Harlequin Historical: September 2022 Box Set 1 of 2 by Virginia Heath

Author:Virginia Heath
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

How was Violet ever going to tell Bianca? Her sister always thought they had endless amounts of money to spend on countless gowns and extravagant entertaining and that her marriage settlement was so substantial it would be the envy of all other debutantes.

Violet released a loud sigh as she sat down in front of the dressing room table so her lady’s maid could style her hair. This was not what Violet had expected from the house party. Once the problem of the missing estate agent was solved, she had thought her only worry would be supervising her impetuous young sister.

But at least there was a silver lining to this particularly dark cloud. A drop in the estate’s income would solve the problem of Mr Fortescue. If he really was a fortune hunter, once he heard Bianca was not worth as much as he expected, his affections would surely move on to another young lady. Violet hated the thought that Bianca might be hurt, but she was young and pretty and her first Season hadn’t yet begun. She was certain to attract the attentions of a much more suitable man, one who loved her for herself and not her dowry. And Violet was determined to provide the guidance of a caring sister to make sure that happened.

‘Shall I style your hair in the way I did last night?’ her lady’s maid asked.

‘Yes, fine.’ Violet’s thoughts were on other matters, but there was no harm in making an effort tonight, as it might be the last time they entertained at Maidstone House.

Tonight, perhaps she also could try to be a bit more accommodating to Bianca’s guests. They might be annoying and frivolous, but they were Bianca’s friends and she deserved to have fun with them one last time. Once Bianca heard they were going to have to cut back on their spending, she would be heartbroken. Fortunately, they had already paid for Bianca’s gowns for this Season, and there was a strong likelihood that a young woman as delightful as Bianca would be married before the Season was over, tempting dowry or not. Her sister might never have to know that the estate’s income had been affected.

This might not be as bad as she feared. Violet and her father were more than capable of living a quiet, frugal existence. In fact, that was exactly how they did live.

Her thoughts returned once again to Lord Jake. Fancy a wastrel being the one to expose the estate manager’s chicanery. Perhaps the unflattering description of him was a tad unfair, as there was really much more to the man than she had first thought.

Tonight would also be the last time she was likely to be in his company. That should not concern her, but being with him was not entirely unpleasant and she had perhaps been a bit harsh in her initial judgement of him. Yes, he was handsome and charming like Randolph, but she could never imagine Randolph scanning through the estate’s accounts, unless it was to see how much he could skim off for himself.

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