Read Online The Lady and the Duke by Olivia Kelly - Free Book Online

delicate details with her younger brother. But the effort Claremont was putting into ducking him had all his instincts pricking. There was more to this mess then a parcel of lovelorn missives.
    Whatever the case, Will wanted those letters back.
    If Lisle's story was true, well, she shouldn’t have to worry about her private affairs being aired to the whole of society, and Will shouldn’t have to worry about what such a scandal would do to his mother…and his marital prospects. When he had come up to Town, he had had no intentions of looking for a bride but then he met Audrey. Everything had changed. He still wasn’t interested in marriage for marriage’s sake—but the prospect of settling down was infinitely more appealing when he thought of a certain cheeky debutante.
    Will was a little stunned at how quickly she became the only one he could see filling the role of his duchess.
    It was a sticky situation, however. He had no intention of sending Lisle from the family home or doing anything to distance himself from his beloved sister. If there was a scandal it would touch everyone connected to Halford House. For some families, even the lure of marrying their daughter to a duke would not offset the humiliation and censure they would be forced to endure if their name was linked to such a predicament.
    He did not think Lord and Lady Witte were such a couple, given the lengths the baroness had gone through to secure his interest in her daughter, but one could never be too cautious.
    Still turning over the problem in his mind, Will drew up to Halford House and tossed the reins to the footman who stepped to the curb. He trotted up the stairs, nodding to his butler as he entered. Handing the man his hat, Will ran his hand through his hair, grimacing at how sweat had matted it to his skull.
    "It’s brutal out there, McCullen. This heat’s damn irritating, makes the dirt from the road stick to everything," he said, patting his face with the cloth the butler handed him.
    The toweling was grey with dust from the street, and soot from the air, when he finished but there was no time for a full bath at the moment. He had correspondence to catch up on and his estate manager would have arrived by now. The man had travelled far with the reports from four out of seven of his holdings, all which would require his attention before he could bathe for dinner. He started for the stairs, but paused as McCullen discreetly cleared his throat.
    Will glanced over his shoulder, raising one eyebrow in inquiry. "Is there something?"
    "Yes, Your Grace. Lady Morgan is here. She is waiting for you in the blue drawing room," the butler said, tipping his head slightly toward the south corridor.
    "My sister is here? In London?" Will frowned, rubbing his hand over his jaw absently. He needed a shave before he left for the evening.
     "So it seems, Your Grace."
    What the devil? Perhaps she felt her scolding letter hadn’t done a well enough job and had come to finish her tongue lashing in person. That would be pleasant.
    "When did she get here?"
    "Late morning, Your Grace, not long after your departure for your club."
    Lisle must have left directly after sending her letter to have gotten here so quickly. The urgency in which she was treating this attempt to dissuade him from involving himself in her problem with Claremont was revealing.
    She was most definitely hiding something.
    Unfortunately for her, it just hardened his resolve to find out what.
    Striding down the hall, Will pushed open the door to the salon. Lisle had been standing with her back to him, staring out the window, but at his entrance she turned. For a moment, Will was stunned at the change that had come over his always strong and capable sister in the few weeks since he had last seen her.
    Her once shining blond hair was dulled and lusterless, tucked into a simple knot at the base of her neck. She gazed at him with eyes so sad, and for just a moment, fearful. Not of him he was sure, but of