A Heritage of Shadows (1983)(301p) by Madeleine Brent

Author:Madeleine Brent [Brent, Madeleine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical - Romance
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The day of the river party, the day when Sebastian Ryder began to reveal the true purpose for which he had brought me to England, was warm and dry when we gathered aboard the boat Mr. Ryder had hired for the day, one of the passenger boats that plied regularly between Greenwich and Hampton Court.

On the deck forward of the saloon, chairs had been set out and a striped awning erected to give a little shelter from the sun for those who wished. It was here that we received the guests as they arrived by carriage and made their way down the steps by Westminster Bridge. The Willard family and Andrew Doyle were first to arrive. I kept in the background while they were welcomed by Sebastian Ryder and Gerald, but they all made a point of greeting me as if I had been one of the family.

Five minutes later a very elegant carriage drew up and three people alighted. They came down the steps and along the gangway to be welcomed by Sebastian Ryder, who then began a series of introductions. Mr. Hugh Ritchie was a good-looking man in his middle forties with a brisk manner and an air of authority. His wife, Anne Ritchie, was several years younger, a handsome lady with very beautiful eyes. Her manner at first seemed haughty, but I sensed that this concealed a rather nervous nature, and it quickly faded under the easy friendliness with which the Americans greeted her. Sir John Tennant, her father, was in his late sixties and in no way resembled his daughter. He was a big, stoop-shouldered man, heavily built, pallid of face, with thin gray hair and eyes so heavily lidded that they seemed to be half closed. He was short in the neck, so that he carried his head sunk between his shoulders, which gave him a tortoiselike appearance.

When everybody else had been introduced, Sebastian Ryder turned to where I stood and said, "Finally, this is Hannah McLeod, my children's French tutor, who is accompanying us on this occasion."

I curtsied to Mrs. Ritchie and said, "Good morning, madam."

She inclined her head. "Good morning." Her gaze started to pass on, then came sharply back to me. She stared hard, almost as if trying to remember where she might have seen me before. "McLeod? You're surely not a French girl?" she said.

"No, madam, I was born in London, but my mother was French, and later I lived in France for several years."

"I see." She looked at me a moment longer, and I thought I saw shadows of remembered sorrow in her eyes as she turned away. Her husband gave me a nod and said, "Morning, young lady," then moved to speak to Mr. Willard.

Sir John Tennant stood regarding me from under those heavy lids, hands resting on the silver-knobbed cane he carried. The watery gray eyes were empty except for what I could only decipher as a strange wariness. I was conscious of Sebastian Ryder standing a pace or two away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.