Read Online Kathryn Caskie by Love Is in the Heir - Free Book Online
Authors: Love Is in the Heir
Ads: Link
knew, thought I felt, was wiped cleanly away. When I looked into her eyes, saw the betrayal she felt in them, I knew with all certainty that Miss Chillton was aware she’d been deceived.”
“Now, now, we don’t know that.” The fine sprinkles of rain began to bead atop their coats like tiny diamonds.
“There is no other explanation I can fathom.”
Garnet pulled up his lapel to protect his starched neckcloth from the rain. “Let us return to the house, with haste, and you can tell me exactly what happened and what was said.”
Griffin nodded resignedly, but he knew the coming conversation would be utterly useless.
He had played his brother’s deceitful game, and in the process had lost all hope of winning Miss Chillton’s affections. Of that, he was quite certain.
Edgar, the ever-efficient butler, opened the door at Number One Royal Crescent before the footman had even turned the handle on the carriage door for the Featherton sisters and Hannah.
By some stroke of fortune, the rain momentarily raised its gray mantle and allowed the women to take the stairs into the house without so much as a single water stain on any of their silk ball gowns.
“My ladies,” Edgar said quietly, “I have prepared a fire in the drawing room for your comfort and have taken the liberty of pouring three crystals of cordial.”
“Oh, a fire and cordial. How thoughtful of you, Edgar.” Lady Letitia passed her fringed shawl to the butler and hurried through the drawing-room door.
As Hannah shrugged off her pelisse, she happened to glance up, and despite the residual sting of humiliation she felt from being abandoned on the dance floor, she did not miss the exchange of warm glances between Edgar and Lady Viola as he took the frail old woman’s wrap from her.
Good heavens!
Annie had been right. How could she have possibly missed the connection between the two before? Hannah tried very hard not to allow her gaze to linger on the unlikely couple overlong, but the thought of their love for each other, having gone unacknowledged for years, was simply astonishing.
Yes, it was her duty to correct this injustice. In fact, she would begin making her plans the very next morn.
What better way, she decided, to repay Lady Viola for introducing her to Society. Why, she would never have made the matchmaking connections on her own that she had made through the Featherton sisters.
Without them, she would surely have no business or income of her own—save the pittance of a portion she received from her miserly brother, Arthur.
Lady Viola, wearing a fresh smile, glided into the drawing room as light as gossamer and floated into the unoccupied seat beside her sister.
She looked up and frowned, however, when it became evident that Hannah was not following her lead. “There is a cordial on the salver for you. Do come inside, dear child, and join us by the fire.”
“I should be delighted.” Hannah raised her pelisse, as if to hand it to Edgar, but when he reached for it, she caught his gloved hand and pulled him away from the drawing-room doorway. “Is
he
here?”
“Do you mean Mr. St. Albans, miss?”
Hannah widened her eyes and nodded wildly. Yes, she mouthed. Is—he—here?
“No, miss, he is not,” the butler whispered in a tone so low that Hannah could hardly hear a single word. “He has not yet returned from the ball.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“He said, Hannah, that Mr. St. Albans has not yet returned from the ball.”
Hannah lurched at the proximity of the voice and whirled around to find Lady Viola standing close behind her.
“Come join us by the hearth, dove. Perhaps a cordial will calm your nerves.”
Hannah gave her duenna a smile and dutifully left the entry hall for the drawing room. But a relaxing close to the evening was not precisely what the Featherton sisters had in mind, it seemed. For she had scarcely rested her weight upon the wingback chair when the interrogation began.
“Dear gel, I know you do
“Now, now, we don’t know that.” The fine sprinkles of rain began to bead atop their coats like tiny diamonds.
“There is no other explanation I can fathom.”
Garnet pulled up his lapel to protect his starched neckcloth from the rain. “Let us return to the house, with haste, and you can tell me exactly what happened and what was said.”
Griffin nodded resignedly, but he knew the coming conversation would be utterly useless.
He had played his brother’s deceitful game, and in the process had lost all hope of winning Miss Chillton’s affections. Of that, he was quite certain.
Edgar, the ever-efficient butler, opened the door at Number One Royal Crescent before the footman had even turned the handle on the carriage door for the Featherton sisters and Hannah.
By some stroke of fortune, the rain momentarily raised its gray mantle and allowed the women to take the stairs into the house without so much as a single water stain on any of their silk ball gowns.
“My ladies,” Edgar said quietly, “I have prepared a fire in the drawing room for your comfort and have taken the liberty of pouring three crystals of cordial.”
“Oh, a fire and cordial. How thoughtful of you, Edgar.” Lady Letitia passed her fringed shawl to the butler and hurried through the drawing-room door.
As Hannah shrugged off her pelisse, she happened to glance up, and despite the residual sting of humiliation she felt from being abandoned on the dance floor, she did not miss the exchange of warm glances between Edgar and Lady Viola as he took the frail old woman’s wrap from her.
Good heavens!
Annie had been right. How could she have possibly missed the connection between the two before? Hannah tried very hard not to allow her gaze to linger on the unlikely couple overlong, but the thought of their love for each other, having gone unacknowledged for years, was simply astonishing.
Yes, it was her duty to correct this injustice. In fact, she would begin making her plans the very next morn.
What better way, she decided, to repay Lady Viola for introducing her to Society. Why, she would never have made the matchmaking connections on her own that she had made through the Featherton sisters.
Without them, she would surely have no business or income of her own—save the pittance of a portion she received from her miserly brother, Arthur.
Lady Viola, wearing a fresh smile, glided into the drawing room as light as gossamer and floated into the unoccupied seat beside her sister.
She looked up and frowned, however, when it became evident that Hannah was not following her lead. “There is a cordial on the salver for you. Do come inside, dear child, and join us by the fire.”
“I should be delighted.” Hannah raised her pelisse, as if to hand it to Edgar, but when he reached for it, she caught his gloved hand and pulled him away from the drawing-room doorway. “Is
he
here?”
“Do you mean Mr. St. Albans, miss?”
Hannah widened her eyes and nodded wildly. Yes, she mouthed. Is—he—here?
“No, miss, he is not,” the butler whispered in a tone so low that Hannah could hardly hear a single word. “He has not yet returned from the ball.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“He said, Hannah, that Mr. St. Albans has not yet returned from the ball.”
Hannah lurched at the proximity of the voice and whirled around to find Lady Viola standing close behind her.
“Come join us by the hearth, dove. Perhaps a cordial will calm your nerves.”
Hannah gave her duenna a smile and dutifully left the entry hall for the drawing room. But a relaxing close to the evening was not precisely what the Featherton sisters had in mind, it seemed. For she had scarcely rested her weight upon the wingback chair when the interrogation began.
“Dear gel, I know you do
Similar Books
