Seducing The Bride (Brides of Mayfair 1) by Michelle McMaster

short a time, the coach stopped in front of an opulent townhouse. Beckett got out of the cab and handed her down onto the street.
    He looked at her silently before mounting the steps to the great oak door. Before Beckett could knock, it opened, and a gray-haired butler ushered them in.
    Beckett addressed the man. “Crandall, will you tell Lord Weston—”
    “That you are here, yes, yes,” Lord Weston finished, bounding down the staircase. He took Isobel’s hand in his and kissed it. “Are you alright, my dear lady? We have been looking for hours. Beckett, is she alright?”
    “Yes, Alfred, she is in perfectly good health,” Beckett replied, darkly.
    Isobel felt a wave of fear infuse her veins. She didn’t think she could bear the ugly scene that was surely only minutes away. But she would have to, just as she had borne everything else.
    “We have need of lodgings, Alfred,” Beckett continued. “May we presume upon your hospitality?”
    “Of course you shall stay here,” Alfred replied. “Now what’s this about Hartley wanting to stash Isobel out of Lord Palmerston’s clutches? Has your man been reading penny novels again?”
    “Those questions will be answered in due time,” Beckett said, glancing at Isobel. “But for now, may we use your library? I hate to be a boor, but I need to speak with my wife. Alone.”
    Isobel tried to calm her beating heart. It felt as if a bird were trapped inside, beating its wings furiously to escape.
    Alfred guided them down the hall to a huge book-lined library. “I shall have Crandall bring some tea.”
    “Thank you, Alfred. My wife is in need of refreshment, I expect,” Beckett said, opening a cupboard and brought out a decanter and crystal glass. “But I require something stronger.”
    Alfred gave a nod and left them alone.
    Beckett lifted the glass of brandy to his lips and downed a mouthful.
    “Shall we begin?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in question. “And I warn you, my good humor is back at my townhouse. I believe I left it in the front hall when Hartley opened the door for Lord Palmerston and his scandalous accusations about you. Perhaps you should start by telling me about Hampton House.”
    Isobel met his eyes and took a deep breath, saying “It is my family’s London home, on Cadogan Place.”
    “Go on,” he prodded.
    “I told you that my parents died in a carriage accident a little over a year ago, and that is true. I was left in the care of Mr. Edward Langley, my guardian. He was a very kind man.” At the memory, Isobel felt a lump forming in her throat.
    “He was murdered?” Beckett said.
    “Yes,” Isobel answered.
    “But not by you?”
    In her mind’s eye she could see the fondness that had always swept over Edward Langley’s face at the sight of her, and her heart knotted painfully in her breast. She forced herself to continue, “I was there. I saw it happen.”
    A knock sounded at the door and Crandall brought in a gleaming silver tray. “Tea, m’lord,” he said, then smoothly exited the room.
    “Continue, my dear,” Beckett said.
    Isobel took a deep breath. “I’d heard an argument, so I came downstairs to see what was going on. I hid in the dark hallway, but when I heard him stab Mr. Langley, I screamed, and he saw me.”
    “Who saw you?”
    “Sir Harry Lennox,” she replied, her voice shaking.
    “What reason would he have to kill your guardian?”
    “He wants the Hampton estate, and he wants me,” Isobel said. “Sir Harry is a distant cousin of my late father’s, and insists that he is the true heir. But my father left the estate to me, as was his right. Sir Harry tried to strike a bargain with Mr. Langley to purchase my hand in marriage. If Langley helped him force me into marriage, Sir Harry promised to pay him a large sum once he got his hands on the Hampton fortune. But my dear guardian would have none of it. That’s why Sir Harry killed him.”
    “Tell me more about this Lennox,” Beckett commanded.
    Isobel