Sally James by Otherwise Engaged

Author:Otherwise Engaged [Engaged, Otherwise]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

For two days Prudence kept to her room. In truth she was suffering from an incapacitating headache, but it had been brought on by the storm of weeping she had indulged in after Lord Mottesford's proposal.

She had, with some reluctance, opened the door to her aunt, and then had poured out into that astonished lady's ears the account of the wager Netta had overheard.

'He said he would bring me to heel!' she said furiously. 'Just because I prevented him from beating poor little Harry!'

'When was this?' Lady Frome asked in surprise, and too late Prudence recalled she and Netta had carefully concealed from her aunt the episode of the broken window.

'It was a month ago,' she explained slowly. 'We did not want to worry you. The boys were playing cricket in the square, and the ball broke Mr Kennedy's window. He was quite amused, the following day,' she added hurriedly. 'He said it was a capital shot. But then Harry ran across in front of that man's horses and he caught him and tried to whip him. He's a despicable brute!'

Lady Frome disentangled this speech, and sighed.

'The boys feel so cooped up in town, but Harry must be taught to treat horses with proper care, or he could be hurt.'

'Of course he was to blame, but he's still a baby! There was no need to be so – so vicious about it. And no need at all to treat me as though I were a – a thing for men to make sport of! I'll not be used so!'

'But my dear,' Lady Frome protested, astonished at her vehemence, 'no man would go so far as to offer marriage simply to win such a stupid wager!'

'He would!' Prudence said through gritted teeth. 'He cannot bear to be wrong, or to lose anything!'

'He has asked to see you again,' Lady Frome said mildly, but Prudence shook her head angrily.

'No! What purpose would it serve? This was his last chance, the last day, and it was plain I was not besotted with him as he had hoped.'

'But if it is as you say, and after today he would lose the wager, what point would there be in pressing the offer?' her aunt asked. 'He must be sincere.'

'He has to pretend he was. I hate him!' was all Prudence, at that moment incapable of reasoning logically, would say.

Lady Frome left her alone, knowing that in this intractable mood, which occasionally attacked her normally sensible and equable niece, explanations must wait until Prudence had recovered her composure.

The next day, pale, heavy-eyed and listless, Prudence came downstairs, although she refused to drive out with her aunt or to discuss Lord Mottesford's offer, saying it was all at an end and she had no wish ever to hear his name or his offer mentioned again.

When Charlotte came to see how she was, however, exclaiming at her wan looks, she did her utmost to hide her lack of spirits from her friend, explaining she had suffered from a cold.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.