Page 49 of A Dangerous Lord (Regency Spies & Secrets 3)

A line of sweat appeared on Mr. Haskett’s brow, and it almost appeared as if he were nervous. “I was wondering if you would like to—”

He was cut off by Oliver. “No!” he exclaimed as he stormed into the room with a thunderous look on his face. “Absolutely not!”

Oliver grabbed Mr. Haskett’s arm, forcing him to rise. “Get out of my townhouse!” he ordered firmly.

Jane rose and reached for Mr. Haskett’s cup and saucer as it wobbled in his hands.

“But…” Mr. Haskett started to object.

Oliver forcefully led him towards the door. “I told you to never talk to my sister,” he asserted. “You will never be good enough for her.”

Jane put the cup down and followed Oliver into the entry hall. Pratt opened the door and Oliver pushed Mr. Haskett out onto the cobblestone courtyard.

Mr. Haskett frowned as he tugged down on his blue jacket. “This is bad form, mate,” he said.

Oliver placed his hand on the door. “We shall discuss this later, but I better never see you call on my sister again.”

“Your sister is old enough to make her own decisions,” Mr. Haskett pressed.

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try to protect her from the likes of you!”

Mr. Haskett lifted his brow. “You seem to forget that it wasn’t long ago that you were just like me.”

“I was never like you,” he replied, slamming the door shut.

Oliver turned around and paused when he saw Jane. “I apologize for that, but I made it very clear to my friends that they were to go nowhere near you.”

“Why is that exactly?”

“They are not worthy of you.”

“That is kind of you to say but I could have handled it myself,” she countered, placing a hand on her hip.

“I know you could have, but it is my job as your older brother to protect you from the rakes and fortune hunters.”

“Is Mr. Haskett a fortune hunter?”

“Not particularly, but it would solve the majority of his problems.”

“Regardless, you can’t just swoop in and toss out potential suitors that you don’t like.”

Oliver looked displeased by her remarks. “Did you want Haskett to be your suitor?”

She lowered her hand to her side. “If you must know, I have no intention of encouraging him.”

“That is good.” Oliver watched her closely as he asked, “May I speak to you privately for a moment?”

“I suppose so,” Jane replied.

“I think it would be best if we spoke in the study,” Oliver said as he turned to walk towards the rear of the townhouse.

Jane followed closely behind him and closed the door as she entered.

Oliver gestured towards the settees. “Would you care to have a seat?”

She didn’t respond but walked over and sat down.

“Baldwin told me what you did,” Oliver said, walking over to the drink cart. “About how you followed me through the rookeries.”

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