Lady Suspicious (A Series of Senseless Complications #6)

Prologue

Roland Nicolet, the Duke of Pelham, had so far done what most men would only despair of accomplishing. He’d launched five daughters out of the house to be settled creditably. He still had two more to go but he felt his dream of an empty house really was in reach these days.

He was rather amazed that his hair had not fallen out from the adventure.

His girls were all comely and came well-funded, but that did not stop them from complicating every likely match and turning every season into a heart-stopping ride.

At times he had felt himself a coachman wrestling an out-of-control team of horses and just trying to keep his carriage out of a ditch.

Last season had been the usual corker. The queen herself had even had to step into it, as his dear Verity had set London tongues wagging.

She had proposed the preposterous notion that she was a lady scientist studying the eyesight of fish when they were out of water.

The duke supposed that if there were a fish finding itself on land and needing to see anything past its fate as somebody’s dinner, it might be interesting to know what it saw.

Fortunately, Lord Wembly had not been put off by Verity’s unique style of nonsense.

Now it was Winsome’s turn and the duke was ready to brace himself for whatever she’d come up with.

He was certain it would be something, as his girl was of a suspicious nature and saw a conspiracy around every corner.

His youngest, Valor, even added to the problem with her pervasive fear of murderers and rogues.

It was likely to take a stalwart and persistent gentleman to convince Winsome of the veracity of his intentions.

If there was one bright spot, it was that he was just now ginning himself up for another entertaining contretemps with his sister, Lady Marchfield.

She would, he was certain, send another butler into his house in her endless effort to impose regularity.

He might have put his foot down and stopped the habit years ago, but it was too entertaining to give up.

His housekeeper, Mrs. Right, drove out the incoming interlopers in the most amusing manners possible.

The only thing to disturb him, if he chose to dwell on it, was that he’d not yet received the letter that came every year, informing him of this new butler. That must be considered strange, as Lady Marchfield always did send the communication in good time.

But then, he held out hope that news of her latest effort had just been lost in the post.