Lord Grenton hesitated for only a moment before saying, “Very well. I see that I am outnumbered; but I do hope you two know what you are getting yourselves into.”
“We do,” Lady Hawthorne responded.
Lord Hawthorne chuckled. “My wife is rather confident in her abilities.”
Lord Grenton glanced at Georgie. “Now that is all worked out, you will have the funds at your disposal to hire tutors,” he said.
“Thank you, my lord,” Georgie said.
As Lord Grenton leaned to the side to allow the footman to collect his bowl, he remarked, “It must be a relief that you didn’t sell your gowns to fund the tutors.”
Georgie’s eyes shot over to Lady Hawthorne, who in turn gave her a quizzical look. “It is,” she murmured.
“Although it was a kind gesture on your part to offer, I daresay that you wouldn’t have been able to raise enough funds to cover the tutors’ expenses.”
An uncomfortable silence descended upon them as Georgie tried to formulate her next words carefully. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she was hesitant to reveal the truth. Would he dismiss her for disobeying him?
Lord Grenton continued. “A lady has no place at a market.”
“Quite right,” Lord Hawthorne said, raising his glass.
Anger flashed through her at their words. Georgie would not be controlled by any man ever again, and felt as if she had to prove it to Lord Grenton.
As she reached for her glass, she remarked, “Frankly, it wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be.” She hoped her words sounded much more confident than she felt at the moment.
Lord Grenton clenched his jaw. “Did you visit the market?”
“I did.” Georgie took a sip of her drink. “I was able to sell my dresses for a fair price.”
“For what purpose?” Lord Grenton asked, his voice curt. “I had already informed you that I would cover the expense of the tutors.”
“That was most generous of you, but I noticed that the girls could use new dresses and boots,” Georgie replied as she returned her glass to the table. One of the girls had mentioned her feet being soaked when she stepped in a puddle, prompting Georgie to take visual stock of their attire. “My gowns will more than cover that additional expense.”
“Why didn’t you inform me of your decision?”
“Because I knew you would disapprove,” Georgie said.
Lord Grenton tossed his napkin onto the table and shoved back his chair. “May I speak to you for a moment, Miss Lloyd?” he asked, rising.
Georgie rose. “Yes, my lord.”
As she followed Lord Grenton out of the room, Lady Hawthorne gave her an encouraging smile. She was fortunate to have an ally in her.
They had just departed from the dining room when Lord Grenton turned back to face her with an irritated look on his face. “Do you intend to disobey me on every directive that I give?”
“Only the ones that I disagree with.”
Lord Grenton’s eyes narrowed. “I agreed to pay for the tutors so you wouldn’t have to go to the market,” he said. “That is no place for a lady.”
“And I believe I informed you that I can take care of myself.”
“Surely, you cannot be that naïve?” Lord Grenton asked. “You are lucky that you weren’t abducted or robbed!”
“For your information, someone did attempt to abduct me, but Miss Ashmore was able to convince him otherwise.”
Even as the words left her mouth, Georgie knew that she had made a terrible mistake.
Lord Grenton’s eyes grew wide. “Someone attempted to abduct you?”
