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e brass fender, Martin braced an arainst the heavily carved arded his ed to spare you so this estate to rights, perhaps you could tell me what it is you wish to see me about?’
By the conscious exercise of considerable will-power, Lady Catherine kept surprise from her face It wasn’t his words that shook her, but his voice Gone entirely were the light, char tones of youth In their place, there was depth containing a great deal of hardness, harshness, with the undertones of command barely concealed beneath the fashionable drawl
Inwardly, she shook herself The idea of being cowed by this scapegrace son was ludicrous He had always been iuid insolence would be a thing of the past, once she nity, Lady Catherine e how you should go on’
Exuding an attitude of polite attention, Martin settled his shoulders against the s before hiard
Frowning, Lady Catherine nodded towards a chair ‘Sit down’
Martin’s lips twisted in a slow smile ‘I’m quite comfortable What are these facts you needs must inform me of?’
Lady Catherine decided not to glare His very ease was disconcerting Much better not to let on how disturbing she found it She forced herself to aze ‘Firstly, I consider it imperative that you ed a match with a Miss Faith Wendover’
One of Martin’s mobile brows rose
Seeing it, the Dowager hurried on ‘Given that the title now resides with the third of my four sons, you can hardly be surprised if, inthe succession is a major concern’
Her eldest son George had married to please his family but Melissa, dull, plain Melissa, had failed la expectations Her second son Edward had died some years previously, part of the force which had successfully repelled The Monster’s invasion George had succuo Until then, it had never dawned on the Dowager that her iht of it at all, she would have expected him to die, so Damian, her favourite, as the next Earl
But Martin was now the Earl; it was up to her to ensure that he toed the line
Determined to brook no opposition, Lady Catherine fixed her son with a co eye ‘Miss Wendover is an heiress and passably pretty She’ll make an unexceptionable Countess of Merton Her fa considerable land as her dower Now you are here and the settlee can take place in three months’ time’
Prepared to defend her arrangeainst a storm of protest, Lady Catherine tilted her chin at an iure propped by the fireplace with keen anticipation Once again, she was struck by the changes, enveloped by a unnerving sense of dealing with a stranger as yet no stranger He was looking down, his expression guarded Unexpectedly curious, Lady Catherine studied her son Her last memories of Martin were of a twenty-two-year-old, already steeped in every for and, of course, wo with the opposite sex that had brought his tempestuous career to a sudden halt Serena Monckton The beauty had claimed Martin had seduced her He had denied it but no one, least of all his family, had believed him But he had steadfastly resisted all atte the chit In a fury, her husband had bought off the girl’s family and banished his third son to a distant relative in the colonies John had regretted that action bitterly, regretted it to his dying day, quite literally; Martin had always been his favourite and he had died without seeing hiain
Intent on finding evidence that the son of her ed the broad shoulders and long, lean liure of Adonis, hard and well--boned hands were clean and iven hiht hand The hair that curled about his clear broas as black as a raven’s wing All that she reraved in the chiselled features, the aura of confidence which went further than raceful movements that created an impression of harnessed power Those she could not remember at all
Unease growing, she waited for some show of resistance None came
‘Have you nothing to say?’
Startled from his reverie, induced by memories of the last tiaze to the Dowager’s face His brows rose ‘On the contrary But I would like to hear all your plans first Surely that’s not the sum of them?’
‘By no lance that would have wilted lesserover her, he seemed far too powerful to intimidate But she was determined to do her duty ‘My second point concerns the fa yourself with them I wish you to leave all such e hired They’re doubtless better ers than you could ever be After all, you can have no experience of running estates of such size’
A muscle at the corner of Martin’s mouth quivered He stilled it
Lady Catherine, absorbed in ordering her argu ‘Lastly, once you and Miss Wendover are hout the year’ She paused to eye Martin speculatively ‘You may not yet realise, but it is my money that keeps the Merton estates afloat Remember, I wasn’t a nobody before I married your father I’ve allohat passed back to h settle expenses as the estates are unable to pay well enough’
Martin remained silent
Confident of victory despite his impassivity, Lady Catherine advanced her truree to my conditions, I’ll withdraw my funds from the estate, which will leave you destitute’ On the word, her eyes flickered over the long fraainst the mantelpiece The subtle hand of a master showed in the cut of his dark blue coat; the pristine state of his s Hessians completed the picture Martin, his mother reflected, had never been cheap
The object of her scrutiny was exa the toe of one boot