Page 1 of Read To Me, Lyon

Chapter One

London – September 1815

Kitty Larson studied her Uncle Dominic, who sat in a wingback chair facing her desk. They were meeting in her office at the Larson Bookshop and Printing Press building. A place her father and mother built and ran with much love for the last fifteen years until their passing a few months ago.

“I implore you to consider my offer, Kitty. You are a young woman. It isn’t seemly for you to be running this business and caring for your sisters alone.”

Her uncle had begun visiting her multiple times a week recently. His visits to an outsider would only appear as if he were a kind family member checking on her and her sisters, but Kitty knew it was more than that. Her father had left her Uncle Dominic money, but he’d been surprised, as the oldest living male relative, not to inherit control of their company or be granted guardianship of Kitty and her siblings.

Kitty suspected her uncle’s money was gone because up until two weeks ago, they hadn’t seen much of him. She forced herself to smile. “We can manage. Mama and Papa wanted Hazel, Anna, and me to manage Larson Bookshop and Printing Press.”

Anger flared in his eyes briefly. “Your parents couldn’t have fathomed they’d be gone so early in your life. You are only twenty-two, Kitty, and have no husband.”

She flushed. “We are managing fine.”

He leaned closer to her side of the desk and whispered. “What of the printing press and books no one knows about?”

Kitty refused to react to his words. She didn’t believe her parents would have ever told Uncle Dominic about something so important. Yet, somehow, he knew. Making her eyes go wide, she said, “I have no idea what you mean.”

Kitty could almost see his brain whirling, trying to determine what his next step should be. She would need to talk with the family solicitor and her sisters after this meeting. She sensed Uncle Dominic was making moves to gain control of her family’s livelihood.

“Kitty, I hear the whispers about the books made for women. The ones not sold in the shop windows.”

Blast it. He was witting of their underground business. It was their primary income, but also work about which she and the rest of her family were passionate. Somewhere along the way, her parents had begun printing and selling books deemed illegal by the British government. Their clientele for those books were women from all walks of life. The underground press offered mature romance stories, essays on alternative philosophies, how-to guides, memoirs, and books questioning societal expectations.

“I’m not sure what you mean, Uncle, but I do have other tasks to attend to. Can we have tea or dinner at the house later this month?”

Kitty wanted to put space between him and this place. He could be in their lives, but only as their relative. She stood, forcing him to follow.

Uncle Dominic frowned at her. “Perhaps we could meet with your solicitor, Mr. Smith, and you can inform him that you need my assistance. I could act as your guardian.”

She silently counted to five, wanting to remain calm. This man had always taken from her parents, and now that they were gone, he was trying to wrestle control of all they’d built from her. She wouldn’t allow it. “I don’t see the need.”

“Kitty, be reasonable—”

“Uncle, I do not require a guardian, nor do my sisters,” she insisted.

“Most ladies have guardians until they turn twenty-five. At least, those with your type of wealth. I will talk with my solicitor on the matter as well.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but he walked to her and placed a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t fret. I will work it all out for you. I will visit when I have more information.”

Kitty was exhausted and furious from the circular conversation and decided to say nothing for the time being. She needed to speak with Benton Smith, her family’s solicitor, and friend. Once Kitty was sure he departed, she dropped back into her chair.

Uncle Dominic was right; most ladies her age had guardians at least until they married or turned twenty-five. He was a persuasive man, and she feared he’d convince some judge he should take on that role for Kitty and her sisters.

His actions demanded that she make a dramatic choice herself. She rang a bell, and Shannon Green, her secretary, popped her head in. “That man is no good.”

She was also a close family friend and didn’t filter any of her thoughts.

“No, he isn’t. He is making moves to take control of this company. Can you summon my sisters and Benton here?”

Shannon nodded and hurried from the room.

Later in the day, Kitty sat with her sisters and Benton. She’d just proposed a curious idea to them. Her sister, Hazel, who was four years younger than she, shook her head. “You should marry someone you love.”

Anna, her sixteen-year-old sister, nodded in agreement. “Mama and Papa would want that for you.”

Her parents would have, but Kitty was a practical young woman. It wasn’t something she’d ever hoped for. Liar. She pushed the unhelpful thought from her mind. She turned to Benton Smith, who’d been her family’s solicitor since she was a young girl. He sighed. “I don’t think your parents would like you marrying only to protect your sisters and your business from your uncle, but I have heard rumors he is preparing to present a case to the courts.”