Read Online Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure: A Summersby Tale by Sophie Barnes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sophie Barnes
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direction. He was white as a sheet.
Oh dear.
“Forgive me. I did not mean to embarrass you,” Michael apologized.
Alexandra drew a deep breath. “We have indeed shocked one another, have we not, Lord Trenton?” The edge of her mouth drew upward to form a partial smile.
“We have indeed, Lady Alexandra, though I am merely being honest.” His eyes did not budge from hers. She knew he intended to intimidate her, but she would have none of it. How dare he? What right did he have?
“My lord, do I perhaps owe you something?” she asked, her voice now laced with ice. “Anything at all, in fact? No, I don’t believe that I do,” she said, answering her own question. “I do however owe my brother everything, and I will do whatever I must in order to help him.” She crossed her arms and gave him a venomous glare. “You have no authority over me. Please don’t make the error of presuming that you do.”
To her brother she said, “I will be in my room if you need me.”
She got up to leave.
“Shall I ask Mrs. Bell to send in a tray for you?” Ryan asked.
Alexandra paused in the doorway. She glanced back at the two men. “No need to bother,” she remarked. “As it happens, I have completely lost my appetite.”
W hat the devil is wrong with this woman? Michael wondered as he watched Alexandra saunter off, her blonde curls spilling down her back. Has she no common sense whatsoever? Is she completely devoid of all reason?
She clearly had no idea of the perils that awaited her . . . a lady of breeding heading into enemy territory . . . it was preposterous. Then again, the fact that she was dressed in men’s breeches was enough to send any respectable person’s head spinning. There was a carelessness about her, coupled with an attitude that spoke volumes about her character. It seemed to Michael that Alexandra Summersby was a very unique young lady indeed.
He couldn’t help but wonder how the stringent rules of society could possibly have allowed for such a creature to flourish.
Well, it’s unlikely that society has any clue of her existence.
She would have long since become the talk of the town if it did, since this was precisely the sort of thing that all the gossip mongers would positively drool over—a lord’s daughter dressing as a boy and prancing about with loaded pistols and swords. Surely nothing could be more absurd.
“I dare say I need a bit of fresh air on top of this,” Michael told Ryan. “I believe I shall take a walk.” Michael strode from the room, still unable to comprehend what he’d just learned—or to quite get Alexandra’s beautiful face out of his mind.
C HAPTER S EVEN
A lexandra was so furious she was practically shaking, balling her hands into tight fists and pacing about her room. Michael had done nothing but patronize her. He didn’t care how adept she might be—that she might even be as capable if not more so than any man when wielding a sword and pistols. But no . . . Michael Ashford had simply decided, based on her gender alone, that she would become a liability, and she absolutely hated him for it. She hated him for making her realize she’d been hoping for his approval . . . his admiration.
Perhaps a tiny part of her did, but it was such a tiny part that she chose to ignore it. In fact, Michael Ashford ought to be completely ignored for the foreseeable future. He had proven himself to be just as she’d feared and had swiftly become a thorn in her side. And when she factored in her unexpected reactions to him, well . . . it would simply be best to try and avoid Ashford altogether.
She set her mind to the task at hand instead. William was in trouble and needed her help. Was it possible that he might have turned? That he might be assisting Bonaparte?
Surely not .
She would bet her life on William’s loyalty. But given what she now knew of Michael’s opinion of her gender, she would need concrete proof. Alexandra groaned as she flopped
Oh dear.
“Forgive me. I did not mean to embarrass you,” Michael apologized.
Alexandra drew a deep breath. “We have indeed shocked one another, have we not, Lord Trenton?” The edge of her mouth drew upward to form a partial smile.
“We have indeed, Lady Alexandra, though I am merely being honest.” His eyes did not budge from hers. She knew he intended to intimidate her, but she would have none of it. How dare he? What right did he have?
“My lord, do I perhaps owe you something?” she asked, her voice now laced with ice. “Anything at all, in fact? No, I don’t believe that I do,” she said, answering her own question. “I do however owe my brother everything, and I will do whatever I must in order to help him.” She crossed her arms and gave him a venomous glare. “You have no authority over me. Please don’t make the error of presuming that you do.”
To her brother she said, “I will be in my room if you need me.”
She got up to leave.
“Shall I ask Mrs. Bell to send in a tray for you?” Ryan asked.
Alexandra paused in the doorway. She glanced back at the two men. “No need to bother,” she remarked. “As it happens, I have completely lost my appetite.”
W hat the devil is wrong with this woman? Michael wondered as he watched Alexandra saunter off, her blonde curls spilling down her back. Has she no common sense whatsoever? Is she completely devoid of all reason?
She clearly had no idea of the perils that awaited her . . . a lady of breeding heading into enemy territory . . . it was preposterous. Then again, the fact that she was dressed in men’s breeches was enough to send any respectable person’s head spinning. There was a carelessness about her, coupled with an attitude that spoke volumes about her character. It seemed to Michael that Alexandra Summersby was a very unique young lady indeed.
He couldn’t help but wonder how the stringent rules of society could possibly have allowed for such a creature to flourish.
Well, it’s unlikely that society has any clue of her existence.
She would have long since become the talk of the town if it did, since this was precisely the sort of thing that all the gossip mongers would positively drool over—a lord’s daughter dressing as a boy and prancing about with loaded pistols and swords. Surely nothing could be more absurd.
“I dare say I need a bit of fresh air on top of this,” Michael told Ryan. “I believe I shall take a walk.” Michael strode from the room, still unable to comprehend what he’d just learned—or to quite get Alexandra’s beautiful face out of his mind.
C HAPTER S EVEN
A lexandra was so furious she was practically shaking, balling her hands into tight fists and pacing about her room. Michael had done nothing but patronize her. He didn’t care how adept she might be—that she might even be as capable if not more so than any man when wielding a sword and pistols. But no . . . Michael Ashford had simply decided, based on her gender alone, that she would become a liability, and she absolutely hated him for it. She hated him for making her realize she’d been hoping for his approval . . . his admiration.
Perhaps a tiny part of her did, but it was such a tiny part that she chose to ignore it. In fact, Michael Ashford ought to be completely ignored for the foreseeable future. He had proven himself to be just as she’d feared and had swiftly become a thorn in her side. And when she factored in her unexpected reactions to him, well . . . it would simply be best to try and avoid Ashford altogether.
She set her mind to the task at hand instead. William was in trouble and needed her help. Was it possible that he might have turned? That he might be assisting Bonaparte?
Surely not .
She would bet her life on William’s loyalty. But given what she now knew of Michael’s opinion of her gender, she would need concrete proof. Alexandra groaned as she flopped
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