Miss Pymbroke's Rules Read Free

Lord Davenport, aging lechers with large purses. The two lords had argued loudly at the clubs as to which gentleman would have which of the girls first.
    Listening in disgust, Perry had not been able to bear the thought of the young girls being used by the smelly old rogues. In a show of altruism that shocked even himself, he had promptly made them both a very generous offer, which was quickly accepted, and established them in a house in Half Moon Street.
    He then sat back to savor the resulting outrage amongst the ton . What he had not done was anything more than keep up the pretense that they were his mistresses by escorting the girls to the Park or the Opera.  The reality was that he considered them no more than tiresome children.
    Sir Ramsey tossed off another glass of champagne. “Where are the fair charmers this evening?”
    Waving a manicured hand in a careless gesture, Carrisworth replied, “I have given my servants the night off, so I shall no doubt call upon the twins later to, er, help me out of this tight-fitting coat.”
    More masculine laughter followed this pronouncement.
    Neither gentleman noticed when the silver-gray cat hurried past the entryway of the drawing room.
    Empress eased her way into the deserted kitchens. No tantalizing smells were in the air. No cook was bustling about, ready to stop her work for a moment to hand the pretty kitty a treat.
    The cat made her way over to where the scullery maid usually slept on a straw mat in the corner. The girl’s absence left Empress without anyone to pull a string or an old ribbon across the floor in a much-loved game of chase.
    Her whiskers turned down, Empress left the kitchen to stalk off into a deserted anteroom. A single branch of candles, placed on a table by the window, provided a soft glow of light. The cat crossed the room and hopped up onto the table. Placing one dainty foot in front of the other, she padded across the smooth wood surface.
    Unfortunately for the marquess, the branch of candles was placed perilously close to the edge of the table near the draperies. A flick of the cat’s tail sent the candles to the floor.
    It took mere minutes for the flames to spread.
    At the first cries of “Fire!” the Marquess of Carrisworth instantly sobered. His shouted instructions for everyone not to panic went unheeded as people scrambled for the stairs leading to the hall.
    “Help me get everyone out, Randy! I’ll look for anyone upstairs,” Carrisworth called to his friend and barely waited to see if the man was capable of complying with the request.
    He had to push his way through his panicked guests into the hall. On the landing he grabbed a young man and ordered, “Have the Watch notify the Sun Fire Company.”
    Hoping furiously his man of business had paid the premiums so the fire company would not let his house burn to the ground, he turned and raced up the stairs. Thick smoke blanketed the hallway and burned his lungs with each breath he drew.  He searched for anyone still in the house.
    He found three amorous couples secluded in bedchambers and alerted them to the peril. Shepherding them downstairs, he noted grimly that the drawing room he had vacated minutes before was engulfed in flames.
    Out on the street a crowd had gathered. “Harkee, even the Quality has their troubles,” a voice said in the darkness.
    With relief he saw the men from the fire company had arrived and were working to control the blaze. Thankfully, everyone had escaped unharmed.
    Lord Carrisworth worked alongside the firemen until at last the fire was out. While he had been struggling with the flames, he had not been able to assimilate the damage done. Now, he entered what was left of the hall and looked with a mixture of shock and horror at the charred black walls. The once magnificent mahogany table, whose polished surface had always held a bowl of fresh flowers, was reduced to a pile of ashes at his feet.
    “Ain’t safe in here, your worship,” a man’s voice