Mistress of Merrivale by Shelley Munro Page A

niece while ordering Peregrine to summon a maid. In the end, Jocelyn rang for a servant, moving away to let Hannah deal with Cassie. There was no need to complicate the situation by arguing with the woman, but Jocelyn’s lips pursed in irritation. If Hannah attempted to behave like this during her next visit, she’d learn Jocelyn wasn’t afraid of claiming her rightful place.
    “Aren’t you going to investigate the commotion?” Peregrine asked, leaning closer than necessary. His focus was on her breasts again, and a scandalous smirk lit his eyes. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the direction of his thoughts.
    “No.” Jocelyn straightened, irked by the man’s flirtation. There was nothing she could do that Tilly wouldn’t already be doing. “My mother’s nurse will take care of her.”
    “Your mother is making that racket? She sounds as if she belongs in Bedlam,” Hannah snapped. “No wonder Cassie is upset with a lunatic living in the manor.”
    “Hannah,” Peregrine rebuked. “That was unpardonably rude.”
    “I’m speaking nothing less than the truth. I don’t know why Leo would marry her .”
    Peregrine grimaced, but his attention wandered to Jocelyn’s bodice. “I must apologize for my sister. I’m sorry, Jocelyn. Can I call you Jocelyn since Leo’s family and ours are such old friends and none of us stand on formalities?”
    Why couldn’t he address her face instead of her breasts? “Yes, of course.” She wanted to refuse, yet it seemed silly to insist when they’d see each other on a regular basis.
    “We’d better leave you to calm your mother.” Peregrine stood and bent over her hand. A perfectly polite gesture yet he made it into a lurid one. His fingers traced the tender skin of her inner wrist, lingering over the scatter of freckles in an overly familiar way. A reckless grin lit his face when she jerked from his touch. “Remember what I said. Merrivale is a dangerous place.” Raising his voice, he said, “Come, Hannah. We have callers arriving this afternoon. I told you we couldn’t visit for long.”
    “I don’t want you to go,” Cassie cried, clutching her aunt’s cream skirts with her jam-covered fingers.
    “Look what you’ve done,” Hannah said in a sharp voice. She yanked from Cassie’s grasp and backed away with a scowl.
    Cassie started wailing, her sobs breaking Jocelyn’s heart. Poor mite. She’d had a trying morning. Jocelyn scooped up the child and hugged her tightly, but Cassie’s crying didn’t diminish.
    “We will visit again later in the week,” Hannah promised, shooting a triumphant look at Jocelyn.
    “I want to go home with you,” Cassie cried.
    “That will be enough, Cassie.” Leo stood in the doorway. He grimaced as a volley of shrieks echoed from her mother’s wing. “Hannah. Peregrine. I didn’t think to see you so soon.” He ignored Jocelyn to concentrate on their visitors.
    “We came to invite you to a party,” Peregrine said, smiling warmly at Jocelyn.
    “Cassie,” Leo remonstrated.
    Cassie’s noisy sobs abated somewhat at her father’s stern tone, and Leo glowered at Hannah and Peregrine before leveling his dark expression on her. Jocelyn stiffened, annoyance striking her like an abrupt bump against the shins. She drew a sharp breath and attempted to tamp down her exasperation. Surely he didn’t suspect she returned Peregrine’s obvious interest? That she wanted his flirtatious attentions? Compared to Leo, Peregrine was a rambunctious puppy, acceptable in small doses but not fit for polite company.
    Cassie started to struggle, and Jocelyn set her down. The child immediately ran to Hannah and hid her face in her aunt’s skirts. This time there were no rebukes, merely sweet smiles that made Jocelyn long to lash out with sharp words of reprimand.
    Hannah sparkling with the good cheer she hadn’t demonstrated before Leo’s arrival. “Do say you’ll come to the party.” She placed one gloved hand on Leo’s arm, all charm as