# Read the first page of Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas Read the opening of Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas free, no signup. A practical spinster falls for a roguish former card sharp. - Page: https://uncovered.ink/read/mine-till-midnight-lisa-kleypas - Genre: Romance - Year: 2007 - ISBN: 9781429954662 - Read it blind (cover and title hidden): https://uncovered.ink/?b=9781429954662&s=read-page - Buy: https://bookshop.org/a/125786/9781429954662 - Borrow: https://search.worldcat.org/search?q=9781429954662 ## The opening Finding one person in a city of nearly two million was a formidable task. It helped if that person was a drunken sot whose behavior was predictable. Still, it wouldn’t be easy. Leo, where are you? Miss Amelia Hathaway wondered desperately as the carriage wheels rattled along the cobbled street. Poor, wild, troubled Leo. Some people, when faced with intolerable circumstances, simply ... broke. Such was the case with her formerly dashing and dependable brother. She feared he was beyond all hope of repair. “We’ll find him,” Amelia said with an assurance she didn’t feel. She glanced at the Rom who sat opposite her. As usual, Merripen showed no expression. One could be forgiven for assuming Merripen was a man of limited emotions. He was so guarded, in fact, that even after living with the Hathaway family for fifteen years, he still hadn’t told anyone his first name. They had known him simply as Merripen ever since he had been found, battered and unconscious beside a creek that ran through their property. When Merripen had awakened to discover himself surrounded by curious Hathaways, he had reacted violently. It had required their combined efforts to keep him in bed, all of them exclaiming that he would make his injuries worse, he must lie still. Amelia’s father had deduced the boy was the survivor of an attack by local landowners, who had ridden out on horseback to rid their properties of Romany encampments. “The lad was probably left for dead,” Mr. Hathaway had remarked gravely. As a scholarly and forward-thinking gentleman, he had disapproved of violence in any form. “I’m afraid it will be difficult to communicate with his tribe. They are probably long gone by now.” “Can we keep him, Papa?” Amelia’s younger sister Poppy had asked. Mr. Hathaway had smiled at her. “He may stay as long as he chooses. But I doubt he will remain here longer than a week or so. Roma tend to be a nomadic people.” However, Merripen had stayed and had grown at a near-alarming rate into a man of robust and powerful proportions. It was difficult to say exactly what Merripen was ... not quite a family member, not quite a servant. Although he worked in various capacities for the Hathaways, acting as a driver and jack-of-all-trades, he also ate at the family table whenever he chose and occupied a bedroom in the main part of the cottage. Now that Leo had gone missing and was possibly in danger, there was no question that Merripen would help find him. It was hardly proper for Amelia to go unaccompanied in the presence of a man like Merripen. But at the age of twenty-six, she considered herself beyond any need of chaperonage. “We shall begin by eliminating the places Leo would not go,” she said. “Churches, museums, places of higher learning, and polite neighborhoods are naturally out of the question.” “That still leaves most of the city,” Merripen grumbled. Merripen was not fond of London. In his view, the workings of so-called civilized society were infinitely more barbaric than anything that could be found in nature. Given a choice between spending an hour in a pen of wild boars and a drawing room of elegant company, he would have chosen the boars without hesitation. “We should probably start with taverns,” Amelia continued. Merripen gave her a dark glance. “Do you know how many taverns there are in London?” “No, but I’m certain I will by the time the night is out.” “We’re not going to start with taverns. We’ll go where Leo is likely to find the most trouble.” “And that would be?” “Jenner’s.” Jenner’s was an infamous gaming club where gentlemen went to behave in ungentlemanly ways. Originally founded by an ex-boxer named Ivo Jenner, the club had changed hands upon his death and was now owned by his son-in-law, Lord St. Vincent. The less-than-sterling reputation of St. Vincent had only enhanced the club’s allure. It was said that a membership at Jenner’s cost a fortune. Naturally Leo had insisted on joining immediately upon inheriting his title two months ago. ## Books with a similar feel - [To Sir Phillip, With Love by Julia Quinn](https://uncovered.ink/read/to-sir-phillip-with-love-julia-quinn.md) - [Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean](https://uncovered.ink/read/nine-rules-to-break-when-romancing-a-rake-sarah-maclean.md) - [The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks](https://uncovered.ink/read/the-best-of-me-nicholas-sparks.md) - [Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston](https://uncovered.ink/read/red-white-and-royal-blue-casey-mcquiston.md) - [Talia Hibbert's Brown Sisters Book Set by Talia Hibbert](https://uncovered.ink/read/talia-hibberts-brown-sisters-book-set-talia-hibbert.md) - [Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare](https://uncovered.ink/read/beauty-and-the-blacksmith-tessa-dare.md) --- Source: Uncovered (https://uncovered.ink). A short sample shown for reading and discovery. 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