The Ardent Lady Amelia Read Free Page A

houses in South Street. For myself, I like the squares, but not everyone can live on one of them. South Street has the advantage of being so close to the park,” she added kindly.
    “There is that.”
    “Do you ride?”
    “Yes, ma’am.” Verwood stood at his ease, never shifting his eyes from Trudy to any other member of the small group. He looked as though he were prepared to withstand her inquisitive assault for hours, unperturbed. Amelia refused to join the questioning, or even to make some inoffensive remark.
    From where she sat she could observe the rugged strength of his sun-browned face, the broad set of his shoulders. Definitely a military man, she decided. Probably wounded, accounting for the limp. A few years in the army could have roughed his polish, though she personally doubted that he’d ever had any. She’d seldom run into a man with less-agreeable manners, though one couldn’t exactly fault him for impoliteness. She didn’t observe brusqueness very often in her circles. Perhaps that’s why she’d never seen him before.
    “The Candovers are from Derbyshire,” Aunt Trudy remarked. “I imagine you know them.”
    “Yes.”
    “Well, splendid. Then we’ll probably see you at their ball next week.”
    Verwood’s eyes for the first time left Trudy’s to swing questioningly at Peter, who shrugged and said, “My sister and aunt aren’t planning on leaving town after all.”
    “I should think not!” Trudy cried. “In the middle of the season! I never heard anything so totty-headed. This is precisely the perfect time to be in London.” She smiled graciously at Verwood. “So we’ll no doubt see you at the Candovers’ next week.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Peter had had quite enough of the cross-examination, and felt a little more had been revealed than he could have wished. “I hope you’ll excuse us, Aunt Trudy, but Lord Verwood has called on a business matter and I shouldn’t like to keep him longer than necessary.
    “Why, of course, dear boy. I wouldn’t think of intruding on such a subject. You might take him into the library.”
    Amelia grinned at her brother’s exasperation, but he merely pursed his lips in response. Lord Verwood followed him to the door before turning to bid the ladies a pleasant evening.
    “Rather a strange man,” Trudy confided when they’d gone.
    Amelia continued to stare at the closed door. “Very strange indeed,” she agreed.
     

Chapter 2
     
    There was a toasty fire burning in her room when Lady Amelia arrived there an hour later. Her brother was still closeted with Lord Verwood, and Aunt Trudy had agreed an early night would be good for them. Sundays were invariably enervating, with very little activity outside the house after church.
    Lady Amelia couldn’t very well stroll about the area with Trudy, since Trudy never strolled. And she didn’t like to take a footman away from the house because most of the servants had the day off. Occasionally there was a ride in the park, if Peter was free, but he’d been away all day today, only returning in the evening.
    She felt restless from the lack of exercise and paced up and down her room. The air was still too chilly to open a window and let in a refreshing breeze. If the Shiptons had been able to join them for a quiet dinner, the day wouldn’t have passed so slowly, but Clarissa had contracted some trifling illness and refused to stir so far as the three houses that separated their two domiciles. It was one of Clarissa’s few faults, this over-enthusiasm for pampering herself with any slight indisposition, and Amelia tried to take it in her stride. There were times, however, when it proved the greatest nuisance. One’s friends should be more considerate, she thought ruefully.
    The absence of entertainment was not, of course, the only thing she had on her mind. Peter’s odd pronouncements, and his odd friend, were far more pressing to her at the moment than a small disappointment of company. Whether she