Lady Olivia's Undoing Read Free Page B

in such a state of disarray, is there any
way you could put us up until Twelfth Night? Reginald refuses to
spend the holidays in a hotel and I must agree. The girls are so
looking forward to seeing Penny again, and I long for genteel
company. The Americans were positively ghastly and I fear all the
rosewater in the world cannot eradicate the vile taste in my mouth.
Only your society will do, dear Olivia. ”
    Just what Olivia needed on top of everything
else – company. Oh, the girls were no bother, they were lovely, and
would keep to their own schedules, and having been away from London
for so long, they would do nothing more than mark time with their
friends and shop. Perhaps they might even be good company for
Penny. Fresh faces and adventures to share. And Constance would not
be a nuisance as long as she kept her histrionics at bay. Constance
was a needy woman and desired a certain comfort level from those
around her. When it was not forthcoming, she took to her bed for
days.
    No, it was Reginald Olivia worried about.
Olivia had never liked Reginald. Hard and unforgiving, even in his
youth, she had rebuffed his advances. Surprisingly, he asked for
her hand anyway and Olivia begged her father to refuse the match.
Reginald married her cousin, Constance, instead. It was at their
nuptials where she met Reginald’s uncle, Fitzhugh Leighton, the
Duke of Caymore.
    Reginald accused Olivia of dallying with
Fuzzy’s affections for his wealth, title, and position in Society.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. Olivia’s uncle, the
Duke of Marlborough, convinced her father to push her into the
marriage. On the day of their nuptials, Fitzhugh Leighton was
two-and-sixty. She, twenty.
    Unfortunately, right before she married
Fuzzy, Reginald caught her in another man’s embrace – Henry Wade.
And even though Reginald had never said a word about the encounter,
Olivia felt as though he held that as a sordid secret between
them.
    However, Olivia was no fool. As much as she
had loved Henry back then, she had to abide by her family’s wishes,
and Henry Wade, the second son of the Marquess of Dunbury, was
certainly no match for a Churchill lady. Though her parents had
reservations about the age difference between Fuzzy and her, they
would definitely not welcome a match between Olivia and Henry.
Fitzhugh Leighton was a powerful duke, kept company with the King,
and cousin to the Duke of Devonshire. Henry had nothing.
    Olivia stared at the letter in her hand. She
could tolerate Constance and the girls through the holidays, but
she dreaded to think of Reginald in her house – creeping
about.
    Olivia shuddered. She would dispense with
Reginald when the time came. The most urgent matter consuming her
belonged to the state of her house. Her former butler Summers could
not be expected to wait on two families. The man was eighty years
old. Olivia rose from the chair and pulled the bell. A footman
opened the door.
    “Your Grace,” he said.
    “Andrew, good, I’m glad ‘tis you. I need to
speak with you.” Olivia walked to the windows that overlooked the
gardens. “As you may have been informed, Quiggins must away for a
time and Summers is coming out of retirement. However, my cousin
and her family will be arriving to stay through Twelfth Night. I am
giving you full charge of their every care. I will speak to
Quiggins, and once he is away, Summers will be your immediate
supervisor.”
    Andrew nodded his head. “Yes, Your
Grace.”
    “For five shillings more a month.”
    Andrew smiled. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
    “Thank you, Andrew. You may go.” When he was
at the door, Olivia said, “Do tell Quiggins to step inside.” There
were so many things to do. John could not leave her. How was she to
run her house? Undercover operative or not, John was an excellent
butler.
    John stepped inside the room. “Your
Grace?”
    Olivia hated that tone. He was angry with
her. Well, she was angry with him for leaving her, leaving her