To Catch a Lady Read Online Free Page A

sleeve.
    “It was a very brave thing you did, coming in here and facing down a duke. Never mind what society deems appropriate, I mean it when I say that I wouldn’t mind a bit if you added your own calling card to the others. No one but my aunt and I will know who is in the mix. I promise, I would never tell.” He gave her a knowing wink.
    Since she was a young girl, Caro had resolved never to let her emotions run rampant. She certainly wasn’t about to let this conceited, pompous ass make them do so.
    Something about his smug attitude made her want to slap his all-too-handsome face.
    “I thank you for your time, Your Grace.” She curtsied and fled the room.
    As if her skirts were ablaze, Caro made her way out of the mansion to her waiting carriage. Though she knew that her sister would make a far better match, she couldn’t help thinking that if she were younger and not tasked with caring for her mother, she very well could have put her name in with the rest of the prospective brides.
    Thankfully, it wouldn’t come to that. Perish the thought! Thank heavens she was a woman with a mind and free will. She’d long decided that she would never marry—that she would be free of such constraints and that no man would ever hold sway over her life. Never.
    So, why did she feel as if Summerton already had her under his thumb?

Chapter 2
    “I can’t believe it! How could you do such a terrible thing when you know I’m already in love?”
    Caro and her sister were seated at the kitchen table, the evening meal as yet untouched and the tea in their cups growing colder by the minute. She’d known before telling her sister that her plans would not be met without argument, since the two of them were so different—she the older, more responsible sister and Beatrice the younger, carefree one.
    In every aspect of their lives Caro, with her dull brown hair pulled back into a serviceable bun, her dress a faded gray gown covered by a muddied white gardening smock, was a sharp contrast to her younger sister. Beatrice was a vision in her bright jonquil dress, her golden curls falling loose to her shoulders and framing her clear-skinned, heart-shaped face.
    It was often said that the younger Hawkins sister could steal the beauty from a spring morning, and Caro believed it.
    “It had to be done, Bea. You need to get married. The sooner the better.”
    “Marriage? How can I possibly consider marriage to anyone? You know my heart belongs to Andrew Hudgins.”
    Ah, yes, Caro thought. The infamous Lord Andrew Hudgins, the youngest son of the Earl of Cransford. The ne’er-do-well rogue had promised nuptials to every eligible female of the ton for the past two years. The list of hopefuls was unending, and just about every other day there was news of another young miss to whom he’d promised wedded bliss, only to have sorrowfully begged off his suit a few days later.
    Apparently, because of his family’s contributions to the Home Office during the war effort, a lot could be forgiven.
    Forgiven by everyone but Caroline Hawkins, of course. She felt nothing but disdain for the young blackguard and would gladly tell him so, if she ever got the chance.
    “Bea, we’ve had this conversation before. Andrew Hudgins is the worst sort of cad for crushing the hearts of so many young ladies.”
    Bea sniffed. “It’s not as if he means to be cruel, you know. He has such a generous soul—he can’t help but form a fondness for every girl who bats a lash at him. I know in my heart, Caro, it is I whom he truly loves. It’s only a matter of time until he sees the truth of it and returns to me.”
    Caro chewed her bottom lip. More than anything, she hated causing her sister more pain than she’d already endured at the hands of Andrew Hudgins. But to let her pin her hopes and dreams on such a hopeless situation was unthinkable.
    “He’s getting married, Bea. A week from Saturday, as I hear it.”
    “Oh!” Beatrice covered her mouth with her hands.