Harlequin Historical February 2019 - Box Set 1 of 2 by Laura Martin Annie Burrows laurie benson

Author:Laura Martin, Annie Burrows, laurie benson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-01-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

‘Y ou will never guess what that Duke of Theakstone has in mind with regard to Sofia,’ said Uncle Ned as he lopped the head off his boiled egg at breakfast the next morning. ‘He’s taken the queerest notion into his head to consider looking her over to see if she’d make him a suitable bride.’

Sofia struggled to swallow her mouthful of tea, rather than spraying it all over the tablecloth. Suitable bride? It couldn’t be true.

‘Sofia?’ Aunt Agnes appeared as shocked as Sofia felt.

‘I know.’ Uncle Ned shook his head with a bemused air. ‘Thought he must be castaway when he said it, but see, here,’ he said, tossing a stiff cream card across the table to Aunt Agnes. ‘The invitation came first thing.’

Invitation?

Aunt Agnes let out a little shriek. ‘Theakstone Court! He’s inviting us all to spend a whole week with him at Theakstone Court.’

‘Yes, he’s inviting a whole gaggle of girls with their families for the week to see how they manage there.’

What kind of man invited a whole gaggle of girls to his house, to see how they managed, rather than courting and proposing to just one woman? Why…why…he was going about it as though he was conducting a week-long interview for paid employment.

‘Of course, you will write and send our regrets, and so forth,’ said Uncle Ned, applying himself to his egg.

‘What? Why?’ Aunt Agnes looked at him as though he’d lost his mind.

‘Well, naturally we shan’t go,’ retorted Uncle Ned.

‘Why ever not?’

Yes, why wouldn’t Uncle Ned let her go there? Typical. Whenever she…

She took her teacup in both hands and took another sip, guiltily aware that until Uncle Ned had said she couldn’t go, she hadn’t actually wanted to go to Theakstone Court. It was only when he started telling Aunt Agnes it was out of the question that she was remembering all the other things she had wanted to do and not been allowed. The entire trip to Burslem Bay had been a series of disappointments. Uncle Barty had painted a picture of the kind of seaside holiday which would have been the perfect tonic. But Aunt Agnes hadn’t let her attend any assemblies, so she hadn’t danced with any dashing men in red coats, let alone acquired a coterie of beaux.

‘Waste of time,’ said Uncle Ned, waving his butter knife in Sofia’s direction to emphasise his point. ‘Sofia’s going to marry Jack. Been settled for some time.’

Oh, no, it hadn’t. Jack hadn’t proposed. They were not officially betrothed. The two families had just always assumed that one day Jack would drop the handkerchief…

‘Yes, but nobody needs to tell the Duke of Theakstone, do they?’ said Aunt Agnes in a conspiratorial tone. ‘And it’s not as if Sofia’s going to have her head turned by the prospect of a coronet. She dotes on Jack.’

Dotes? Hah! She might have done, once, before the scales fell from her eyes. She reached for a slice of toast to stop herself from blurting out the truth—that the prospect of being leg-shackled to an oaf like Jack filled her with revulsion.

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