Mastering the Marquess by Vanessa Kelly Page B

necessary for his lordship to put himself out on our behalf. I will make suitable arrangements for Annabel and myself.”
    Lady Stanton glanced at Lord Silverton, lifting one brow in a question. He briefly returned his aunt’s look before sweeping an imperious gaze over Meredith.
    â€œThere is no need to worry, Miss Burnley.” Meredith could swear she heard a faint note of mocking laughter in his voice. “My secretary, Mr. Chislett, will be the one to suffer the inconvenience, since he will conduct the search, not I.”
    That silenced her, as she could think of no polite way to respond to such irritating condescension. Since Meredith had not the faintest idea how to go about renting a house in London, she grudgingly supposed she must bow to the inevitable and do it with as much good grace as she could muster. In any event, she didn’t have the energy to wage another battle today.
    Lord Silverton must have read her thoughts, for his cynical mouth curved into a lazy and seductive smile that scattered her wits like buckshot. She felt as if she had just toppled off a cliff, a sensation she found both disconcerting and extremely annoying.
    Meredith repressed a sudden and childish impulse to box Lord Silverton’s ears as she wondered how a man she had met only a few hours ago could so easily bring out the worst in her.

Chapter Four
    Silverton lifted a hand in farewell to the Burnley sisters as they stood on the front stoop of Miss Noyes’s tiny house, their arms wrapped securely about each other. Annabel looked like a child beside the statuesque Meredith. She was slender and pretty, carrying herself with a sylphlike grace that would attract bachelors like flies to sugar water. Meredith would also attract her share of suitors, he knew, but for entirely different reasons.
    The woman was, quite simply, the most physically captivating female he had met in years. Her extraordinary eyes and ivory complexion, her glossy black hair—all those things painted a most fetching portrait. But it was her superb figure that would stop a man in his tracks. She had a beautiful body, with generous breasts and rounded hips that flared luxuriously from a slim waist. Even more compelling, Meredith exuded a subtle yet powerful sensuality that promised a myriad of delights to the man lucky enough to bed her.
    Yes, Silverton had thoroughly enjoyed studying Meredith’s lush beauty, even though he knew his attentions had made her shift uncomfortably in her seat.
    The afternoon—for many reasons—had proven to be as diverting as he had hoped it would be. He had, of course, been truly touched by Aunt Georgina’s meeting with her granddaughter and delighted to see them united. And he was genuinely pleased to meet his newfound cousin Annabel.
    But the real fun had come from teasing Meredith. Silverton had been unable to resist. Despite her masterful ways, her naïve assumptions had made it difficult for him not to laugh at her. To expect that Annabel could move directly to Stanton House, especially after the general’s reaction this morning . . . Well, in spite of all her self-assurance, Meredith was obviously a babe in the woods. The scandal of Elizabeth Stanton’s elopement had been enormous, and although the gossip had faded years ago, the ton had a very long memory. The appearance of the long-lost grandchild would cause a great deal of chatter, something General Stanton would surely loathe.
    Aunt Georgina was right. The sisters needed a quiet house in Mayfair and a gradual introduction into society. Annabel’s debut would be difficult enough, but the obstacles facing Meredith were even greater.
    His aunt’s insistence that Meredith also be launched on the marriage mart had startled him. Silverton honored her for doing it, especially since the general would no doubt react with fury to the idea. After all her sacrifices for Annabel, Meredith deserved more than a solitary life as a country