Tenacious Trents 01 - A Misguided Lord by Jane Charles

in a very long time Clay followed his
own desires.
    Miss Westin had just paid the hackney
and walked toward the door when a boy of no more than two came
running out with his arms up to be held.
    “ Mama, mama,” he
cried.
    Miss Westin stopped and leaned down to
pick him up, carefully balancing the packages. “Oh Jamie, you
mustn’t call me that,” she chastised and gave a quick glance around
to see if anyone was about before she entered the house.
    Clay sat in the shadows, shocked rage
poured through his body. So, Miss Westin was a mother. An unwed
mother at that. He knew she wasn’t a widow. That status would have
been noted in society. It wasn’t possible the lad was another
brother. Jordan had said her parents died at least three years ago
and Clay would bet the horse he was sitting upon that the boy was
no older than two.
    This enlightenment
certainly added a new perspective to matters. Obviously the lady
was no innocent. That being the case, perhaps he and Miss Westin
could come to an agreement pleasing to them both. Perhaps a
relationship of short duration would be just the thing to remove
her from his mind. Finally he would be able to deal with the lust
he had for her and set about finding a proper wife.
    What bothered him most was the
admonishment to the child not to call her mother. She was no
different than Adele and he should have stuck with his original
judgment of her. His instincts had never been wrong before.
Regardless, it didn’t lessen the lust, which he could now
address.

Chapter 7

    Eleanor was not enjoying herself
tonight. Far from it. She could still hear Jamie crying long after
she had returned to her grandfather’s home. He was too young to
understand why she should be gone so long, and so often, or that
she wasn’t his mother. She needed to find a husband soon. Tonight,
if at all possible. Who would have thought it could be so difficult
in London?
    The laughter and heat finally drove
her to the garden for fresh air. It was unwise, which she knew, but
she couldn’t get Jamie’s tear streaked face out of her mind and
Benjamin’s fever still hadn’t completely broken. She should not be
here. She should be with her family and it was impossible to
pretend all was right with the world.
    “ Have your suitors finally
become too overwhelming, Miss Westin?” Lord Bentley asked from the
shadows.
    Startled, she turned toward him. She
wanted to be alone and not knowing his mood, she wasn’t so certain
she wanted to be around Bentley at the moment. Eleanor turned to
leave but was brought up short when he stepped into the light of
the lamp. It wasn’t his presence that surprised Eleanor but the odd
quirk of his mouth that could almost resemble a smile. She had seen
it so rarely. And his eyes were a darker green than usual as he
watched her with an intensity the warmed her from the
inside.
    “ I confess I have too much
weighing on my mind to find much enjoyment this evening,” she said
evenly. What was he about? Was this another of his many moods she
had not yet seen?
    “ What brings you to London
now, may I ask? I would estimate your coming out should have been
some three or four years ago.”
    Eleanor stiffened before she answered
“It was inconvenient, if not impossible. And not that it is any of
your concern. My introduction to society should have been five
years ago.”
    Bentley looked at her oddly. Was he
trying to come up with a comment to remind her of her inferiority,
or was he going to be considerate and pleasant again? Regardless,
she lacked the patience for his ever changing personalities. “If
your mathematic skills are troubling you, I am four and twenty.
Practically on the shelf, I suppose.”
    “ Why come to London
now?”
    “ Why does any young,
unattached lady come to London during the Season?”
    “ A husband of course.” His
lips quirked.
    “ Not just any husband. A
wealthy husband.” Eleanor waited for his reaction.
    His hands clasped her waist and he
drew her against