Complete Dukes of War Collection: 7 Book Regency Romance Boxed Set (Dukes of War Box Sets 3) by Ridley Erica

Author:Ridley, Erica [Ridley, Erica]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Intrepid Reads
Published: 2016-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

The evening of her birthday, Daphne descended from a hackney carriage as though she were pushing through molasses.

She should be happy.

She clutched her documents to her chest and stared up at Katherine’s elegant town house. At the second story room Daphne no longer required. It was over. She could leave right now if she wanted and never return to London again. She should be thrilled.

Her lady’s maid alighted from the hack. “Everything all right, ma’am?”

Esther. Daphne shot a despairing glance at her maid. What was she meant to do about Esther?

With simple living and an eye on her budget, Daphne’s small portion was enough to provide for her and perhaps a maid-of-all-work as a companion.

No lady’s maid—not even a kind, unpretentious lady’s maid accustomed to no more fine living than what might be found in a simple vicarage—would wish to trade the slow, pleasant country life for the wretched, grueling drudgery of an overburdened, underpaid maid-of-all-work.

Even less likely was the idea any maid would wish to be dragged through the poorest, most far-flung corners of England. Daphne’s itinerary was not for the faint of heart. Failing farms. Teeming rookeries. Dangerous mines. It was not for Esther.

Once Daphne became an independent, unchaperoned crusader, she would no longer have the option of avoiding high society. She’d be obligated to avoid them. With a reputation that tattered, the only lord or lady who wouldn’t give her the cut direct without a second thought was Katherine.

And, perhaps… Bartholomew.

Daphne let out a slow breath. The silver lining to losing one’s reputation was that there was no longer any need to go to heroic measures to protect it. In fact, she rather appreciated the freedom her classlessness brought. If Bartholomew wished to kiss her, here she was.

For now.

“Everything’s fine,” she assured her maid, before forcing her feet up the walk to Katherine’s front door.

Whether or not everything was fine remained to be seen. The only certainty was that everything was changing.

Daphne handed off her coat and gloves to the butler and started up the stairs. Perhaps she should stay a few days before leaving. One couldn’t sack a cherished servant out of the blue.

She would also love to put her head together with Lady Amelia Sheffield one last time before the viscountess could no longer associate with Daphne publicly.

She frowned. There were plenty of black clouds to go with the silver lining of freedom.

Now that she finally had an army—and a lieutenant—she could do battle with more than her pen and writing desk. Lady Amelia didn’t seem the sort to require in-person instruction. She had already shouldered a fair chunk of Daphne’s letter writing, and had created teams of volunteers and detailed journals for each of her campaigns.

When Daphne reached her guest chamber, she rang for a tea tray and a hot bath. This might be one of the last times in her life to have such luxuries at her fingertips, and it was difficult not to wish to make the most of them while she still could.

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