Miss Chloe's Campaign by Fran Baker

Author:Fran Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency romance, comedy of manners, Regency England, sweet Regency, sweet romance, historical romance, romance, historical fiction, humor, chimney sweeps, clean Regency romance
Publisher: Delphi Books
Published: 2015-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

For a moment the earth seemed to tilt dangerously.

Then Daniel set it back to rights by saying, “Oh, it’s you, Newman. I’m glad you’ve come. Lady Chloe has fainted, I’m afraid. I only managed to catch her before she collapsed at my feet.”

Lady Newman clutched her son’s arm. “Did you see it, Wilfred? I am sure they were kissing! Shocking, eh, what? Simply shocking! Not that I’m at all surprised by such behavior. The gel’s—”

“Forgive my rudeness in interrupting, ma’am.” Daniel’s firm tone cut into Lady Newman’s relish at having her opinion of Chloe so blatantly confirmed. “Newman, will you help me get her to that bench over there? She seems to be coming around now.”

“Oh, I say—ahem,” Lord Newman sputtered, breaking free of his mother’s clutches to grasp Chloe’s arm in a tentative hold.

A gentleman on either side of her, Chloe was guided to a nearby bench and lowered to a sitting position. It required little pretense to lift a hand weakly and pass it across her brow as she took in several deep gulps of the cool evening air, for indeed she did feel rather weak. Nor, she discovered, could she bring her skittering thoughts into any clear reasonable arrangement.

Fortunately, Daniel again came to her rescue. “If you will stay here and see to the lady, Newman, I’ll go and fetch a cold drink for her.”

“By all means, old boy.” After a brief hesitation, Lord Newman seated himself beside Chloe. Concern etched his features as he watched her push falling curls back from her brow with both hands and, taking another deep breath, sit up straighter.

“Feeling better now?” he inquired.

With Daniel’s departure, Chloe’s clarity of thought was returning. “Yes, I believe I am,” she murmured, looking at the man beside her with a grateful expression. “I—I don’t know what came over me. I have never fainted before or even suspected that I might. But all of a sudden I just felt so queer, as if I couldn’t get my breath.”

“Humph!” Lady Newman advanced to face the couple on the bench. “Shameless gel! Brazen creature! I ain’t to be taken in by that farradiddle!”

Lord Newman squirmed on the bench. “Mama, can’t you see that Lady Chloe isn’t feeling quite the thing?”

“Nonsense!” brayed her incensed ladyship. “Caught out, that’s what she is!”

“Mama,” her son cut in, his voice taking on a firmer tone, “we will discuss this later at home. I am sure you will be able to see things a little more . . . clearly then. Please go and ask Lady Millforte to come here.”

“Eh, what?” Lady Newman was clearly disconcerted by this assertive speech. “Don’t be such a bird-wit, Wilfred!”

“And stop making a figure of yourself,” Lord Newman added. He looked his furious parent in the eye, causing her to turn and leave the balcony with a rigid set to her lumbering form that boded little good for anyone.

“I apologize for her,” Lord Newman said with a rueful smile. “I believe I mentioned before that when she gets an idea in her head, it takes a great deal to dislodge it.

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