Read Online Belle's Beau by Gayle Buck - Free Book Online Page B

of, his father was dead; it was his town house now.
    As his gaze traveled further, he saw the reflection of light escaping from behind the curtains of his mother's sitting rooms.
    He sighed. No, the town house was not his. It belonged to Lady Ashdon. It bore her mark and was ruled by her hand. He had been long away from his position, and he would soon be going away again.
    Lord Ashdon climbed the stone steps and took out his key to let himself quietly in the door.
     

Chapter 6
     
    It was just before dawn, the hour where night began to fuse with day. The darkness had lightened just enough so that objects had taken on some form and shadow.
    Lord Ashdon had not slept well, and he had risen with a feeling of restlessness, so he had set out on a ride with his favorite horse. He knew to what he could attribute his unsettled frame of mind.
    His mother's gentle insistence that he remain in London for the Season was already wearing on him. Lady Ashdon had reiterated her wishes when he had returned to the town house the previous evening. Her ladyship had not only cut short her own outing in order to waylay him, as he had foreseen that she would, but had waited up for him until his return in the small hours of the morning. A man grown for some years and used to his independence, he had failed to see the humor in his mother's avowed anxiety for his safe return.
    The viscount loved his parent, but since his return to England, he had found himself constantly forced into the position of steeling his emotions and his mind against her cajoling and arguments. For a man lately home from battle, it should not have been greatly wondered at if he did not feel inclined to plunge into a constant round of gaiety. At least, that was what he had told Lady Ashdon. Her ladyship had, however, responded with the opinion that that was precisely what the viscount needed to restore himself.
    He urged the horse on faster, wanting to feel the resistance of the damp wind against him. More and more, thoughts of traveling to Bath were on his mind. He had found the slower pace of society in the popular watering spot appealing. Perhaps that had been because of his slow recovery from his head wound. He had suffered tremendous headaches, and for a time sunlight had hurt his eyes. Finally, however, the cure had been complete.
    The tedium of those dreadful weeks had been pleasantly relieved by the polite friendship that he had developed with a certain young lady whom he had met in the Pump Room. Even now he smiled when he recalled their civil conversations. He had looked forward to those meetings.
    There had been nothing the least bit clandestine in their blossoming relationship. She had always been accompanied by her maid, and he had behaved as a model gentleman, never by word or glance conveying anything warmer than what was conventional. They had remained, and parted, as mere acquaintances.
    Now he wondered if he had not been a fool. He had never forgotten her face, nor the melodious sound of her voice. He should have pursued their relationship and asked permission of her guardians to court her. If he had, he would not now be in the straits that he was, former scruples set aside and compelled to wed before the war started again.
    Despite any reasoning to the contrary, Lord Ashdon knew instinctively that it would not be long before the bugle call and the drums sounded again. Even as he questioned now his wisdom in not courting his lady, he understood why he had not taken the step to commitment. He had not wanted to wed and leave behind a young bride who might become a widow before the next packet of letters from the front had arrived in England.
    The situation had not changed overmuch, but his thinking had. He might still wed and leave a widow, but he hoped he would also leave behind an heir. That had become more important to him in light of the weight he felt on his soul. He knew that the last battle was destined to be a monstrous one. Clear-eyed as he was, he had