KISSED BY A SCOUNDREL by Anna St. Claire

Author:Anna St. Claire [St. Claire, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sassy Romances

“Why don’t we step into the drawing-room, now that dinner is over,” the dowager duchess said, standing. “Franklin has set up an easel with paper, and there are charcoals.” She turned to Paula. “Will that suffice, my dear?”

They stepped into the cozy room. Books lined two walls, with gliding ladders that slid to the various stacks. A roaring fireplace was built into the wall across from the bookshelves. A painting of the dowager hung over the mantel. The fourth wall featured portraits of her son, the duke, her children, the duke’s family, along with the duchess and her late husband hanging on both sides of the window. “I miss him,” the dowager whispered, glancing up at her husband.

Katie heard the heart-felt remark, and her own heart squeezed. She knew the feeling, having lost Wendel. And yet the sharp pain she’d felt for months after Wendel’s death had lessened to an ache and she didn’t know how she felt about that.

“I thought it might be helpful if Miss Latham and Miss Gowans sat next to each other,” the duchess suggested, pulling Katie from her thoughts. “Lord Soren, Sir Nelson, you may sit across from the young ladies to offer advice. I will sit here on the chair.”

A footman walked in with a small tray of drinks and set them down beside the duchess.

“Please, help yourself to an after-dinner drink. We have brandy and sherry.”

Katie and Paula chose a sherry, and Katie suppressed a smile as the duchess took a brandy, as did the men. “I’m ready. I’ve been giving this thought all afternoon, so there’s some anxiety to see if we can put my jumbled thoughts to paper and have them make sense.”

“Katie, tell us what you recall,” Sebastian said. “Miss Gowans, perhaps you can interpret her thoughts onto the paper.”

“Please call me Paula, Lord Soren,” Paula suggested. “I’m already nervous enough.” She chuckled. “I hope I can rise to the challenge.”

“Very well, but I insist you call me Sebastian. And I am certain you will do very well. Katie has told me how talented you are.”

Paula blushed becomingly, and Katie couldn’t help but notice the slight frown on Sir Nelson’s face as he glanced between Paula and Sebastian.

“And I insist that you both call me Nelson,” Sir Nelson said abruptly. “Everyone else does.”

“Thank you, Nelson,” Katie said with a smile.

“Very well,” Paula added in rather a stiff tone.

Katie caught the irritated look Paula shot at Nelson. Nelson was Sebastian’s friend and Sebastian trusted him completely, and yet for some reason, Paula, who was usually so affable and quick to smile had been rather prickly toward him at dinner. The dowager had placed Paula next to Nelson and Katie had seen them exchange only a few stilted words but not much else.

She took a sip of her sherry and thought it best to begin with her description. Perhaps as the evening progressed, Paula would soften her view of Nelson.

“It might help if you close your eyes,” Sebastian suggested, his voice kind.

Katie nodded and closed her eyes.

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