Claiming the Heart of a Duke: Sweet and Clean Regency Romance (His Majesty's Hounds Book 1) by Arietta Richmond

Author:Arietta Richmond [Richmond, Arietta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dreamstone Publishing
Published: 2016-08-09T21:00:00+00:00

A week later, Hunter was regretting his decision. The house party was proving more than uncommonly flat, he sorely missed the Hounds, none of whom had been invited, and the renewed onslaught of marriageable young Ladies, with their hovering mamas, was beginning to grate on his nerves. The way that they looked at him made him develop a sudden sympathy for the horses on show at Tattersall’s.

Adding to his discomfort, Nerissa was there, always surrounded by both calf eyed young gentlemen and knowing, jaded rakes, all vying for her attention.

She sparkled, like the diamond of the first water that she was - she flirted, she laughed, she danced and she seemed dusted with some magic powder that made everybody fall under her enchantment.

Lost in his thoughts, Hunter did not realise that his mother was approaching, towing behind her one of her favourite ‘suitable young ladies’, Lady Phoebe Burnside.

Hunter thought she was a singularly silly girl and, even if she was quite pretty, Hunter feared she would grow to resemble her mother, a wilting lily of indeterminate age, clad in layer upon layer of pale gauze, which gave her a disquietingly ghostly appearance.

“Hunter!” trilled Lady Melton.

“What are you doing here, brooding in this dark corner? Come over to the drawing room, we have prevailed upon Lady Phoebe to sing for us. She has a wonderful voice and she plays the pianoforte with such a delicate touch…”

Lady Phoebe smiled at the handsome Duke, looked at him from half lowered lashes and put a tremulous hand on his sleeve.

“Please, my Lord, I set great store by your opinion. Your lady Mother has told me that you had the great good fortune to listen to Anna Milder-Hauptmann, the famous soprano singer, during her tournèe in London, before the war. I do not presume to compare with her, of course, but if you could listen to me and tell me what you think…”

Short of being rude, there was no way that Hunter could decline the dubious honour which Lady Phoebe had bestowed upon him. Thus, he bowed and followed the ladies into the drawing room.

~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, Nerissa was trying to get rid of one of her admirers, Lord Peter Featherstone, who, if one was to believe the current on dits, was soon to be Marquess of Glenfield.

Nerissa’s father liked him quite well, and did not object to his paying court to his daughter.

“Good family,” Lord Chester had stated, “good blood. His father is almost booked, poor soul. Wasting sickness. Young Peter will soon be Marquess. His uncle Edward is a bishop, his aunt married the Earl of Balfield, a Scotsman. No siblings, which is well, because Lord Featherstone squandered quite a bit of blunt while sowing wild oats. Well, young men will be young men…”

“My dear sir,” her mother had objected, “I do believe Lord Langley would be a more suitable choice. Anyway, there is still time, the Season has not ended yet. Perhaps some better opportunity will turn up. Nerissa is all the rage, you know.

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