His Spoilt Lady Read Online Free Page A

eventually succumbing to
old age. They died one after the other. Linnett consoled herself
with the fact the poor beasts had known some comforts at the end of
their lives. Sir Thomas had bawled at Linnet after the escapade,
but even she could tell that he was rather proud of her. Sir Thomas
admired her courage; he told everyone of their acquaintance the
tale of the rescue and always ended by praising his daughter’s
“pluck.”
    At the time of
her father’s conversation with John, Linnett was preparing for that
night’s ball and her maid Lottie was helping her to dress. “Lottie,
do you prefer the green silk or the cream?” Linnett held the cream
dress adorned with tiny pearls up against herself and looked at her
reflection in the mirror, her head tilted to one side and the tip
of her pink tongue caught between her front teeth in concentration.
Lottie, standing behind her, frowned. “I really cannot say, miss,
and both are lovely. Hold up the green again, only this time I’ll
hold the cream next to it, and that way we can sees them both
together and maybe that’ll help us decide.”
    She held a
beautiful green satin up against her mistress and they both gazed
intently into the mirror.
    “I just don’t
know,” Linnett said, and looked sideways at her plump little maid.
“What do you think?” Linnett asked.
    “The green do
bring out your eyes, miss. I know you always like to wear green
because of your eyes, but this dress do make them all glittery and
bright. Wear the green....go on, please, miss!”
    Linnett was
pleased with the compliment from her maid. “Oh, all right,” she
said and twirled around. “I do hope he is there tonight. I know he
had an invitation, because Lady Margaret told me so this
morning.”
    "Mr. Foster,
miss?" Lottie laid the green dress on the bed, went to the
jewellery casket on the dressing table and drew out an emerald and
pearl choker.
    “No, of course
I don’t mean Mr. Foster! I was talking about Lord Charles! Oh,
where is my fan?”
    “Here it is,
miss, I have it!”
    “Lottie, why
did you think of Mr. Foster?” Linnett turned to Lottie, her
eyebrows raised.
    Lottie giggled,
“He’s that ‘andsom miss! I naturally thought it was him you
meant.”
    Linnett, gazing
thoughtfully at her maid, said, “You think him handsome then? He is
so dark and forbidding, not to my taste at all. Why, when you
compare him to Lord Charles and his friends, he seems like a, well,
like an old man! Always looking so critical. Have you noticed he
always frowns!" Linnett pulled a horrible grimace and plumped down
onto the bed.
    "Mind your
dress, miss!" Lottie gave her mistress a hard shove and retrieved
the lovely gown that Linnett had just crushed.
    Maid and
mistress had known each other a long time, and their relationship
had developed into a friendship that went beyond that of mistress
and maid. Lottie, a pretty, but rather plump girl, had grown up on
Sir Thomas Wainwright’s estate; her father was one of Sir Thomas’s
tenant farmers. She was one of six children, and being the eldest,
she was sent into service up at the ‘Big House’ when only twelve
years old. She was a bright and capable girl and soon caught Sir
Thomas’s eye. He was very aware of Linnett’s wild streak and
thought a young intelligent girl would have more influence over her
more extreme behaviour than an older, duller maid. So far, his
judgement had been sound and the two girls, similar in age, had
quickly become friends.
    Lottie shook
out the crumpled green dress and, pushing her arms into it, held it
up high.
    “Come on, miss.
Let’s get your dress on now.”
    Linnett stood
up and bent her head into the dress opening." Lottie ", she said
from the depths of green satin, "have you heard any talk about my
marriage between this John Foster and my father?”
    “Talk, miss?
Why no, miss.” Lottie pulled the dress down and held out the
sleeves for Linnett to push her arms into.
    “It’s just that
Father keeps on and on