Free The Cinderella Debutante by Elizabeth Hanbury

bought?”
    “I—”
    “I’ll arrange for her to be kept in my mews, ready for your use. You just have to send word and one of my grooms will bring her to Mount Street.”
    “Very well, thank you,” she said. “I own I am looking forward to it.”
    “I should be grateful to you.” He seemed for a moment to hold her more tightly as he whispered, “And before you feel the need to reassure me of your competence, remember I saw how you calmed that terrified animal after your accident. I need no other confirmation. Do you stay in London until the end of the Season?”
    “Yes, and then Mama intends to go to Brighton. She wants to see the Prince Regent’s new pavilion.
    “I see. Well, it is an, er, extraordinary building. The music room is magnificent although too ornate for my taste. Devlyn Court looks shabby in comparison.”
    She gave a chuckle. “You are quizzing me again! Your estate is generally held to be one of the finest in the country.”
    “Am ambitious claim and one I’m not sure it lives up to yet,” he said, with an answering grin. “There is more work to be done, but at least the house has been restored. It fell into disrepair after my brother’s death. My land agent began to worry I intended to forsake it completely.”
    She frowned. “Surely you would not have done so? It is your home, after all.”
    “It held no meaning for me at the time and I did briefly consider selling. As the younger son, I never expected to have the responsibility for it. I reconsidered as time went by and recently I’m glad I did. You see, despite its grand scale, Devlyn Court is first and foremost a home. It deserves to be lived in and enjoyed by a family…my family, when I have one, and I am hopeful now that day is a little nearer.”
    His words sent a sudden chill over Lucy and she reflected bitterly on how well Belinda weaved a spell over her admirers. She envied her sister no conquest but the man holding her in his arms. When the music stopped all too soon, he returned her to her stepmother and sister. Her skin still tingled where his fingers had spanned her waist; her body was still heavy with pleasure where it had touched his.
    Lady Sinclair and Belinda were anxious to discover what they had talked about but Lucy was able to convince them they had missed nothing important.
    Later, finding the heat oppressive, Lucy slipped out of the ballroom and found herself in an oak-paneled library. She ran her finger along the shelves of leather bound volumes, thinking how much her father would have appreciated such a collection. She drew out several books and let the cool air and quiet envelop her.
    Suddenly, the unmistakable tones of Lord Devlyn and Lord Ashe reached her through the ha1f-open doorway. Their voices grew louder, and, thinking they were about to enter, Lucy moved to the shadows. They did not come in but remained outside, close enough for Lucy to hear everything, each word an arrow through her heart.
    “She is a darling,” Devlyn was saying in low voice. “I intend to declare my feelings when the moment is right and hope she will accept. I only make you aware now because you have, surprisingly for one normally so obtuse, correctly judged my intentions. But please… do not speak of this to anyone.”
    “As if I would utter a word! I only guessed because I know you well - no one else would have the least notion.”
    Lucy put her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp.
    “Did you hear something then?” asked Devlyn, after a pause.
    “No, nothing.”
    “That’s odd. For a moment I thought—”
    “She’s a fine girl. Gil will be shattered; he’s lost his heart already!”
    Devlyn laughed softly, before continuing in a more sober tone, “Sneyd is a concern though. His attentions are causing me a great deal of disquiet…”
    His voice receded as they moved back towards the ballroom, and the rest of the sentence was lost to Lucy.
    What she had overheard seeped into her soul. Devlyn’s proposal of