A Governess of No Fear by Emily E K Murdoch

Author:Emily E K Murdoch [Murdoch, Emily E K]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-10-30T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

“—and of course, I couldn’t have that! Red wallpaper with that green velvet? I had to put a stop to that, and his lordship did not mind, did you Lord—oh. He’s gone.”

A fortunate man indeed to have avoided such nonsense, thought Sir Mark. The husband of the harpy—the woman—before him had slunk away as soon as Lady Romeril had started nattering away about the new decoration she had inflicted on the Romeril household.

“Yes, he’s gone,” said Sir Mark.

Well, there wasn’t really any cause nor need for him to say anything else. That was always how he had been raised, and how he was raising his boys.

If you couldn’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.

That was all very well and good, but when faced with the company of Lady Romeril at one’s ball, it was difficult to know what to say.

“Well, Lord Romeril was never that interested in décor,” said his wife dismissively with a wave of her hand. “Not like you, Sir Mark. Why, you have stood here for near ten minutes and given me your rapt attention!”

So he had, thought Mark wryly. If he hadn’t been forced to be so polite, Lady Romeril being who she was, he would have walked away minutes ago.

He certainly would not have allowed himself to get entrapped with her in a corner.

“I imagine you’ll want to hear all about the Bath townhouse,” said Lady Romeril, drawing herself up proudly as she launched into what Mark could only suppose was another monologue during which he would not be required to contribute. “I thought the marble itself all very well and good, but the dirt! Sir Mark, you had never seen the like. I had to show one of the maids just how…”

And on she droned. Well, Mark was sure there were worse people to be stuck with at a ball, to be sure…though he could not remember any at the moment.

All he had to do was hide how bored to tears he was. Lady Romeril was not interested in whether he was actually paying attention, as long as she was standing by a handsome man.

Sir Mark tried not to sigh. The All Hallow’s Eve ball. It was a tradition of the Shirley family, and so he kept it, but he had no interest in this sort of thing. Pageantry. Fripperies. More ladies in wigs than he knew what to do with.

The food was good, the wine was flowing, and there were a number of people dancing to the musicians who would be exhausted by the end of the night.

“…and there it was, the perfect rug for the drawing room!” Lady Romeril exclaimed with a sharp tap of Sir Mark with her fan. “I tell you the truth, Sir Mark, I could not have made it up. Perfectly matched to the rug in the hallway, though they were purchased at least fifty years apart. It was a real find, you know, and his lordship told me himself…”

Sir Mark thought privately that

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