Free Country Flirt by Joan Smith Page B

Howard,” she said. Her voice was uneven.
    Lord Howard’s fingers curled over the ruby in his pocket. It wasn’t miserliness that kept the ring in his pocket, but respect. He didn’t want to offend the poor lady.
    “I’ll be running along, then,” he said.
    At the doorway he stopped again and looked at Serena. Her head drooped on her shoulder like a wilted flower. She didn’t mar her pose by looking up again. Lord Howard took away the proper vision of a chaste but troubled lady, cleaving to her vow —by no means sure she could go on cleaving if he persisted.
    At Mrs. Armstrong’s door, Howard looked carefully up and down the street before leaving. He glanced with particular interest to the lit windows of the Bright house. No head shadowed the clear rectangles of light, but he thought the door was opening and waved for his curricle. Had he looked as closely when he entered, he would have seen not one head but two.
    Lord Monteith left Lambrook Hall half an hour before his uncle to pay an unexpected visit to the Brights. He and his mama were planning a round of social events to occupy Howard’s time and divert his thoughts from marriage. An invitation to luncheon the next day was Monteith’s excuse for calling, though not his reason. He also had another excuse.
    “I’ve brought you a note from Mama,” he said to Mrs. Bright as he handed her a letter.
    Mrs. Bright read it and frowned. “Oh, dear, I’m not sure I want to be involved in this sort of havey-cavey going on.”
    “What is it, Mama?” Samantha asked.
    “Irene wants to use our house to meet Clifford clandestinely. It seems Lord Howard has expressed himself with generous strength on the subject of widows’ remarrying. She is afraid of offending him. I don’t see that it is any of Lord Howard’s business. He’s only a brother-in-law.”
    “A very rich brother-in-law,” Samantha added, with a challenging look to Monteith.
    “The one who pays the piper calls the tune,” Monty pointed out. “Mama cherishes the hope that he’ll leave his fortune to Teddie and Ben.”
    Mrs. Bright shook her head. “Nothing ever comes of trying to butter up rich relatives, Monteith. My late husband curried favor with an old maiden aunt for years. He was always visiting her and sending her little gifts, and in the end she left everything to a second cousin who had the wisdom to ignore her entirely till the last few months, when he moved in and ingratiated himself. And he didn’t need the money as badly as we, either.”
    “I agree with you,” Monteith said. “Unfortunately, Mama doesn’t agree with me. Of course I would be happy to see Teddie and Ben so well provided for. If you don’t wish Mama to use your house, you have only to tell me so, and I’ll give her the message.”
    “I don’t like to refuse her,” Mrs. Bright said. “Irene has never asked anything of me before. Why doesn’t she arrange her meetings at Clifford’s sisters’ houses?”
    “They live in the country, Mama,” Samantha pointed out. “Lady Monteith often comes to the village —our house is more convenient for her. Closer to Clifford’s home, too.”
    “Then it is not the principle that deters you?” Monteith asked Mrs. Bright. “You don’t actually object to her meeting Clifford without Uncle’s knowledge?”
    “She’s not beholden to him. She may meet Clifford any time or anywhere she wants. Well, I suppose there’s no harm in it. She’s not a young deb after all. I’ll write up an answer, Monteith, for you to take home. I shall also tell her I think she wastes her time catering to Lord Howard.”
    She went to the desk in the corner and began composing her reply. Monteith gave Samantha the invitation to luncheon the next afternoon.
    “Uncle plans to display some of the things he brought back from India,” he mentioned, while she read it. “Carts are arriving at the door daily, ladened with goods. Enough swords to outfit the Dragoons, along with all manner of