The Lady Plays Her Ace (The Langley Sisters) Read Online Free Page A

about."
    He’d only seen Lady Althea a handful of times—four, perhaps five—but at each, Ace had noted her spirit. She never looked cowed, never giggled in the fluffy headed way she had just described, yet now she looked beaten. Her slender shoulders were slumped and her face sad, and seeing that torn ribbon dangling from her bonnet made him furious. Inhaling a deep steadying breath, he reined in his rage. Moving along the seat, he placed a hand on hers.
    "Sometimes you have to listen to those around you, my lady. Of course it is never easy to do so; however, in my experience those who care for us most often have the right way of things."
    Her gray eyes were clouded as they caught and held his, and Ace felt his chest tighten at the look.
    "My brothers often say things like that to me, Mr. Dillinger, and I ignore them," she said softly. "It appears that in the future I may have to at least take them into consideration."
    Ace felt the smile tug at his lips again. "I would not let them know you are thinking that way, however, my lady. It would not do to inflate their already considerable egos."
    "There is that," she said, trying for a smile of her own but failing. "And in all likelihood, once my spirits have returned I will continue on as I always have."
    "I'm shuddering at the thought," he said.
    "I feel a fool, Mr. Dillinger, for what I have just done. I had believed I knew all there was to know about boxing, believed that because I had punched a bag stuffed with rags and my brothers a time or two that I was now knowledgeable about what took place in a boxing ring between two men, and yet I was not. Nor was I ready for the other fight to break out before us. I had not even considered that eventuality."
    "I’m sorry that the experience you have longed for did not meet your expectations," Ace said, still squeezing the fingers beneath his. They were delicate, and swallowed up by his larger workingman’s hands. He had no right to be this close to her, touching her so intimately, yet he could not make himself release her. She would pull away from him soon, when she was once more herself. Pull away and never return, and that, Ace thought, would be a very good thing.
    "Thank you for not saying anything further about my foolish behavior, Mr. Dillinger, and thank you for rescuing me when I was about to get trampled. I am sure you have seen your share of silly noblewomen and now I am to be counted in their ranks. Were one of my brothers seated where you are, he would have pointed out in great detail what an idiot I have been."
    "They love you, my lady, and anything they do or say is based upon that fact."
    "So they always tell me, just before they are about to deliver a lecture." She sighed again.
    "Had you no one to lecture you then you would wish for it, my lady, with all your heart," Ace added.
    She tilted her head slightly, studying him as if she could read his thoughts. She could not, of course; Ace had learned long ago how to hide.
    "Do you have no one to take you to task, Mr. Dillinger?" She leant forward as she spoke, closing the distance between them in the small confines of the carriage. Her face looked concerned now, as if the fact that he had no one to take him to task upset her in some way, which of course was ridiculous, Ace realized. Why would this woman feel anything for him?
    "I have eight siblings, my lady, so as you can imagine, any one of them is more than ready to take me to task should they think I require it. Then there are my parents, who do so regularly."
    Surprise flashed across her face at his words.
    "Did you believe me an orphan, Lady Althea?"
    "No, I had no notion of your family life, Mr. Dillinger. Nevertheless, even my wildest guess could not have come up with quite so many siblings. I can imagine growing up in your household was quite chaotic."
    Ace snorted, which was probably an ill-mannered thing to do in front of such a woman, but the sound best fit the moment. "Our house was probably smaller