Never Miss a Chance by Maureen Driscoll

Author:Maureen Driscoll [Driscoll, Maureen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-08-29T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lady Charlotte Redmond rarely rose before noon. It wasn’t unusual for her to remain in her bed at Riverton House until two of the o’clock. On one or more occasions, she’d been known to sleep until three. But that was followed by such a rush to get ready for the afternoon drive in the park that it was too stressful for the constitution she told everyone was frail but could likely withstand a cannon blast.

It was, however, almost impossible to sleep with such banging on her bed chamber door. She was mentally preparing the speech that would discharge on the spot – with no character – the lackwit servant who was waking her up, when the door burst open and her sister Edith charged in.

“Get out!” hissed Charlotte.

“Don’t take that tone with me,” said Edith, looking even more frightful than usual. “I’m hardly the help.”

“I don’t care if you’re the King. No one disturbs me from my rest. I value my beauty sleep. Something you wouldn’t understand.”

A direct hit, if the look on Edith’s rather plain face was any indication.

“Don’t waste your ire on me. You’re going to want to hear this.”

“I’m sure whatever you have to say can wait,” said Charlotte as she turned in such a way to block out the sun peeking past the curtains.

“Shut it, Charlotte,” said Edith as she plopped down on the foot of the bed. “Our brother has got himself betrothed to Elizabeth Kellington.”

Charlotte sat up remarkably quickly for someone just awakening.

“That means I’ll see Lynwood on a daily basis. We’ll be family. Marcus can put in a good word and I’ll be a duchess.”

Edith watched her beautiful, vain, dullard of a sister for exactly half a minute before picking up the latest copy of La Belle Assemble from the floor and hurling it at her head.

“Since when has Marcus ever put in a good word for either of us where Lynwood’s concerned?”

“Well, he wouldn’t put one in for you, would he?” sniffed her sister. “Lynwood’s tastes are a bit too refined. No doubt his duchess will be younger and more, shall we say, comely than you.”

“Tell me, Charlotte, when was the last time you saw Lynwood court a lady who set a servant on fire? You do recall he was here for that incident, correct? After all, he is the one who extinguished the man.”

“I didn’t set the man on fire on purpose. I just shoved him and he was oafish enough to fall into the candelabra. He wasn’t even burned. And with the settlement Marcus gave him, he was able to retire to the country. Servants should beg me to shove them if that’s the reward they get.”

“You’re missing the point. If Marcus marries that creature, he’s likely to move back to Riverton House.”

Charlotte picked up one of the mirrors on her bedside table to confirm she was, as Sir Lucas Winchester had so winningly said, prettier each day than the last. “It shall be easier to ask for advances in pin money.

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