Her Lord and Protector (formerly titled On Silent Wings) Read Online Free

who’d pocketed much of Drayton Castle’s profits before getting himself
killed last month in a drunken brawl at the tavern.
    Alex had only
himself to blame. His inattention to household matters during Mary’s sickness
and the months after her death had necessitated all management of his books to
the steward, and the man had taken advantage of it.
    The lack of
order and mistakes could be remedied over hours of careful study, but Alex had
little patience for bookwork. What he wanted to do, right now, was find the
missive from the king.
    He already knew
about Katherine’s circumstances. Her father, the noble Thomas Seymour, had died
in the London fire. During rebuilding last month, a trunk had been found in the
cellar of his burned townhouse containing treasonous documents and gold for bribing.
    Alex wasn’t
concerned with this information. His only reason for finding the letter was to
read the king’s description of Katherine. Had His Majesty mentioned anything of
her astounding beauty?
    She must have
used those wide brown eyes and full lips to try to convince Charles not to send
her here. But of course, he would have conceded to Lady Castlemaine, who
governed his political affairs as she did his body.
    A lying wench,
was Katherine. Since Alex would see her tonight, he’d have to work hard to go
along with her pretense that she knew nothing of the reason she was here. After
all, she surely waited in fear for him to vent his rage on her.
    He would have to
settle her mind, but that meant he would have to speak to her. Alone.
    With a scowl , he shot up from his chair and stormed toward the door, but paused when he heard
a faint knock. It could only be Elizabeth. No one else dared bother him while
he was working.
    Elizabeth shrank
back when he jerked opened the door. Her clear gray eyes, so like his mother’s,
stared up at him.
    She used to have
such mettle when she was younger, before the disease of rickets had twisted her
back. Although she’d come to live in his house over three months ago, she still
held some bizarre fear of him.
    “Come in.” He
gestured to a brown leather chair. When she hesitated, he added gruffly, “I am
sorry if I startled you. I was already at the door when you knocked.”
    She hobbled into
the room and sat, taking a fold of her pale yellow dress in one hand and kneading
it. “Agnes awaits you in the parlor,” she murmured.
    Alex gave an
inward groan and crossed his arms. “Has her family arrived?”
    “No. I believe
she—she arrived early to see you.”
    “I am busy.” He
indicated the piles of papers on his desk. At least the mess gave him an excuse
for avoidance. “Is Katherine in there with her?”
    “Yes.”
    The question had
been offhand, but Alex’s feet moved toward the door as if on their own accord.
“Come, then,” he said, ignoring the heated ball of anticipation in his gut. “We
will converse with them while we await the rest of Agnes’ family. I am sure you
are looking forward to seeing Edward.”
    ****
    “Do tell me,
what is your strange fascination with the curtains?” Agnes asked
Katherine. Then, she gasped in apparent surprise and flashed a contrite smile.
“Oh, yes. I forgot that you cannot speak.”
    Katherine
gritted her teeth and gave the woman a cold stare. She wanted little to do with
Agnes. How could Elizabeth have befriended her? She was like a cat—always
waiting for a chance to pounce on her prey.
    Now, her feline
stare traveled over the sloping shoulders and full sleeves of Katherine’s satin
gown. “Your dress—I must say that peach color is stunning. And so very
fashionable. The lace over your underskirt is exquisite. It must have cost a
fortune.”
    It had, but she
wasn’t about to let Agnes know this. After the fire, Ellis had bought her a new
wardrobe. Keeping the expensive garments after he broke the betrothal had been
Katherine’s only means of reprisal.
    “How on earth
did you pay for such a dress?” Agnes asked. “Have you