Once Upon a Wedding Night by Sophie Jordan

Author:Sophie Jordan [Jordan, Sophie]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780061736483
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

“When did this come?” Nick barked the question at Feebler, all the while fairly certain who sent the anonymous note.

“Late yesterday, sir.” The old sailor’s hands shook from age and years of too much drink. Nick had found the man starving and begging for coin in the streets. Out of pity, he had hired him. It had been simple enough to create a job that would demand very little. He used Feebler for small errands, such as sorting mail and delivering messages. Nick gazed down at the day old missive crumpled in his hands. Apparently even the prompt delivery of messages was too taxing for him.

“And why am I only now receiving it?”

“I left it here on the table for you, sir,” Feebler sputtered. “It was late, and I did not wish to bother you below…”

Nick did not hear the rest of his words. No time to waste, he took off for the stables behind the Lucky Lady, where he quickly saddled his own horse. A short while later he rapped on Lady Derring’s door. Finch opened the door, his expression as grave as ever.

“Yes, sir? What can I do for you?”

Nick wondered how the man managed to look down his nose at him when he was a full head taller. “You can stand aside and let me pass. And no, I still don’t have a bloody card, but you know who I am and you will let me inside if you have no wish to end up tossed in the street.”

Finch stepped aside and gestured to the drawing room. “The ladies are having tea, my lord. Would you care to announce yourself?”

Nick was too bent on his present course to take offense at the butler’s sarcasm. He strode across the marble-floored foyer, his mind burning with the contents of that letter. The double doors stood open, and he halted in the threshold, his gaze sweeping the room’s inhabitants. His gut tightened when he found no sight of Meredith among them.

Lady Derring looked up in astonishment at his unceremonious arrival. Miss Eleanor looked only relieved, further convincing him that she was the one responsible for sending him the missive. Lady Portia set her teacup down and relaxed back on the chaise as if settling in for a good performance.

“Lord Brookshire, this is an unexpected visit.” Lady Derring managed to inject just the right amount of disapproval in her voice. “A little early in the morning for a social call. We did not expect to see you until next week’s dinner party. I assume you plan to attend, though you failed to reply to the invitation? Very bad form that, my lord.”

“What is this rubbish about dyeing Meredith’s hair?” he demanded, ignoring her question. He had received the invitation and had vacillated on whether or not to attend, despite his agreement with the dowager. Nick had a longstanding agreement with himself never to join the ranks of the pompous elite whose very code of superiority destroyed lives…most notably his mother’s.

Lady Derring blinked and looked to each of her companions suspiciously.

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