The Forbidden Duke Read Free Page A

your past experience.”
    Again, Nora couldn’t tell what Lady Satterfield thought of any of it, but Lady Satterfield’s invitation to today’s appointment had to mean that she wasn’t bothered. Still, she’d feel better to have the issue out in the open. “You’re aware of the circumstances under which I left London?”
    Lady Satterfield looked at her with…kindness? Yes, her eyes crinkled at the edges and her lips curved into a compassionate smile. “I am, and all I can say is that I’m sorry things worked out that way for you. We’ve all done foolish things in our youth, but most are fortunate to keep them private. Society is most unforgiving when it comes to women. Never mind that the man is at least equally accountable, or in some cases more so. It was Lord Haywood?”
    An image of the exceedingly handsome Haywood, an Untouchable, rose in her mind. With his dazzling smile, blond, wavy hair, and golden tongue, he’d quite charmed her nine years ago. “Yes.” She coughed softly to clear her suddenly cobwebbed throat. “I take full responsibility for my actions.”
    Lady Satterfield cocked her head to the side. “I admire your maturity. Did you hope to marry him?”
    “Foolishly, yes.” Nora didn’t bother trying to hide the self-derision in her tone. “When he pledged his undying love and said he planned to make me his wife, I believed him. At the time, an assignation in the library with my future betrothed seemed a touch risky, but I thought my future was secure.”  
    How wrong she’d been. They’d been caught in an embrace in that library—during a ball—and the occasion had been the on dit of the Season. Cousin Frederick had packed Nora back to the country two days later. Haywood, meanwhile, had only been obliged to leave town for the Season; his reputation had been salvageable. He’d even gone on to marry a few years later. Nora, on the other hand, had been utterly ruined. All over a kiss, and not a particularly good one at that.
    Lady Satterfield shook her head and pursed her lips. “Men can be such clods.”
    Though simple, Lady Satterfield’s statement stoked a long-dormant fire in Nora’s soul. So few people cast any fault on the gentleman, preferring instead to lay all of the blame at Nora’s feet. Was it possible she empathized with Nora’s plight? “I’ve changed since then.”
    Obtaining acceptance, finding a husband, securing a place in Society—all that had seemed critically important. She had none of that, and yet she couldn’t say she was completely unhappy. She had her garden, her books, and something most women didn’t: relative freedom. Rather, she’d had those things.
    The warmth returned to Lady Satterfield’s gaze. “I can see that, dear. You comport yourself very well. I don’t care what happened in the past. I only care what happens now. I am looking for a companion who will accompany me shopping, assist with correspondence and other secretarial-type matters, and provide companionship. Does this interest you?”
    Nora had already formed a quick opinion of the countess—she liked her. How could she not when she was the first person to show Nora such compassion? Being this woman’s companion would not be a hardship by any measure. “Yes, I should like that very much. I’m an excellent writer. My mother always praised my early handwriting. It’s likely why I worked hard to improve my skill.”
    “How long ago did you lose your mother, dear?”
    Nora’s chest tightened very briefly. The pain had lessened over the years, but in some ways, that bothered Nora. She didn’t miss her mother as much as she used to, and that felt wrong somehow. “It’s been twenty years.”
    “I’m so sorry you lost her at such a young age. I had my own mother until just a few years ago.” She smiled fleetingly. “I still miss her, but she had a lovely life.”
    The butler arrived with the tea then, setting the tray on a table between them. Nora asked how Lady Satterfield