How to Get Away with Marriage: A Fake Engagement Regency Romance (The Gardner Girls Book 6 Must Love Scandal Book 1) by Fenna Edgewood

Author:Fenna Edgewood [Edgewood, Fenna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Starwater Press
Published: 2021-12-21T00:00:00+00:00

Triss was used to Aunt Agatha’s disapproving sniffs by now. She suspected the older lady did not disapprove of everything quite so deeply as her protestations suggested, but was so used to reacting negatively that it had become sheer habit.

Triss hoped she would not become similarly bitter in her old age. Though there was little chance of that. She was so different from Lady Warplesdon—more different than that lady could possibly imagine.

The idea of assisting Lady Julia Pembroke with her charity—and the opportunity to speak with Jewish women who knew Yiddish—had made Triss quite excited.

Why, when this was all over, perhaps she could devote her life to helping with such charity work. She would be self-sufficient after all, with enough for both her and David to live upon.

What might David like to do with his greater freedom, she wondered? She should put the question to him... soon... and in doing so perhaps bring him more fully into her plans for present and future.

And then a baby began to bawl.

The infant’s wail was coming from across the lawn.

A nurse was scurrying in the direction the duchess had gone, a little crying bundle cradled in her arms. Triss could see one flailing fist—soft, chubby precious baby skin—and knew the little one must have awoken from a nap, desperate for its mother.

Was it a boy or a girl?

What did it matter? Triss was on her feet, a chill of dread going through her, moving across the lawn in the opposite direction from the crying child, as quickly as she could.

Of course, the duchess would have a baby. She had a large family. There were small children. Why not a baby as well?

They were lovely people, Triss told herself. The duchess seemed like a lovely woman—kind, intelligent, and open-minded. Her children were lovely as well—the ones Triss had seen.

Her husband was probably even lovelier. Well, why wouldn’t he be—he was a duke.

They were lovely people. A lovely family.

And they had everything. Absolutely everything.

And Triss? She had nothing. She had come close to having something—less than nothing.

Then the moment had passed, as if it had never been.

As if the baby had never been.

But it had. It had been. It had lived. Her daughter had lived. Oh, if only her daughter was with her now. She would rather have her baby than this fine dress. Then the money she would earn from this foolish position. She would give up anything, anything, to hold her baby once more.

She should not have let herself think that thought.

Now the tears could not be held back. They were streaming down her cheeks.

She dared not turn back to see if anyone was watching her disappearance. She regretted if her departure embarrassed Hugh, but it could not be helped.

Sobbing softly, she put her feet on the path leading into the gardens. The space was bordered with high shrubberies. It looked quiet inside. Completely empty.

Further along, she could see a bench off in a clearing. There was no one about.

She picked up her skirt and ran in.

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