Page 9 of The Rake's Daughter
Leo didn’t blame him.
His aunt waved him to a seat. It was occupied by a skinny little dog with a bandage around one leg. Every other seat in the room was occupied by a dog. Leo approached the chair indicated. The little dog snarled a warning.
“She’s new,” his aunt said. “Hates men. Name of Biddy. Pop her in that basket.”
The poor little creature was so thin her bones were almost breaking through her skin, and there were raw scrapes on various parts of her body. From a kicking, no doubt. She had good reason to hate men, Leo thought.
He crouched down in front of the chair. “Well then, Biddy, you’ve been in the wars, haven’t you?” he said softly. He extended his hand to the scrawny little beast, who sniffed it warily, growling quietly. Eventually she suffered him to pat her and Leo, deciding her hostility was mostly bluff, scooped her gently off the chair and settled her in the basket nearby.
“Hmph. Animals always did like you,” Aunt Olive said gruffly. “She’s bitten my butler numerous times—whenever he makes a sudden movement or moves too quickly.”
“I wouldn’t have thought Treadwell was capable of sudden moves. Or rapid anything,” he said dryly.
His aunt raised her lorgnette. “Are you maligning my staff, young man?”
“Aunt Olive, would I do such a thing?”
“Hmph!” But her mouth was twitching in the effort not to smile. “Well, nephew, what is it you want?”
“Advice,” he said, deciding on impulse to take an indirect approach.
She sniffed. “That’d be a first. What about?”
He explained how, because of Sir Bartleby Studley’s mistake, he’d been lumbered with the guardianship of two young women.
“Studley? Ghastly man. Should have been drowned at birth,” his aunt said when he’d finished. “Mind you, I said the same of your father. A pair of weasels if ever I met them. What are you going to do with these gels, then?”
He explained the problem of the er-relative.
She bristled. “One of Studley’s bastards, eh? Vile lecher that he was, no doubt he peppered the kingdom with them.” She narrowed her eyes at Leo. “I suppose you think that makes the gel an undesirable—well, I won’t have it, you hear? She’s not to be blamed for having a swine for a father, and if you think I’ll be party to—”
“No, I’ll be dealing with the pair of them. Apparently, the legitimate daughter, Clarissa, refuses to be separated from her sister.” His aunt didn’t need to know that Leo had every intention of separating them as soon as he could. It was his duty as Clarissa’s guardian.
“Hmph, well, that shows the gel has spirit, at least. So, what do you want of me?”
“The thing is, Aunt Olive, being a bachelor, I need a reliable lady to chaperone the girls and take them around.”
She gave him an incredulous look. “And you imagine I might be such a female? I assure you, I’m not.”
“No, but I thought you might know of someone.” His aunt might no longer attend social events, but she had a wide acquaintance throughout the country with whom she conducted a prolific correspondence.
She eyed him suspiciously. “To what end?”
“I plan to introduce Miss Studley to society. Marry her off as quickly as possible.”
His aunt’s brows almost disappeared. “Introduce an innocent young woman to the ton? Marry her off?” She made a scornful sound. “As soon fling her into a pack of wolves!” Caressing the dog on her lap, she added, “Actually, wolvesmight be better. They are, after all, a kind of dog. Wolves might be fierce, but they are at least civilized.”
Leo blinked. “Civilized?” In Russia last year, his sleigh had been chased by a pack of ravening wolves. Nothing civilized about that.
She made a dismissive gesture. “Perhaps ‘rational’ is a better word. Loyal. Devoted to their mates and cubs.Andthey hunt only for food.” She bent and scooped up another little mutt, and said in a crooning tone—to Leo or the dog, he wasn’t quite sure—“You know where you are with a wolf or a dog.” She put the ratty little creature down and gave Leo a disparaging look. “Men are quite a different kind of beast.” She snorted again. “Marry the gel off indeed! I want no part of it!”
“I appreciate that,” Leo said with a smile. His aunt never changed, she just got more so. Nevertheless, he needed her. “The trouble is, Aunt Olive, the girls are on their way to London as we speak, and my London house is all at sixes and sevens. I am in the process of organizing tradesmen to effect repairs and renovations, but as yet, it is quite unfit for the housing of two young ladies.”
“I should think not!” she exclaimed. “And you a bachelor—or have you married since last we met?”
“No, I’m still unmarried.” And had every intention of staying that way for at least another ten years.
“Then they cannot possibly stay with you. It would bequiteimproper!”
