Free The Unscrupulous Uncle by Allison Lane

ordered. “You will have plenty to do in the house. I had to turn off Mary this morning.”
    Catherine wisely refrained from admitting that she had met Damon in the park, thrusting down distress at the thought of never seeing him again. It was better for her peace of mind to avoid him, for he was a bitter reminder of all that she had lost.
     * * * *
    Lord Braxton was glaring at the estate books when his wife entered the library.
    “We must do something about Catherine,” she began without preamble. “The chit is doing her best to destroy our girls’ marriage chances.”
    “What is this?”
    “You know that I am well on the way to arranging an alliance with the Earl of Devlin.”
    “Do you actually believe he can stomach either of them?” he scoffed, throwing his usual reticence aside. “He is a gentleman.”
    “Of course. Which is why he will offer for Hortense. His honor demands it.”
    He stared a moment. “I see. Up to your old tricks, aren’t you?”
    She ignored the comment. “Catherine deliberately sought his lordship out yesterday to play on his sympathy. And she is painting us in a false light to turn him against Hortense. Why, she even accused me of stealing letters that he claimed to have sent her some years ago!”
    Braxton paled. “What tale is this?”
    “She insists that the earl sent her several notes shortly after her parents died and even sent a message by you that she never received. All false, of course. I put every letter aside and gave them to her.”
    “Of course you did,” he concurred, frowning in thought. “As to the message, it is true that I met the earl in London some years ago. He sent general greetings to the family – you know how one does. If I did not mention it, I can only remind her that other things pressed heavily on me. I was still reeling from the knowledge that my accursed brother had squandered the family fortune.”
    “But what are we to do with Catherine?” she wailed, again ignoring his words. “She has never liked us. I fear Sidney is right. She resents her reduced status and is only waiting for the chance to stab us in the back. Destroying this alliance would be a perfect revenge.”
    “That is simple enough. I will send her to Braxton Manor for the summer. The household needs supervision. She can see that the place is being properly kept up. That should give you ample opportunity to snag the earl. The settlements may be just what we need to pay off some pressing debts.”
    “What a suitable place for the girl!” exclaimed Lady Braxton. “Let her molder there forever.”
    “Are you prepared to take over her chores?” he asked maliciously. “There is no money for a housekeeper.”
    She sighed. “You are right, of course. But it is time she learned her place. When she returns, she must move into the housekeeper’s room.”
     

Chapter Five
     
    Damon pulled his curricle to a halt in front of Ridgway House and frowned. His back was crawling the way it always did before a battle. Peter whispered warnings in his ear as he had so often done in Spain, but this time he could not distinguish the words.
    Lord Braxton had invited him to join a dinner party after which the neighborhood gentlemen would consider the dairy herd problem, but he saw no other arrivals. Turning the ribbons over to Burt, he hesitantly plied the knocker.
    “Good evening, my lord,” intoned Wiggins, motioning Ned to take Damon’s hat, driving coat, and gloves.
    “Am I early?” murmured Damon.
    “Not at all. You will be dining en famile tonight.”
    “Does that mean that Catherine will join us?”
    “She is no longer at Ridgway, my lord.” Despite the wooden face, Damon detected a warning tone. Wiggins had always had a soft spot for both himself and Peter, often extricating them from potential trouble.
    His goose bumps doubled as every hair on his body stood to attention. Fragments of his morning nightmare returned, including an incongruous image of a pianoforte. Danger