Dangerous Games by Charlotte Mede

Author:Charlotte Mede
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2009-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

“And to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure, my dear Mrs. Hampton?” Richard Seabourne asked, his outward graciousness masking a veiled but pointed curiosity. He smiled broadly from his wing-backed chair.

Lilly tried to relax under his sideways glance. She was stiff, clutching her bulging satchel with one hand and bracing herself on the arm of her chair with the other. Her mind and her body were in turmoil, the terrain of her life upended by the disorder Julian St. Martin had left in his destructive path. She wanted to be done with him and done with it all—and Seabourne, diplomat and confidant of the queen, presented the only recourse.

She could no longer think about what had happened in St. Martin’s carriage earlier in the day, the torrent of emotion that had led to actions so uncharacteristic as to truly cause her to doubt her sanity. Not to mention that her ruse had failed. St. Martin had remained supremely untouched and completely out of her reach and more dangerous than ever. Grasping the satchel tightly to stop from shaking, she pretended to return Seabourne’s smile.

“You are very kind to see me at such short notice,” she said brightly, hoping the underlying brittleness would not break through. “You have always been so generous in your support, given my recent difficulties.”

“All of which are quickly receding into the past, as I understand it. I saw the banns in the papers announcing your upcoming nuptials and offer my heartfelt congratulations.” Seabourne settled back in his chair, his hand hovering over the bell that would summon servants. “May I offer you some refreshment, my dear?”

“No, please. Do not trouble yourself.” The thought of food was repellent; her nerves, raw and exposed, were close to shattering. She was going to marry Bellamy in two weeks’ time, and there was only one way of ensuring that she would rid herself of St. Martin’s frightening hold on her life. The satchel sat heavily on her lap, all the while she was forced to go through the motions of a normal conversation. Her life, it seemed, would never be normal again.

“I received the invitation to the wedding,” Seabourne continued, “although I regret that my wife will not be in attendance. She is in Jaipur at the moment, awaiting my imminent return. But of course, I will make it my priority to be in attendance.”

“Wonderful. It’s to be a small affair. Mr. Bellamy and I both wish it so.” She paused deliberately. “And both Mr. Bellamy and I wished to ask if you would be so kind as to accompany me down the aisle, as my father and mother passed away several years ago and not having any siblings, male or otherwise—”

Seabourne beamed his enthusiasm at the invitation. “Why I should be honored, my dear, you need only to have asked. You are aware of my great affection for you and your late husband. I should be eager to have such a beautiful bride on my arm.”

Lilly wished

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.