Lord Freddie's First Love by Patricia Bray

Author:Patricia Bray
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: eBook ISBN: 9781626816176
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2015-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

Nine

By Friday the house was full of guests, and Freddie was at his wit’s end. He’d hoped that having so many guests would make it easier for him to avoid Miss Sommersby; instead, it seemed everyone present was conspiring to throw them together.

In addition to Miss Sommersby and her parents, there were no less than a dozen ladies and gentlemen who were particular friends of Priscilla’s. It should have been easy for him to avoid Miss Sommersby. But the ladies, as always, showed little interest in Freddie, instead preferring to flirt with the other gentlemen present. And those gentlemen treated Miss Sommersby with careful politeness, though there was a marked lack of flirtatiousness in their manner.

It was as if Miss Sommersby wore a sign around her neck, one which read Intended Property of Viscount Frederick. Worse yet, there was nothing he could do about it. He could hardly announce to the assembled guests that he had no interest in Miss Sommersby. Such a declaration would only make him look foolish and would merely serve to add fuel to the rumors.

So he was careful to divide his attention equally among the ladies present. He partnered Miss Glavine at whist, turned the pages for Lady Alice as she played at the pianoforte, and admired the sisters Crane as they sketched the lake. But his scruples went for naught. Miss Glavine developed a headache, and asked dear Miss Sommersby to take her place. Lady Alice declared that her hand had a cramp, and pleaded that only Miss Sommersby could take her place at the instrument.

It wasn’t till the day at the lake that he realized the extent of the conspiracy surrounding him. The sisters Crane, good-hearted but none too subtle, spent nearly a quarter-hour discussing the virtues of Miss Sommersby, until Freddie was ready to scream with frustration. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Miss Sommersby appeared. At once the Crane sisters decided that nothing would do save to have Freddie row Miss Sommersby out on the lake so they could sketch the couple together.

Freddie felt ill. Miss Sommersby blushed and demurred, but then declared that she was only too happy to oblige her friends. Before he knew it, he found himself in the middle of the lake with the one woman he had most hoped to avoid.

He had to admit that Miss Sommersby made a pretty picture as she sat across from him, a parasol shading her from the sun. Freddie bent his back to the oars. He wished for a sudden storm or perhaps a bolt of lightning. Any excuse to cut short this farce. Then again, the way his luck was running, in a storm the boat would capsize, and as a gentleman he would have to save her. Once having saved her life, it would be impossible to convince anyone that he held her in no special regard.

Freddie sighed.

“Is there something wrong, my lord?”

“Tell me, why did you agree to this?”

“Why not? I have always liked boating, and the Misses Crane seemed to have their hearts set on the sketch.

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