Page 48 of A Whisper Of Desire (The Disgraced Lords #4)

“ Y our Grace, we were not expecting you today,” a worried-looking Mr. Donovan said with a gasp as she swept into the orphanage, Clarence following in her wake.

That was exactly why she was here, for an unannounced inspection.

This was the third home on her list. The first two orphanages for girls had passed muster, just. A few changes had to happen at the first home.

The nurse had an opium problem and had to go.

While she was not aggressive toward the girls, she could not be relied upon.

What if there was a fire while she was in dreamland?

Luckily, nothing worse had been found. Marisa had sent the nurse to a home in Brighton that dealt with ladies’ tendencies for overindulgence in opiates and alcohol.

This would be the first inspection of this particular boys’ home.

Turning to Mr. Donovan, she said, “Mr. Homeward,” and nodded at Clarence.

Clarence and Simon did not remember their last name, so they had chosen the name Homeward.

“He will inspect the premises. Please have the boys present themselves in the schoolroom in half an hour. I’d like to speak with you and the staff in the front room now, if you please. ”

Mr. Donovan tried to hide his annoyance at a woman walking in and ordering him about. The flash of anger was quickly replaced with an aggrieved wide-eyed smile. “I’m sure your request can be met; however, Mrs. Barker will need to stay with the young ones in the nursery.”

“Of course.” She would check the nursery herself. “I shall tell her she may stay upstairs, as I’m heading to the nursery now. Please gather the staff and wait for me in the front room.”

With that, she dismissed the man. Upon turning, she noted that Clarence had already gone toward the schoolroom, where she could hear the excited chatter of children. That was a good sign. Happy chatter usually meant a well-run home.

If anything untoward were happening here, Clarence would sniff it out. Most children instinctively knew Clarence had once been one of them.

In little more than an hour the orphanage had been given the all-clear. Mr. Donovan presented her with a list of repairs that needed to be done, and she handed it on to Clarence.

The pull to go back and spend another hour in the nursery caused a dull ache in her chest. However, she had two young girls waiting for her at home. Penelope and Antonia were waiting for her to take them to the park for a row on the pond. The pain inside eased somewhat.

Christian and Serena were hosting a dinner tonight so the men could go over their lists.

They were down to only ten names. She chewed her bottom lip as the carriage rattled back toward Kenwood House.

Isobel’s stepmother was still on the list, and, even worse, Marisa thought Isobel was falling in love with Arend.

He had been very attentive to Isobel, and she doubted his motives were genuine. Arend could be such a bastard.

Speaking of love. She gave a little chuckle. Hadley was in for a surprise this evening. Marisa had told Serena, Beatrice, and Portia about Lady Evangeline and her seeming obsession with Hadley.

Marisa sought Lady Evangeline out at a ball last week and hadn’t expected to like her so much. When she explained what had happened between her and Hadley, Marisa roused the other Libertine Scholars’ wives, and it was agreed to invite Lady Evangeline to dinner tonight. And seat her next to Hadley.

Lady Evangeline had told them such a sad tale, and she’d declared that she had come to London to win Hadley’s heart once more.

Marisa couldn’t wait to see how happy Hadley would be to see Lady Evangeline and listen to her story. She was sure he would forgive her.

Lovers reunited, how wonderful, especially as Lady Evangeline was rich as Croesus. Hadley, being a second son, even of a duke, was always in need of funds.

Maitland had muttered something about ladies interfering, but what was there for Hadley to be upset about? She was sure Hadley would be very happy to see his first love and hear her pitiful tale.

A few hours later, Marisa sat back and relaxed as Maitland rowed the girls and her across the pond in Hyde Park.

The pond was like glass. The only ripples were from Maitland’s oars.

The girls sat in the middle of the rowboat, giggling and running their fingers through the water as they leaned over opposite sides.

Both Penelope and Antonia were coping well with their mother’s “accident.” The first few nights after Priscilla’s death Marisa had slept in the girls’ room with them, but after a few weeks the tears were now flowing less often and they tried bravely to deal with their loss.

Simon and Clarence helped them by talking about how they coped with losing their own mother.

Marisa wanted the boys to be honest with the girls. There was no point hiding the realities of life from them. The poverty the boys had to overcome shocked the two girls and made them realize they were luckier than most.

She and Maitland made the girls their priority over the coming weeks, spending as much time with them as possible, given their intensified hunt for the villainess.

She looked at her husband as he both rowed and conversed with Penelope.

He was so handsome, especially as a smile was now permanently on his face when they were together.

Penelope had the look of a Spencer, especially around the eyes.

Antonia was very much like her mother, being that she had a different father.

“When can we go home to The Vyne?” Antonia suddenly asked.

Marisa smiled warily. “I’m not sure. Do you not like London?”

“I miss my friends and my pony.”

She noted the look of sadness in the wee girl’s eyes. “And your mother, I suspect?”

Antonia’s tears began to flow. “Yes. I have miniatures of her in my room at The Vyne. There are no paintings of her here. I want to see her face. I feel like I’m losing her all over again.”

Marisa looked over the little girl’s head at Maitland. They couldn’t leave just now. Not until their enemy had been dealt with.

“I promise we’ll go to The Vyne soon. Your brother has some business in London that can’t wait. How about I send a missive to The Vyne and ask then to send you the miniatures of your mother and we transport your ponies here too?”

Antonia’s tears dried and a smile returned. “Would you? Thank you,” she said, and sighed.

Out of the blue, Penelope asked, “Maitland is our brother. What does that make you?”

“I’m Auntie Marisa.” Because of De Palma, she was destined to only ever be an aunt. Her stomach clenched and she saw the sadness flicker in Maitland’s eyes.

They had explained to the girls that they would live with them. They were Maitland’s sisters and his family.

