Prudence by Beverley Watts

Author:Beverley Watts [Watts, Beverley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: .Verified, Romance
ISBN: 9798859383900
Publisher: BaR Publishing
Published: 2023-08-31T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Due to the Baron’s unexpected presence, the easy companionable evening they’d all been looking forward to was clearly impossible. Sizing up the situation as soon as they stepped through the door, both Malcolm and Jamie in their guise as employees made bland responses to the Duke’s clipped orders before bowing and taking their leave. Fortunately, Dorcas had already decided to spend the evening mending a tear in the Duchess’s petticoat.

Although she’d been unable to avoid giving him her hand earlier, Prudence planned to sit as far away as possible from the lecherous baron. It wasn’t too difficult. Both Grace and Felicity quickly went to fetch their embroidery while Prudence brought down the gossip sheet she’d not yet had the chance to read. The three women sat in the cosy window seats, well away from their unwelcome companion.

‘Hopefully, there will be more guests for dinner,’ Grace murmured. ‘I’m unsure what Nicholas will do if he’s forced to spend the whole evening with such an unpleasant bore.’

‘What is he actually doing here?’ quizzed Prudence with a shudder.

‘Likely visiting other unfortunate households at the behest of the Lord Great Chamberlain.'

As if he’d heard his sister-in-law’s muttered question, Nicholas took a sip of his tea. ‘So, are you on your way to London, Melbury?’ he asked politely.

‘Tomorrow or the next day,’ the Baron responded, helping himself to more cake. ‘I’m waiting for my man to catch up with me. I must say, Blackmore, I’m surprised to see you heading to town a whole two weeks before the celebrations start. Since you assured me that everything was in place during our last meeting, I was under the impression you intended to wait until the last minute before confronting the Coronation madness.’

‘I thought it would be an experience for my sister-in-law to see the build-up to such a momentous event,’ Nicholas responded lightly.

‘Of a certainty, it will be a spectacle never to be forgotten,’ the Baron agreed. ‘Though I confess to being relieved that my duties will soon be over.’

‘I can well conceive how travelling to so many titled estates would be wearisome,’ the Duke responded with mock sympathy.

Grace, Felicity and Prudence were listening avidly to the conversation and the Duchess winced at her husband’s sarcasm, though Lord Melbury didn’t appear to notice.

‘What say you to a brandy and a game of chess, Blackmore? It will help to while away the couple of hours before dinner.’

The Duke’s response took so long that Grace looked over in slight alarm. Even Nicholas’s legendary patience had its limits, and she knew he loathed the Baron. She breathed a sigh of relief at his eventual drawl of, ‘Why not, I hear they have an excellent brandy.’

Eyeing the other two, Grace took the opportunity to escape. Rising to her feet, she made the excuse that the ladies would use the intervening time before dinner to have a bath brought up to their rooms. Then with a last sympathetic look towards her husband, she led a much-relieved Felicity and Prudence out of the room.

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