Four Times The Temptation (The Northumberland Nine Series Book 4) by Dayna Quince

Author:Dayna Quince [Quince, Dayna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Rose Press
Published: 2019-04-11T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Dinner finished and the ladies moved to the drawing room to await the gentlemen. Tables had been placed around the room for cards and other games, curtains drawn over the wide arch that led to the King’s Hall.

Jeanie sat beside Anne, who fidgeted with a sampler. As the oldest, Anne was the most burdened by their circumstances. Jeanie could only pray that one of these gentlemen would fall madly in love with one of them and save them all from an uncertain future.

“I don’t know how you have the patience for this,” Anne said. She winced and sucked on her finger.

“A thimble helps. I don’t worry about bleeding to death,” Jeanie replied.

Anne smiled. “That makes sense.”

Jeanie studied her sister. Anne seemed tired, no, more than tired. Drained of her usual…Anne-ness.

“Are you well?” Jeanie asked as she took the sampler and fixed Anne’s snarled thread.

“I feel fine. Georgie went up to bed with a headache, didn’t she?”

“Yes,” Jeanie replied. “But she was fine before dinner.” Except she was glowing. And behaving oddly. Though, Jeanie was most likely behaving oddly too. This party was affecting them all.

“Perhaps I should check on her,” Jeanie said. “Lord Selhorst had said at dinner that it may not have been food that made Roderick ill but something catching.”

Anne’s eyes widened. “I…I don’t think so.”

Jeanie studied her, the off tone in Anne’s voice peculiar.

“I’ll go check on her before the gentlemen return, shall I?” Jeanie stated, a kernel of suspicion forming.

Anne nodded, shooing her away.

Jeanie sighed as she left the drawing room and went straight to Georgie’s room. She knocked once and then again with more force when Georgie didn’t answer. She stepped inside and the room was utterly empty.

“Where could she be?” Jeanie circled the room. There was no sign that Georgie had been here at all.

Alarm bells rang in her mind, and for some reason, Jeanie couldn’t help but think that Mr. Cage was involved. There had been a tension between them, and the more Jeanie thought about it, the more it seemed real.

First Josie and Lord Selhorst, and now Georgie and Mr. Cage?

And her and Luckfeld, though she had nothing to report on that front except…two kisses and some scintillating pictures.

She pressed her hands to her cheeks and started pacing. What was happening to them? They used to be so close to each other, sharing beds, combs, dresses, shoes and now it was as though they were strangers.

Jeanie paused as Georgie opened her door and stepped inside, looking remarkable healthy.

Jeanie scowled at her, toe tapping, as their mother would do when they misbehaved.

“Where were you?”

Georgie’s face blanked of all expression. A clear sign of deception.

“The kitchens,” she said. “I took some headache powder and drank some tea. I’m feeling better but still tired. Shouldn’t you be downstairs?”

“I came to check on you and you weren’t here,” Jeanie returned.

Georgie laughed. “Where did you think I was?”

Jeanie shrugged, tucking a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear.

With a man.

But Jeanie didn’t say it because out loud it might sound as crazy as she felt.

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