Read Online A Little Mischief by Amelia Grey - Free Book Online

What’s going to happen to me?”
    He walked over to her and sat on the edge of the bed. He smiled at her, realizing he had not been much of a brother to her lately. With his father’s and brother’s deaths, she was his responsibility, and he’d left too much to his aunt. He wouldn’t leave London again until Gretchen was properly wed.
    “Nothing as serious as we were led to believe by Miss Winslowe.”
    “But I killed Mr. Throckmorten.”
    “No, no, Gretchy, you didn’t. I don’t want to hear any more talk like that come out of your mouth. Mr. Throckmorten was not in Miss Winslowe’s garden, dead or otherwise.”
    Her eyes rounded in hopeful confusion and her sobs quieted. “Are you sure?”
    “Very.”
    She wiped her eyes with her handkerchief and sniffed. “Where is he?”
    “No doubt he’s at the nearest pub or club continuing to drown himself in liquor.”
    “How do you know this?”
    Daniel told Gretchen how the garden was empty when he arrived with Isabella and what he believed happened to Throckmorten. He insisted Gretchen failed to strike him and that he had just passed out from drinking too much. He left out the part that he planned to pay Boswell Throckmorten a visit as soon as he finished talking to her.
    “Oh, Danny, I’m so glad he is not dead. I didn’t want him to be dead.” Gretchen threw her arms around her brother and hugged him tightly. “I’m so happy you’re home. I told Isabella you would know what to do. Thank you.”
    “Don’t thank me, young lady. We’re not through. I want to know what were you doing in the garden alone with Mr. Throckmorten.”
    Gretchen lowered her head. “I arranged to meet him there.”
    “Did he try to harm you? Is that why you hit him?”
    “No, I got scared after I saw him in the garden. I asked him to leave, and he didn’t want to, so I picked up the statue and hit him.”
    Daniel took a deep breath. He wanted to be firm with Gretchen and he wanted to throttle Throckmorten, but it was difficult when over the years Daniel had asked many different young ladies to meet him in secret. He’d always considered it human nature to want to break the rules.
    He didn’t feel that way anymore. He was an earl now, and his sister’s guardian, and with that came certain responsibilities. Instead of breaking the rules, he needed to enforce them.
    “What you did was serious, Gretchen. Do you realize that? If this got out I’m not sure we could repair your reputation.”
    She looked up at him. “I knew it was wrong. But Mr. Throckmorten was so handsome I was flattered when he noticed me.”
    “You will have plenty of handsome men noticing you. But they need to be the right young men. In the meantime you can’t agree to meet alone with any of them. Do I make myself clear on that?”
    She nodded. “I promise I won’t do it again, Danny. I don’t ever want to see him again.”
    “Good.” He took her arms down and held her hands in his. “I’m glad that you have faith that I know what is best for you, because I must insist that you have nothing else to do with Mr. Throckmorten or Miss Winslowe.”
    Gretchen leaned back against her mountain of pillows. “Isabella? Why? I—”
    “She and her aunt left you vulnerable to compromise, and I can’t forgive that. You should have never been allowed to roam freely in their garden. Your reputation could have sustained irreparable damage.”
    Gretchen lowered her head. “It was my fault. Not theirs.”
    He lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers forcing her to look at him. “It’s sweet of you to want to accept all the blame for this incident, but you can’t. It was Miss Winslowe’s group. You were in Miss Winslowe’s care, and she failed in her responsibility to you.”
    “But I—”
    “Shh,” he said with growing solicitude. “Do not cross me on this, Gretchen. Aunt Mattie has obviously allowed you too much freedom to choose your own friends and make your own plans. I intend to be more