Read A Matter of Scandal for Free Online Page A

pitiful.” He pushed away from the desk and stood. “I’m going fishing. Anyone care to join me?”
    “Fishing? I say, that’s splendid, eh, Sylvia?” Blumton took her hand and squeezed it.
    “You’ll have to teach me, Grey,” Alice said, all charm again. “Viscountess Leeds fishes. She says it’s an elegant sport.”
    Blumton’s brow furrowed. “Well, I don’t know about—”
    “‘Your Grace,’” Tristan’s low drawl began, “‘our recent conversation has made it clear to me that you have several misconceptions concerning the curriculum of Miss Grenville’s Academy. It is my pleasure, then, to correct any misapprehensions.’”
    Greydon stopped dead, a dozen curses at Tristan Carroway and all of his inbred ancestorsspringing to mind. Of course the letter was going to be insulting; that was why he’d wanted to read it—to savor it—with no one around to interrupt him. “That’s enough, Tristan,” he growled.
    “It sounds very interesting,” Sylvia countered, taking a seat. “Please do continue, Lord Dare.”
    Tristan cleared his throat, glancing up at Grey, then lowered his gaze to the letter again, his penchant for causing trouble clearly stronger than any concern over reprisals. “‘You were correct in your assertion that the Academy teaches what we have termed “the Graces”—elegance, modesty, manners, politeness, and fashion. An accomplished lady is expected to have mastered these Graces, and so we would be foolhardy to neglect including them in our students’ studies.’”
    “Miss Grenville is a bluestocking,” Alice said.
    “Apparently,” Grey grumbled. “Tris—”
    “It’s just getting good. ‘Your opinion, as I recall, was that the sole function of the Academy is to produce wives.’ She’s underlined ‘wives’ several times here,” Tristan added.
    “A splendid argument, Wycliffe,” Blumton interjected.
    “Stay off my side.”
    “‘The goal of this Academy under both my aunt’s and my direction is to produce competent women.’ More underlines here, by the way. ‘To that end, in addition to the Graces, we offer instruction in literature, mathematics, language, politics, history, music, and the arts, as I have detailed below.’”
    “Ye gads,” Alice muttered, shuddering. “That’s horrifying.”
    Tristan flipped through the rest of the letter.“The next pages are a detailed curriculum.” He glanced at Greydon. “I won’t read that part.”
    “Thank you,” Grey murmured.
    “There is another bit at the end, though. ‘As you see, Your Grace, I make every effort to see that my students receive a complete, well-rounded education. Your behavior, on the other hand, suggests to me a severe deficiency of instruction in the Graces. If you wish, I can recommend several books on the subjects of politeness, modesty, and manners for you to peruse at your leisure. Yours in sincere concern, Miss Emma Grenville.’”
    After a lengthening moment of silence, Lady Sylvia burst into laughter. “Poor Grey. You’ve failed to impress the headmistress of a girls’ school.”
    “Well, I don’t know about that. She only says she’s sincerely concerned.” Tristan returned the letter to the desk.
    Grey let them have their amusement. In fact, he barely heard what they said. He was imagining a very satisfying manner of closing the mouth of that hazel-eyed sprite. Miss Emma Grenville obviously had no idea with whom she was dealing, but she was about to find out.
     
    Miss Elizabeth Newcombe fell back against the empty whiskey barrel that represented the central well in the fair city of Verona. “‘Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man,’” she croaked, clutching her side.
    Shifting the padding which bulked her up for the part of Juliet’s nurse, Emma smiled. No one could fault Elizabeth for shyness. In fact, in another year or so, she would have to begin work in earnest to mold her youngest student’s wild humor into wit. They’d already come a