Claiming the Chaperon's Heart by Anne Herries

Author:Anne Herries [Herries, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-06-30T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Jane knew better than to visit her mama too early the next morning, but in the afternoon she drove to her house to take tea with her and found that several other ladies and gentlemen had formed the same intention. It was impossible to have a private word with Mama, but both Melia and Sarah found friends there and Melia seemed happier than she had the previous evening, when Captain Smythe and his sister Anne asked her to go walking with them in the park the following day.

Sarah also seemed lost in her thoughts as they drove home, though she answered when Jane spoke to her and discussed their plans for the evening, which were to dine quietly at home before joining a few friends for a trip to the theatre in the evening.

Jane enjoyed her evening, and when in the interval Major Harding entered their box she greeted him with a smile. His invitation to go riding the next day was accepted with pleasure and he spent the whole of the interval at her side.

Will had accompanied them that evening and he sat between Melia and Sarah, entertaining them both and providing ices and drinks in the various intervals for their pleasure. Melia was more talkative than she had been for a few days and Jane heard her agree to go riding with Will the next afternoon.

Jane watched her brother’s face as he turned from Melia to Sarah and asked her if she would like to ride with them. Sarah hesitated, and then said she would very much like it if a horse could be found for her. Will promised that he would see her mounted properly and Sarah smiled, and then the lights dimmed for the last act. Just before the lights lowered, Jane noticed that someone was watching them from below in the pits through a small pair of opera glasses.

For a moment she wondered who the gentleman was and why he stared so intently, but then he seemed to become aware that she had noticed and inclined his head, turning his attention to the stage. Jane was soon drawn into the performance and forgot him, though later that evening, before she retired, she mentioned it to her brother.

‘Did you notice that gentleman in the pits?’ she asked. ‘He seemed to be very interested in us...I suppose you did not notice him?’

‘No, I cannot say I did,’ Will said and smiled. ‘You are a lovely young woman still, Jane. I am sure a great many gentlemen stare at you, dearest—and it might have been Sarah or Melia who was attracting his attention.’

‘Yes, very likely,’ Jane said, but she was still uneasy. The man had been staring at her—and something in his manner had struck her as being odd. Yet perhaps Will was right and she was making too much of it.

Jane was soon asleep and no dreams came to disturb her rest. In the morning she decided she would visit one or two of

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.