A Spring Serenade by Rachel Osborne

Author:Rachel Osborne
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Tags: Regency Historical Romance, Historical romance, clean and wholesome romance
Publisher: Rachel Osborne
Published: 2020-03-22T04:00:00+00:00

“BESS IS UNLIKELY TO ever lose her heart to anyone! Can you truly ever imagine her loving anybody? No, you need not fret for Bess’s heart, Jules. She will live out all her days here, and be happy!”

Bess had not meant to eavesdrop on her sisters’ conversation, for she privately nursed the opinion that to listen in to others’ conversations was tantamount to a sin, and never resulted in hearing anything pleasant. Well, now she had proved herself correct.

She sank back against the wall, allowing Louisa’s words to permeate her brain. Was it so very unthinkable that she should want to marry one day, to fall in love and raise a family of her own? True, Louisa had always been the first of them to throw herself into the marriage mart, plotting and scheming to win the affection of any gentleman whose paths she crossed. And it was obvious to everyone except Juliet that she would end up marrying Edmund, however much she clung to her romantic ideal of living by her pen. She can do that and be married, anyway. I do not see why she does not think so! She, Bess, was the quietest and most reserved of the sisters, but did that mean that marriage was entirely inconceivable?

“Bess?” Mr Turner had emerged from his study and looked a little surprised to see his daughter lurking like a thief outside the library, evidently looking a little shaken by what she had heard. He smiled, kindly, and reached out to cup her cheek with his hand. “Are you quite well, dear?”

“Oh, yes.” She smiled, although the expression felt strange and foreign in her current mood.

“You have stopped playing the piano!” Mr Turner’s eyes twinkled. “I felt certain that something must be the matter, for you usually devote a whole morning to playing when our day is empty.” He leaned a little closer to her, his lips quirking. “I do hope last evening’s performance by Mr Cluett has not left you embarrassed about your skills. We cannot all be concert pianists, but that does not mean we may not excel in our own way!”

This compliment was well-meant, and ordinarily, Bess would have glowed to receive such praise from her father, who was always especially tender to his quietest daughter, but following so swiftly on the heels of Louisa’s criticism, Bess shrank back.

“I suppose I must content myself with staying at home and playing dull pieces for dull family and friends and never dream of anything more!”

It was so surprising to hear Bess’s voice raised that Mr Turner took a step back, blinking fiercely from behind his glasses. The door to the library opened, and Juliet stood silhouetted by the doorway, her features pinched in surprise.

“Bess? Is something the matter? You have stopped playing!”

She was too slow to see her father’s slight shake of the head, but Bess noticed it and felt still more infuriated by it: this insistence by her family that she must forever be treated with kid gloves, too shy and too gentle to ever experience even half of what life offered.

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