Once Upon a Promise by Nicola Davidson

Author:Nicola Davidson
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Nicola Davidson
Published: 2016-07-11T04:00:00+00:00

~ * ~

Donald bloody Spencer.

His jaw clenched so hard he could practically feel his teeth grinding to powder, Caleb watched the man across the room speaking quietly to Emma, his head bent toward her, laughing, lifting her hand to kiss it a second time.

Crushing the puffed-up dandy’s fingers had been far too subtle and unthreatening. Really, he should have knocked him senseless and hurled him through a second-storey window to ram home the point that at no time, in no place, would Emma Montclair ever belong to anyone but her wedded husband.

It’s your own damned fault, idiot. You left her alone for the vultures to circle.

His breath hissed between his teeth.

“I say, Major. Are you well?”

Blinking at his richly-dressed, prune-faced hostess, Caleb stretched his lips into what he hoped might resemble a smile. The woman had some gall, slithering over here after her blatant rudeness to Emma at the door.

“Quite well, thank you, Lady Penfold. You must be pleased at the turn out today.”

The older lady tittered. “Indeed my musicales are popular, but I’m partly in your debt, dear boy. Jemima and I both made it known that our darling, heroic Caleb would be making his first ton appearance this afternoon, and, well, as you can see, everyone is here to say they were present at the momentous occasion.”

Barely refraining from snorting in derision, he bowed. “I must compliment you on your afternoon tea, the simple, old favorites are such a treat.”

Lady Penfold’s eyes widened. “Er, yes. Traditional is precisely the, ah, theme I hoped to achieve.”

“Quite. By the by, you haven’t seen Sir Richard, have you? I wanted a quick word before his performance, and this line is moving rather slowly.”

“Last I saw, the captain was making his way to the antechamber over there. Might be rewriting chords or some such thing. But tell him to hurry, won’t you. We must begin at three o’clock sharp.”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied, bowing again as he moved past her and hurried toward the antechamber.

Unfortunately, Richard wasn’t alone, but standing between the parted knees of a softly moaning woman balanced on a side table, their arms locked around each other as they kissed each other senseless.

He almost started applauding, delighted beyond measure his friend had found someone he clearly felt a great deal of passion for and who felt the same.

Until they shifted slightly and he saw the woman’s face.

“Lucinda Jane Montclair,” he snarled, marching forward, shoving a music stand aside so harshly it crashed into the wall. “What the bloody hell is this?”

Lucy’s eyes widened, and in one swift movement she untangled herself, slid off the table and darted in front of her partner in crime.

“Caleb...”

Ignoring her horrified mutter, his gut roiling at the sight of his baby sister’s kiss-swollen lips, tousled hair and lowered gown sleeves, he focused a death glare on Richard.

“You know, I am really rather surprised,” Caleb bit out frigidly. “When you spoke of Madame Harridan being, now what was it, a grizzled old bastard’s demented spinster sister, I must say I pictured someone older.

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