Lady Wild Read Online Free Page B

quite wet. Very silly of me, but Viscount Stark happened along and offered assistance.”
    “Ah.” Her mother nodded, finding nothing particularly odd in her daughter’s unorthodox activities. “Introduce us, my dear.”
    Ophelia turned her glance from her mother up to Andrew. “Lord Stark, may I present my mother, the Dowager Countess Lady Darlington.”
    Anything witty he might have had to say to the older lady— and he was known for his ability to charm such creatures—disappeared. Dowager countess? That made Ophelia Lady Ophelia. What the devil was a dowager countess doing in such a hovel?
    Darlington? He had heard of the earl but had never come face-to-face with him or taken an interest in the affairs of that family.
    Clearly, the present earl was not interested in caring for the last earl’s family. He bowed, determined to show respect, and stretched out his hand toward Ophelia’s mother.
    Lady Darlington placed her papery thin fingers in his and allowed him to bow over her hand. “My lady, it is a pleasure to meet the mother of such a charming and beautiful young woman. You must be the origin of such blessings.”
    Lady Darlington beamed at his compliment, apparently capable of fairly sharp observation despite the laudanum. “Terrible young man. I know what a sight I am. But I appreciate your kindness all the same.” She held on to his hand with a surprisingly firm grip. “Ophelia, my love. Tea for the viscount.”
    “Mama, I am sure. . .”
    “I should like nothing better,” he said quickly.
    Ophelia sent him another quick scowl before standing and heading for the door. She raised a brow at him. “Now don’t tire her out.”
    “Don’t fuss, my dear. I’ve done nothing but nap all morning as it is.”
    Ophelia’s terse expression softened into a genuine, soft smile at her mother, changing her emerald gaze into a sort of gentle embrace. “Yes, Mama.”
    Ophelia disappeared, and he was left standing with the decided impression that there were no servants in this small house to look after these women. Which meant his Ophelia worked like a scullery maid. It hardly seemed possible as he began to go down the list of things she likely accomplished in a day to keep the little cottage clean and her mother in as much comfort as possible.
    “Now, sit down.” Lady Darlington tugged lightly at his hand, indicating the dark blue stuffed chair only a few feet opposite herself. “You are a veritable tower of masculinity, far too overwhelming for an old lady such as myself.”
    He eyed Lady Darlington, receiving the distinct impression that she was not only not overwhelmed, but that she was on a mission of sorts. “Do forgive me.”
    He took his seat, bending his knees a bit more than he usually would in the hopes he might fit in the toy-like room, then waited for her to begin.
    Lady Darlington reached forward slightly and patted his hand. “My daughter is very beautiful.”
    “She is,” he admitted carefully. “Though she is not classically so, very few are as beautiful as she.”
    Lady Darlington nodded, perhaps to herself. Her fingers lay lightly on his. “She has a particular dream.”
    “She does?” Andrew adjusted his position, wondering what tack the dowager was taking. Surely she was not about to propose some sort of sudden alliance. Though, given their obviously poor financial state—
    She cleared her throat, pulled back her hand, then folded her fingers primly in her lap. “It is obvious you are a gentleman of means.”
    “My lady—”
    “Hush now,” she reprimanded gently. “I must say this. Lord knows when I should get the chance again. My daughter’s dreams. They have been crushed by my illness and the earl, her half-brother’s, hate of me. She deserves far more than to be my care-taker and to live out her life in this back of beyond with no one to recognize her.”
    Andrew paused and couldn’t help taking in the small room. With Ophelia in the skirts of today’s fashion, the