Miss Hartwell's Dilemma by Carola Dunn

Author:Carola Dunn [Dunn, Carola]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance
Publisher: Belgrave House
Published: 1988-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

When Lady Mountolivet Gurnleigh’s carriage drove up before the school on Monday morning, the news had quickly spread. By the time she emerged from the house in her refeathered hat and bearing her once-again eyeless muff, a rabble of small boys was waiting to watch her departure. Footman, coachman, and outriders haughtily ignored this unwanted audience.

Her ladyship, seated in the coach, passed her reticule to her dresser. “Gribbins, some sixpences.”

With a regal gesture she cast the silver into the crowd, rewarding the lower orders for displaying the proper awed gratitude for her presence among them. The ragamuffins stopped squabbling over the coins to cheer as the carriage rolled down the street.

Amaryllis went back to her class, feeling sadly let down. She had not exactly expected her godmother’s visit to resolve all her doubts and vacillations, but it was dispiriting to find herself in just the same state of indecision. Neither threats nor promises could push her into marriage with Bertram, and, she was forced to acknowledge, learning that Lord Daniel was divorced in no way decreased his attractiveness. For her own peace of mind, she would just have to avoid him in future.

In the common-room after dinner, Isabel came to sit beside her.

“Papa said yesterday that I may take some of my friends to Wimbish again next Sunday if the weather is fine. May I?”

Amaryllis could think of no good reason to refuse. She need not go herself. Tizzy could chaperone the young ladies just as effectively.

“Very well. Whom do you wish to take with you this time?”

“I shall invite different people, to make it fair, but I should like Louise to come again. Some of the girls have been out with their own visitors, so they will not mind, do you not think, ma’am?”

“I expect that they will survive the disappointment,” she said gravely, hiding a smile at Isabel’s certainty that the excursion was a treat worth fighting over. She was aware of a strong desire to go herself, but it would not do. “It is Miss Tisdale’s turn to go with you, I believe.”

Isabel looked dismayed. “Oh but Papa particularly said to ask Miss Hartwell,” she said doubtfully.

Amaryllis’s breath caught in her throat, but she replied with tolerable composure, “Perhaps your Papa is not acquainted with Miss Tisdale yet. It is you and your friends he wishes to see, and it would not be fair for me to have all the outings, would it?”

“No... but I should like you to come.” The child looked up at her pleadingly. “Could you not come too?”

“No, my dear. I cannot leave Mrs. Vaux alone all day.”

She was almost relieved when, towards the end of the week, the weather deteriorated to the point where any sort of travel could be undertaken only with the greatest difficulty. For three days rain fell in torrents, lashed by gale-strength winds. She was not at all surprised when, on Saturday afternoon, a sodden, mud-covered groom arrived with a message from Lord Daniel. Daisy brought the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.