Read Online Anne Barbour by A Dedicated Scoundrel - Free Book Online Page A

did not wish for anything so—so ostentatious, but I spent a good deal of time here as a child. In addition, Grand-mama said it was the only home she had to her name, so I would have to make do.”
    “But are there not other relatives ...”
    Catherine’s face hardened. “Indeed there are. My uncle and his sons all considered, and with good reason, I suppose, that Winter’s Keep should have gone to them, but Grandmama was adamant.”
    Recalling her family’s howls of rage and anguish and the frantic machinations at Grandmama’s decision to give Winter’s Keep to their niece and cousin, Catherine smiled sourly.
    “And do you feel at all overpowered to be the mistress of so much grandeur?”
    “Oh, no. Since it is familiar to me, I rather enjoy it. It’s a little like living in a museum, surrounded by beautiful things. And I like being involved in the lives of so many people—the staff and the tenants, to say nothing of—
    She bit the words off sharply. Really, she thought, the man had a knack for asking the most outrageous questions in such a matter-of-fact tone that one was prompted to answer as though he had asked for the time of day.
    Catching her kindling glance, Justin laughed.
    “You’re quite right, your Grandmama’s decision about where you should live is none of my business. It’s just that I cannot help being interested in how you live your life. Perhaps it’s because I seem to have none of my own at the moment.”
    She shot another look at him. As he had no doubt intended, she fell a pang of compunction for his situation.
    “You’re quite right, Mr. Smith,” she said coolly. “It is none of your business, but I somehow feel you rarely let that fact interfere with your actions.”
    “You may be right,” Justin returned unrepentantly. “But, you must admit, I gain more information that way than I would by being polite.”
    “As well, I should think, as the occasional punch in the nose.”
    By now, however, Catherine was laughing, robbing her words of much of their sting.
    They had reached the rear of the house, and Catherine led Justin through a back door. Crunching along a neat gravel path that took them past the kitchen garden, he soon found himself facing the stable block, a well-kept series of brick buildings trimmed with white. From one of these the sound of agitated voices could be heard. Inside, they were met with the sight of three stable men gathered about one of the stalls that lined the interior. Within, the largest horse Catherine had ever seen reared repeatedly, pawing the air and heaving against the restraining ropes that had been tied to its bridle. He was black as night, and his eyes rolled wildly. He was startlingly unattractive, thought Catherine, for his head seemed too large for the rest of him and his front hocks seemed to bulge out in all the wrong places. Lord, what a monster!
    To her surprise, Mr. Smith did not hesitate, but approached the horse without fear. Moving past the grooms, he grasped the animal’s bridle and began speaking to it. She could not hear what he said, but his words had a marked effect. Almost immediately, the stallion slopped his mad bucking, and within a few seconds he had dropped his massive head into Mr. Smith’s bosom.
    One of the grooms approached Catherine.
    “We wasn’t doing anything to ‘im, Miss Catherine. One of the lads came to him with a curry brush, and you’d ‘a thought he’d brought up a whip ‘n chain. We only wanted to spruce ‘im up a bit. The contrary beast wouldn’t even take any grain nor water from us. Just tried t’murder us where we stood.”
    “It’s all right now,” said John Smith over his shoulder. “He didn’t know where I’d got to and thought you all must be up to no good.” He hesitated. “Sometimes he just needs things explained to him “
    Indeed, the horse now seemed perfectly amenable to being handled. He whickered encouragingly at the groom nearest him, pushing at the lad’s cap with his