Miss Simpkins' School: Lydia Read Online Free Page A

Can I be a match for him? So many questions to be answered if I have the nous to put them to him. Even my inheritance, although very comfortable, surely cannot match that of many others.
    Not that George Stokoe would need her money. He was often compared to a nabob. He was unostentatious, generous when necessary, but not a soft touch. His estates were well cared for, his crop yield high, and his worker’s cottages in good condition. The local church benefitted from a generous stipend for the vicar, and the village children were given rudimentary schooling. His peers all thought him a good fellow and the ladies, for all they whispered about his proclivities, liked him. He was the perfect gentleman.
    For once his eyes weren’t hooded and they showed dark in the candlelight. Tiny flickers of something unbeknown to Lydia flashed in their depths and went as fast as they appeared. His hair reflected the flames, and strands of red appeared in the dark tresses. He lived up to his nickname of Darkness as he smiled, inclined his head, and said nothing. The smile did nothing to reassure her. In fact, Lydia decided it was annoying her. There was no depth to it, and it made a mockery of what a smile should mean.
    “Are you mute?” she said and heard the snap of vexation in her voice. “I usually receive an answer to a question, not a look that makes me feel like a mouse who is being toyed with by a cat. What are you going to do about them?”
    “If, if you want me to answer you, my dear, I think we need to set out a few ground rules. First of which is I do not want to be married or indeed associate with a harridan.” The ice in George’s tone sent prickles of fear skittering over her skin, and tiny unpleasant goose bumps broke out on her arms. “Any woman I associate will not only know the rules, she will adhere to them. Are you ready for that, Lydia? Can you give yourself to me as and how I demand? For make no mistake, demand is the word. And I would expect your instant obedience. You want to learn to dance and defy our parents, in a conventional way? Then the ballroom is below. If, however, you want to learn to dance to my tune, in my manner and in a way that will benefit us both, let’s think. If it is as a secondary manner which will appease our parents and ensure my title doesn’t become obsolete, then now is the time to decide. We have less than two hours for your first lesson.” His voice was flat, and he spoke in such a dispassionate manner she could almost believe it mattered not to him what she decided. It was only the tiny pulse at the side of his neck which showed how affected he was. “Are you prepared to ask for what you really want?”
    Lydia trembled. This was a man she didn’t know. But I’d like to. He may sound harsh and look severe but a glint in the depths of his eyes hinted at something more than ire. It struck Lydia like an arrow from a bow and she shivered. The feeling was the one akin to how she felt when she was about to pleasure herself.
    “I’m sorry, My Lord.” Why did I invest his title with capitals? “I’m somewhat apprehensive about all of this.” She waved her hand to encompass the room. “Not only this, my lack of social skills and my need to appeal to and please you. I’m floundering, and have no idea how not to be so.”
    “Then come here.”
    Three words that could change my life. Lydia swallowed hard. She moved up off the console and stood tall. Do it, do it.
    “And kneel at my feet.”
    Dare I do it? Even as she hesitated in her mind, her body made the decision for her, and she began to walk.

Chapter Five
    George glanced at the clock. They’d wasted over twenty minutes with Lydia being uncharacteristically coy. Even though he had been told by both Hermione and Molly that Lydia wanted him and all his needs, he had to make sure. He was under no illusion that once she was his he would be able to let her go. Their parents may think they had concocted the idea that he and Lydia