismiss the odd occurrence of last night, but such was not the case. If anything, the conviction that she had seen something extraordinary in her bedroom last night grew. She sighed, wishing that she had someone older, wiser, and more knowledgeable than herself with whom she could discuss what had happened. Telling Adrian or April was out of the question. Adrian would think it a capital adventure and be raring to sit up every night, hoping for another visitation, and April would be starting and shrieking at every sound. No. She couldn’t tell her siblings. Mr. Vinton? She flushed. And have him thinking that Adrian’s guardian was a silly, hysterical female? No.

    Daphne had never felt so isolated in her life, and until this very moment, she hadn’t realized just exactly how very alone she and her two siblings were. They had no one except themselves to rely upon, and it was up to her to keep the little family safe—which meant she dare not let anyone know what she had seen…or thought she’d seen. The last thing she needed was for some busybody to start wondering if she was an addlebrained female and questioning her ability to care for Adrian and April.

    And not to be ignored was her brother’s sudden elevation to a title and fortune, especially the fortune. Adrian’s unexpected and very large fortune created problems all its own. She didn’t doubt that there would be others, unscrupulous, greedy others, who would be delighted to have control of it until he reached his majority. If it was suspected, even for a moment, that his guardian, his eldest sister, was seeing things…ghosts…. She sat up straighter. Well, that wasn’t going to happen. As an unmarried woman, her sole guardianship of her siblings was unusual enough, and she certainly was not going to give anyone a reason to challenge it.

    But I just can’t pretend it never happened. I know I saw and heard something. Surely, she thought, there is someone who might be able to help me. Her gaze fell upon Goodson as he moved about the room, fussing first with the table settings and then fiddling with the glassware. She took another sip of her tea, considering the butler. She’d gathered that Goodson and Mrs. Hutton, along with most of the servants, had served Sir Huxley for some time—they’d be familiar with the house. They might know stories…. She made a face. Gossiping with the servants wouldn’t have been her first choice but….

    “Were you with Sir Huxley long?” she asked suddenly.

    Goodson glanced over his shoulder at her and smiled. “Indeed, yes. I have been in service to the family since I was a youth, and my father and grandfather and beyond all served the Beaumonts. ’Tis the same with Mrs. Hutton and Cook. You’ll find that most of our families have a long history of service and loyalty to the family.”

    “Ah, then you must be very familiar with the house and its history,” she said brightly.

    “Oh, yes.” He shook his head in fond remembrance. “I grew up here, as did several others who now serve you.” He smiled. “Since our parents worked here, we were constantly underfoot. When we could escape the eyes of the adults, we spent hours climbing around the battlements, exploring the old passageways and even the dungeons built during Norman times.”

    “I imagine with a house this old that there are all sorts of stories and legends associated with it,” Daphne commented. “Tales of spectral sightings and ghostly shrieks in the night must abound.”

    Goodson gave her a thoughtful look, and Daphne’s fingers tightened on the fragile handle of the cup she held. Had she given herself away? Was Goodson thinking that she was acting peculiar?

    “Yes, there are several legends connected to the house,” Goodson admitted slowly, his dark eyes still fixed on her face, “but I do not hold with such nonsense.” To Daphne’s relief, his gaze dropped to the