Lord Haversham Takes Command by Heidi Ashworth

Author:Heidi Ashworth [Ashworth, Heidi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780615827049
Publisher: Dunhaven Place Publishing
Published: 2014-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Harry was aghast. Why hadn’t his father kept his mother confined to her rooms? Surely one fit of fainting and nudity was enough for anyone’s evening. He wanted to drop his head into his hands; he yearned to sink into the floor; he wished his mother to sink into the floor, but, in spite of the intensity of his desires, none of these things transpired. After a moment of stunned silence, all returned to what had been: the orchestra resumed its melody, the couples returned to their dance, and Harry stood, stock still and silent, quite incapable of summoning a Bertie-like chuckle or bon mots to save his life.

The expression on George’s face proved that he thoroughly enjoyed Harry’s plight, but it was Mira’s reaction that undid him. She looked a question at him, her magnificent blue eyes sparkling with tears, and when he would not, or rather, could not, speak, she gave him a tremulous smile and walked away. Harry should have been glad of this chance to speak to George alone but knew his voice would betray him. Instead, he watched, his throat aching, as Mira approached his mother.

“Lady Avery,” she said, brightly. “Your gown is stunning! Wherever did you have it made? I must be sure to patronize her shop the next time I am in need of something quite this spectacular.”

“Oh, Miss Crenshaw!” his mother cried, bending towards Mira and clapping her hands.

Harry admired the deftness with which Mira dipped in order to avoid being clouted in the head with an enormous sleeve. He admired her sapphire blue eyes and the variety of colors that made up her fiery hair. He admired her kindness to his mother and longed to tell her so, but first he must deal with George and the missing orders. With an effort, he pulled himself away from the pleasant scene, cleared his throat, and returned his attention to the still-smirking Duke.

“She has a way with clothing, does she not?” George drawled.

“Yes,” Harry snipped, “though, they have been rather up and down of late.”

George raised a bewildered brow, and Harry realized the Duke had not been present during Lady Avery’s scene earlier that evening.

“It is of no consequence,” Harry said, momentarily thrown off balance. His plan to gauge where George’s loyalty lay through a carefully orchestrated conversation about the young Queen now seemed as transparent as his mother’s cries for attention. “Perhaps we had best retire to the library for a glass of something,” Harry suggested and led an inquisitive George out of the room. However, once they were ensconced on the sofa in the book-lined room, brandy snifters in hand, Harry still hadn’t any idea of how to initiate a conversation that would lead to the recovery of his missing orders.

The Duke swirled the brandy around in his glass and waited, while Harry, suddenly aware of how potentially dangerous his situation was, reminded himself of the letter he was duty bound to deliver, the failure of which might mean the life of the Queen.

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