Scoundrel Read Online Free Page A

note of triumph in his voice. “I believe Lady Lillian promised the next dance to me.”
    “Lady Lillian has taken ill,” Remmington said in a clipped voice. “You will have to claim your dance another time.”
    Lord Allen’s smile disappeared.
    “Tell me it isn’t true,” he demanded of Lily. He reached out to take her arm, and glanced up at Remmington at the same time. Whatever he saw there made him take a hesitant step backward.
    Lily didn’t take time to wonder why Remmington had provided the excuse. She took advantage of the opportunity and held one limp hand to her forehead. “Quite true. I’m afraid it’s the headache.”
    “Good evening, Allen.” Remmington dismissed the young lord with a curt nod. He glared at Lord Allen until he bowed and backed away. None of the other rakes dared approach after that cool dismissal.
    Sophie pushed through the crowd to join them. “What’s this about not feeling well?” She looked from Lily’s forced smile to Remmington’s dark expression, and her mouth drew to a thin line. “A good dose of fresh air always clears my headaches. If you will excuse us, Your Grace, I promised Lily that I would show her the new fountains in the Ashland gardens. Lord Poundstone assures me that they are most impressive.”
    “Of course,” he replied, his tone stilted. “Thank you for the dance, Lady Lillian. I hope…”
    His voice trailed off. Lily wondered if he contemplated some sort of apology for his awful behavior, but she didn’t give him time to think up anything less insulting than his reasons for insulting her in the first place. She didn’t want to hear one more word from him.
    “Good evening, Your Grace.”
    Lily turned on her heel and pulled Sophie along by the elbow as she walked briskly toward the gardens. They crossed the wide terrace that ran the length of the house, and then descended the steps into the gardens before Sophie pulled her to a halt.
    “Are you
mad
?” Sophie demanded. “You just gave the Duke of Remmington the cut direct. The Duke of
Remmington
,” she repeated, as if the name alone could bring Lily to her senses. “He can ruin you!”
    Sophie clapped her hand over her mouth, then looked around them. She pulled Lily away from the steps and into the lilac bushes near the terrace where she lowered her voice to a whisper. “He can make certain you never receive another invitation to anything important, Lily. What were you thinking?”
    “That it was an excellent time for a walk in the gardens.” Lily pulled her arm from Sophie’s grip. “Don’t fret so much, Sophie. I don’t think any real harm was done.”
    “No harm? You insulted him in front of four hundred people!”
    “I suppose I did.”
    “A month ago you declared yourself in love with him!” Sophie shook her head. “What happened?”
    Lily felt a blush stain her cheeks. “The only reason he danced with me was to make Margaret Granger jealous.”
    “The bounder,” Sophie whispered. “Are you certain?”
    “He admitted as much. Can you believe his nerve?” Lily shook her head, a silent answer to her own question. “I wasted years pining for a man who is rude, arrogant, and insensitive beyond belief.”
    “You did the right thing by giving him the cut. The man deserved much worse.”
    Lily sighed and discovered she really did have a headache. She rubbed her temples. “Unfortunately, I doubt anyone will ever give him the setdown he really deserves.”
    “We can always hope.” Sophie linked her arm through Lily’s and smiled brightly. “There is no reason to let him ruin our evening. Why don’t we walk through the gardens? I wasn’t lying about the Ashlands’ fountains. They really are wonderful. Shall we find them?”
    It was a blatant attempt to change the subject, but Lily didn’t mind. She’d had enough of the Duke of Remmington for one night. She turned toward the gardens, but the sound of a woman’s voice from the terrace above them froze both women in