The Wary Widow by Jerrica Knight-Catania Read Free Book Online

jumped a little at her abruptness. “I meant to say, I didn’t come here alone...that is, I came with Liz- Lady Elizabeth, but...”
    Come on, Chloe, you've been talking since you were two! Find your tongue, for pity's sake!
    Lord Andrew smiled, seemingly enjoying her inability to form a coherent sentence. Blast him. If he didn't smell so very virile, or look so very handsome, and if she didn't remember their scandalous discussion about his whore-maid that morning, she might be able to compose herself.
    “Where is Lady Elizabeth?” he asked, and Chloe clamped her mouth shut.
    She would not rat out her cousin.
    “She met with a friend and they wanted to walk together, but I was a little tired, so I asked to stay here and wait, so they walked off, but that was quite some time ago, though I don’t have a watch, so I can’t tell you exactly how — ”
    She cut off as Lord Andrew let out a booming laugh. She blinked several times, trying to assess why he’d be laughing at her, and waited for him to calm down.
    Really, it was awfully rude of him.
    “Forgive me, Mrs. Hawthorne, but I’ve never heard anyone speak for so long without taking a breath...well, that's not entirely true, now is it? My sisters could talk the hide off a mule.” He rubbed his eyes, which pooled with tears of hilarity. “Quite remarkable really.”
    Chloe had no idea what to say to this. She merely stood there, dumbstruck. No one had ever funned her this way before. People always thought she was too reserved or too sensitive to be able to laugh at herself. She had thought that, too. Until now. She felt a giggle forming deep in her belly, gurgling its way to her throat until she could hold it in no more.
    The feeling was quite freeing. She almost didn’t want to stop. But Lord Andrew was staring at her now as if she’d grown a second head, so she forced herself to remember the gravity of the situation.
    The fact of the matter was that she was standing here, at dusk, with her cousin’s fiancé, while her cousin was who-knew-where with some other lord.
    Chloe sobered rather quickly.
    “Well, Mrs. Hawthorne,” Lord Andrew said, breaking the awkward tension. “I suppose it’s a good thing I found you here then. Would you even have known how to get back home by yourself?”
    Chloe’s back went up like an alley cat. Never mind that she didn’t have a single clue where home was from here, she didn’t want Lord Andrew to think she was some kind of helpless ninny. “Of course I would,” she lied, then added, “I’m not helpless, you know.”
    Lord Andrew quirked his brow for the first time in their conversation. “No, of course not. You don’t seem at all the helpless sort and I’m sorry if I insinuated otherwise.”
    “Oh,” was all she could think to say to that. He really was a gentleman, wasn’t he?
    She was about to concede that perhaps he should walk her home, when Lizzie appeared. Thankfully, she was alone.
    “Andrew!”
    Lord Andrew spun around. “Lady Elizabeth,” he said, and Chloe noted the cool tone to his voice.
    Lizzie offered her hand and he took it, but did not kiss it. Instead, he leveled her with a rather intimidating glare.
    “Is everything all right, Andrew?” Lizzie laughed uncomfortably.
    “Where is your friend?” he asked, and Lizzie’s cheeks turned a bright pink.
    “Friend?” Her eyes shifted to look at Chloe, who immediately looked the other way.
    “Mrs. Hawthorne has been waiting for you to finish your walk with your friend for some time.”
Oh, dear. Was he really coming to her defense? Poor Lizzie looked dumbfounded. She looked from Lord Andrew to her, clearly wondering if she had betrayed her trust. Chloe gave her the slightest shake of her head.
    “Yes, I was with Miss Lovell,” she said slowly. “She wanted to speak with me about a certain gentleman who wants to court her.”
    Lord Andrew's brow shot up mockingly. Oh, Lord, he didn't believe her. “Oh, really? Miss Lovell, you say?”
    Lizzie