Pride and Premeditation by Steffanie Holmes

Author:Steffanie Holmes [Holmes, Steffanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bacchanalia House
Published: 2019-04-25T05:00:00+00:00

Lydia dressed in the muslin gown she’d arrived in, pinned her hair and adorned it with silk flowers she’d purchased from the market in Netherfield. As soon as she was satisfied that she was ready to receive an onslaught of gushing admirers, the three of us rose to make our way to the day’s activities. I kissed Quoth goodbye, running my hands through his black hair. “I’ll think of you all day long,” he said between kisses.

“You do that,” I kissed him. “We have the ball tonight, so—”

Quoth pointed to the bedroom window behind his head. “I’ve left that open wide enough so I can come in. But I think I’ll probably sit outside the ballroom and watch the ball. It’ll be fun to see the costumes and hear the band and watch you batter Heathcliff’s shins.”

I placed my hands on my hips and glared at him. “I’ll have you know I’m a fantastic dancer, thank you.”

“That’s a lie,” Heathcliff called from the hallway.

“Mina, let’s go!” Lydia dragged a distraught Moriarty toward the stairs.

I clung to Quoth, not wanting a whole day to go by where I didn’t see him. He laughed, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Just know that when you clomp around that dance floor tonight, I’ll be watching you.”

A delicious shiver ran down my spine at the thought. “I like that.”

Lydia barged through the door and grabbed my arm, dragging me away. “Christ, you’re more of a dawdler than my sister Jane, always with her head in the clouds.”

I waved goodbye as Lydia dragged me from the room and slammed the door behind me. Heathcliff wrenched me from her grasp and settled my hand on his arm. “Her method leaves much to be desired,” he murmured. “But I can’t argue with her logic. I heard the breakfast is quite something to behold, and my grumbling stomach has a mind to behold it.”

Breakfast was served in two large rooms off the main house kitchen. The walls had been whitewashed, and the normal furnishings removed and replaced with long banquet tables. My mouth watered when we approached the buffet. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was. Having a foursome must’ve worked off a hell of a lot of calories.

The food was arrayed in silver chafing dishes, with labels written in tiny print attached to the tops. I leaned over to read my choices. Scrambled egg? Yes, please. I dumped a spoonful on my plate. Pork and fennel breakfast sausages? Don’t mind if I do. Croissants with ham and cheese? I’ll take three—

“Excuse me, dear, but you shouldn’t breathe all over the food like that.”

I jumped in surprise, tipping my plate forward and spilling eggs and sausage down the front of my dress. Color flared in my cheeks as I turned to meet a group of older ladies in their Regency finery. I hadn’t realized how close I’d been leaning over the food in my attempt to read the labels. “Oh, right, sorry.”

“Leave her alone,” Heathcliff glowered at the dowagers.

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