Free Lord of Deceit (Heiress Games Book 2) by Sara Ramsey

cannot condone her staying in the same house with a ruined woman.”
    There was no animosity in her voice — if anything, she sounded sad.
    “But she hasn’t inherited it yet,” Octavia said. “And I have nowhere else to go.”
    “What happened to Somerville?” Lucy asked.
    For a moment, she sounded concerned. Octavia shrugged. “He wants to marry. I am a hindrance to marriage, as Lady Maidenstone so kindly reminded me.”
    Lucy looked sympathetic for a moment. But even knowing that Octavia had nowhere else to go, she didn’t relent. “You can’t stay here. What about Briarley House in London?”
    The house had been closed since before her grandfather’s final illness. If Octavia was in London, it would be easier for possible paramours to find her — and harder for her to fend off their advances. She hadn’t told anyone other than Somerville where she was going, and she intended to stay in seclusion until she knew what she wanted to do next.
    She shook her head. “That won’t do. A quiet summer in the country would be better for me.”
    “Well, you can’t stay here,” Lucy said. “I won’t have you ruining my chances like you always did before.”
    That statement made no sense. Octavia had never ruined Lucy’s chances — if anything, she had been the one to force Lucy to go out into society. But Octavia didn’t say anything to defend herself. She had seen negotiations in London before. She knew how a negotiation was supposed to play out.
    She had nothing to offer. Lucy held all the power.
    Four years earlier, when Octavia’s brother was still the heir and Octavia was the toast of London, it had been the opposite. Lucy had trailed in Ava’s wake, seeming happy enough with the role. Or, if she wasn’t happy, she hadn’t complained about it.
    But what life would Lucy have wanted, if Octavia hadn’t insisted on a London debut? Was it this one, living in the country, mostly alone? Or was it something else entirely?
    There was a time when she might have asked. But she pushed that question away and focused, like the mercenary she’d been forced to become, on the present moment.
    “I will remove to the hunting lodge,” Octavia said abruptly. “If you could be so good as to lend me a couple of servants to keep the house, you shall never have to see me again.”
    “The hunting lodge is too close,” Lucy said, setting her jaw.
    It wasn’t particularly close to the house. Maidenstone Wood separated it from the main portion of the estate. It was a twenty minute walk between the abbey and the hunting lodge, and almost as long by horse since the road curved around the wood rather than cutting through it. Julian had lived there during his last few summers, hosting his friends away from his grandfather’s influence.
    Octavia hadn’t been there since the summer before Julian died. She didn’t particularly want to go there now. But she held her ground. “It was Julian’s, the last I remember. Grandfather gave it to him on his twenty-first birthday. Did you think to check with the solicitor about whether it reverted to the estate or whether it passed to me instead?”
    Octavia didn’t know the answer to that question — and from the uncertain look on Lucy’s face, Lucy didn’t know either. “It surely still belongs to Maidenstone.”
    Octavia shrugged, ready to bluff. “We can write to Rothwell, if that would make you more at ease. But it will take at least a week before he responds. If you don’t want me to go to the hunting lodge, I can take my room here. Your choice.”
    Lady Maidenstone touched Lucy’s arm. “There are advantages to having Ava at the hunting lodge, dear. At least you’ll know where she is, depending on how the party progresses. And Rothwell shouldn’t be bothered about the hunting lodge until the estate is settled.”
    That was an odd statement. But Lucy seemed to take it to heart. “You may go to the hunting lodge. But I would prefer not to entertain you here again. You