Read Online Grenville 02 - Lord John's Dilemma by G.G. Vandagriff - Free Book Online

major looked at her, he would see a desirable woman, not a plain little governess.
    Delia straightened her back. Was she pitying herself? How silly she was.
    I am not a plain little governess. It is only the role I am playing. But how is Major John Lambeth to know that?
    As she turned away from the window, she wished he could see her in her finery just once.

{ 7 }
    M iss Lindsay was teasing John about his fondness for her sisters. “They are sadly lacking in discipline. Miss Haverley is not nearly stern enough with them.”
    “Did you have a terribly stern governess?” he asked.
    “She was a monster!” Miss Lindsay said, laughing. “I had to walk about with a book on my head and my fingers were raw from pricking them with my embroidery needle.”
    Leticia returned with the bandage and began to bind Mariah’s ankle. “If I were you, Missy,” she said to her sister, “I would hobble upstairs to your room and pretend to be reading a good book so Mama does not find out what you have been up to. Otherwise you may lose another governess, and Miss Haverley does not deserve to be punished for your sins!”
    John agreed with those sentiments. He had a feeling that whatever had brought Miss Haverley down in the world, she was reliving her happy childhood through Molly and Mariah.
    “Miss Haverley is not at fault,” he said. “I wanted to meet Nellie and take her for a swim. Was she to override the wishes of a Lord of the Realm?”
    Mrs. Daniels came onto the terrace with a large pitcher of lemonade. Miss Lindsay immediately poured out a glass for him. “You are too charming for your own good,” she said, raising an eyebrow as a smile played about her mouth. “But I am glad to see your spirits reviving.”
    John realized she was right. He did feel better than he had in a long time. The Lindsay girls were obviously good medicine. And he had gathered more clues in the incidental mystery of Miss Haverley. She had lost both parents as well as her brother, he was quite sure. The jewels were obviously her inheritance. If they had kept a stable full of hunters, the family must have been quite well off. What had happened in the meantime?
    It occurred to him that Lieutenant Tompkins, who had served under him, was from Kent. Perhaps he knew the Haverley name. He was exceptionally well connected. John decided he would send an enquiry. The mystery grew increasingly intriguing. The woman was obviously not cut out to be a governess.
    As he was relaxing with his lemonade, Miss Lindsay asked, “Have you been invited to the Hetheringtons’ fête? It is to raise money for a new church roof.”
    “Who are the Hetheringtons?” he asked.
    “I forget, you did not live here much as a child. They live at the north end of the County. They are my parents’ age and have sons the same ages as all of us. It will be rather provincial, but should be fun. There is a ball afterward in the evening. I am certain your brother has had an invitation.”
    John took a deep breath. If he was going to start courting Miss Lindsay, he should be about it. This fête offered a good opportunity. “Am I correct in my assumption that it is proper for single young ladies to ride with single young men in an open carriage?”
    “You are, my lord.”
    “When is this fête?”
    “Three days hence, on Saturday, my lord.”
    He took the plunge. “Will you do me the honor of driving there with me in my brother’s curricle?”
    “Of course.” She smiled at him, but he felt an unwelcome distance between them, as though he were seeing her through a pane of glass. She was a beautiful woman. Why did his heart not stir?
    Setting down his glass, he rose. “Well, then. I will be off. Thank you for the lemonade. I hope Mariah’s sprain will not be evident to your mother’s eye. I should hate her to be scolded for something that was my fault entirely.”
    Miss Lindsay’s smile reminded him of the cat who had got into the cream. “Trust me, my Lord John, I will see