Read Online Eleanor And The Duke (Berkshire Brides Book 1) by Margo Maguire - Free Book Online

with Sir Robert Peel the previous year and been appalled at the conditions therein. “I doubt Squeers would be bold enough to bribe a Member of Parliament while standing out in public. More than likely, he hired someone.”
    “That is probably the case,” Carrick said, “but our man cannot swear it wasn’t Lord Weatherby, either.”
    “Bloody hell.” Beck’s gut roiled. He had no love for the bastard, especially after his lies had caused Eleanor to flee their wedding, flee England. But bringing a bribery charge against the earl now would not suit his purpose.
    Andrew stood and went to the window. He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched Eleanor take a satchel from her maid and walk away from the house. He would prefer to join her, but knew he had to stay and take care of the business Carrick had brought.
    “What does Robert Peel say about all this?” he asked the secretary, keeping his eyes on Eleanor. She was everything he wanted, from her fine spirit to her passion in the bedchamber. He wasn’t leaving Primrose Manor until she was his once again.
    “Your Grace, Sir Robert is concerned,” Carrick replied. “He has called for a meeting Saturday morning, to discuss what’s to be done.”
    Andrew stepped away from the window, turning away from the determined expression on Eleanor’s face. “I don’t know that I will make it to the meeting.”
    “Your Grace, Robert Owen will also be there and—”
    “I understand how important this meeting will be, Carrick. I will do my best, but I cannot guarantee my attendance.” As much as he was committed to Peel’s bill passing, he could not abandon his mission to win Eleanor.
    Leaving Primrose Manor in the midst of his renewed courtship was not an option. Not when Eleanor was about to renew her acquaintance with Joshua Parris. And apparently, the Stillwater brothers were about to return home. It was more than likely she had developed a deep affection for them during their childhood, as well.
    On the other hand, Andrew could not leave the Labor bill to chance, either. Children as young as four and five years of age were being exploited in the mills every day, and Andrew felt it was immoral. He believed – as did Sir Robert Peel, Mr. Robert Owen, and many others – that children under the age of nine or ten should not be working in the mills at all. And those above nine ought to have their working hours limited. No more eighteen-hour work days for those children.
    “That will be all for now, Carrick. You will stay the night and come with me to Reading in the morning.”
    “Yes, Your Grace.”
    “See Grayson about a room in the servants’ quarters, near my footmen here in the house.”
    “One more thing, Your Grace,” Carrick said, hesitating. “Your brother is in Town.”
    “Hugo?” Andrew’s brows came together. This did not necessarily mean trouble. He’d given Hugo a project to keep him at Beckworth Park, and perhaps he had finished it.
    Carrick nodded. “I thought you would want to know.”
    “Is Cavendish with him?”
    “Yes. I understand they’ve been to the gaming hells together, Your Grace.”
    Andrew hoped his brother could avoid trouble this time, and not have to be carried off by constables when his temper erupted after a run of bad luck. Hugo had lost all sense of dignity and worth after a terrible tragedy had robbed him of the young woman he loved. He had not been able to save her when she’d fallen from a boat and drowned.
    The incident was every man’s worst nightmare.

    “If my aunt asks, just tell her I’ve gone to the lake to read,” Eleanor said to Lizzie as she stuffed a book into the satchel her maid handed her. She saw that there was already a spare shift inside, along with a thin blanket and a towel. Fortunately, Minerva was napping after their picnic. She would be horrified to know Eleanor’s true intentions.
    Well, it was nearly as hot in Berkshire as it was in London, and Eleanor remembered lazy days spent at the lake