“What will happen when you have children of your own? Will we be forgotten?” Penelope asked anxiously, looking between Maitland and her.

Marisa couldn’t help it. Her hand went to her stomach. “The accident I had means I cannot have children. You are my family,” she said softly.

The two little girls looked at her and then at Maitland, who had stopped rowing.

Antonia, being the eldest, understood what this meant. “But you won’t have a son.” She looked at her brother. “Mother always said you needed a son to pass the title to.”

“Passing on a title means little if you lose the one you love,” Maitland explained. “I almost lost Marisa, and that would have devastated me more than not being able to have a son.”

Marisa couldn’t help it. Her eyes began to fill with tears at the love and emotion evident in his words.

Antonia clambered over the seat to sit next to her.

She put her arms around her waist. “You can’t have children, and we have no mother.

” She stayed silent for a moment, hugging Marisa tightly.

“We are perfect for each other. We can pretend that you are our new mother and you can pretend we are your children. Then all of us won’t be so sad. ”

Marisa kissed the top of Antonia’s head. “I’d like that, if you are sure?” She looked at Penelope.

Penelope beamed a smile. “Mother would like that too. She wouldn’t want us lonely, or you either. She loved us all too much to see any of us so sad.”

Maitland started rowing again. “You’re quite right, Penelope. Priscilla had a generous heart and wanted what was best for you and me. She would be proud of both of you.”

Once back on dry land, the girls skipped ahead as they walked back through the park.

“Are you all right?” Maitland asked. “You’re very quiet.” He patted her hand where it rested on his arm.

“Some days I forget what I’ve lost— we’ve lost—but then it hits me like a cannonball. I’m worried that one day, when we are old and gray, you might regret your choice.”

Maitland swung her round to face him and bent and kissed her, in public, for all to see.

“I’ll regret nothing. You are my life, my love, and if I get to be old and gray with you by my side, I’ll count myself the luckiest man alive.”

And because Marisa knew he never lied, she suddenly realized his words were true. She pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I love you.”

His stunning smile lit up her insides.

She slipped her hand into his and they resumed their walk, following the girls who were now hers to care for and love.

A little ball of loss eased as she surveyed her new family and felt the warmth, strength, and devotion of the man at her side.

All in all, she was a very lucky woman.

At the window of another townhouse in the fashionable district of Mayfair, a woman stood at a window, watching the carriage below. She turned from the sight on the street below and fed her corgi, Vindicta, a sweetmeat. The little dog was getting far too fat. She’d have to deny him in future.

“Well, my little furry friend. I may not have been able to destroy the Duke of Lyttleton, but we have achieved far more than that. My partner in crime tells me we have ensured his line dies with him. His wife cannot have children.”

She laughed gaily.

She’d failed with the first three Libertine Scholars, but now she’d tasted victory and she was even more determined to up the stakes.

Perhaps she should wait until Lord Fullerton and Baron Labourd married, and then replicate this situation, ensuring they remained childless too.

No, she could be waiting forever for the baron to marry, and time was running out. Besides, her plan for the baron was well under way.

The Libertine Scholars were getting too close. One thing these men were not was stupid, especially her dark and dangerous baron.

As time was of the essence, she’d decided to go after the remaining two Libertine Scholars simultaneously.

Hadley wouldn’t even be a challenge. A bullet through his head was all she’d decided to do to him.

The ton wouldn’t even miss him, as he was a second son, but his fellow Libertine Scholars would mourn him terribly.

Once she killed him, she’d better have Arend in her clutches too, because all hell would unleash.

She’d decided to kill Hadley outright, because, of all the Claymore children, he was the only one to look like his father. His father had been a monster.

She’d hoped that his inclusion in her revenge would somehow mean the Libertine Scholars would take longer to understand who their enemy might be.

She’d hoped they would not ascertain she was after them because of something their fathers did.

After all, Hadley was a second son. But they had seen past this. They understood her reasoning.

Hadley looked like his father, while his brother, the Duke of Claymore, took after his mother. Killing Hadley would wipe out any who looked like her abuser. That is what she wanted.

She looked at the discarded missive she’d just read, and smiled. Her plan was working. Lady Isobel would be the key for taking down the darkly delicious Arend, and that would be her finale. The climax of her years of seeking and wanting revenge.

Of all the Libertine Scholars, the baron had to die last because his father was the bitterest betrayal.

And thanks to Lady Isobel Thompson, she would be the one to deliver the bullet.

Read on for a snippet from A Taste Of Seduction - A Second Chance Romance and there is also a FREE short story to claim.

The flames of desire fuel a torrid reunion as bestselling author Bronwen Evans returns with another captivating novel of the Disgraced Lords. See why Jen McLaughlin raves, “Bronwen’s historical romances always make the top of my reading list!”

Lady Evangeline Stuart chose to wed a tyrant with a title, or so society believes.

That was five years ago—five long years she could have spent with her first and only love: Lord Hadley Fullerton, the second son of the Duke of Claymore.

Now Evangeline is a widow, and her soul cries out for Hadley.

But when they see each other at last, everything has changed.

The passion in his eyes has been corrupted by betrayal.

Somehow Evangeline must regain Hadley’s trust—without revealing the secret that would spoil the seduction.

Hadley is determined not to be distracted by Evangeline.

He and the other Libertine Scholars are in pursuit of an enemy who has been striking at them from the shadows, and Evangeline’s mere presence could be dangerous.

But with one smile, one touch, one taste of Evangeline’s lips, Hadley’s resolve is overpowered by much more pleasant memories.

As the two enter into a discreet affair, Hadley vows to give her his body, never his heart. That she will have to earn.

Read on for a snippet from A Taste Of Seduction - A Second Chance Romance