Scandal of the Year by Olivia Drake

Author:Olivia Drake [Drake, Olivia]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Fiction, General, Love Stories, Contemporary, Historical, Historical Fiction, London (England), Impostors and Imposture, Inheritance and Succession, Heiresses
ISBN: 9780312943479
Publisher: ST MARTINS PR INC
Published: 2011-03-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Within a few days, the scheme had been arranged and invitations to the party sent out.

James had found out about the revised plan when Blythe instructed him to write another letter to Lady Davina, this one announcing the prince’s imminent arrival in London and begging a rendezvous with her in the garden at Pallister House on the night of the party. Prince Nicolai asserted that he wished to have the long-awaited meeting with the beautiful lady in a private place away from any crush of onlookers.

What blather, James thought as he strode through the teeming streets of Covent Garden. To think anyone would be brainless enough to believe such a trumped-up scheme. He only wondered how Blythe had managed to talk her sisters into assisting with it.

The mid-morning sun shone down on the soot-stained buildings, the dim alleyways, and the open stalls of the market where tradesmen hawked their wares. Having delivered the letter to the duke’s townhouse on Albemarle Street a few minutes prior, James had left Mayfair on an additional errand of his own making. He didn’t have much time since Godwin always kept a sharp eye on the footmen under his charge.

But James had been waiting for an opportunity like this. He was impatient to see if Percy Thornton had returned from Lancashire. More than a week had passed since their last meeting, which was ample time for the retired estate agent to have completed the journey.

“Fer yer lady,” wheedled a flower seller, thrusting out a grimy hand holding a bunch of violets.

For one mad moment, James pictured himself presenting the flowers to Blythe, watching her face light up with pleasure, enjoying the kiss of gratitude she bestowed upon him.…

Then he shook his head at the woman and strode onward toward the cramped streets near the Strand. How idiotic. He wasn’t courting Blythe. And why would he think she’d want a cheap posy from him, anyway, when extravagant bouquets from her suitors arrived like clockwork every morning?

These untimely fantasies had to cease. With each passing day, she seemed to have a stronger hold on him, mind and body.

The worst of it was, he genuinely liked her. She was warm and friendly, with expressive features that revealed her feelings. After that hot kiss they’d shared, he certainly wouldn’t call her snobbish, either. Nor could he condemn her as a social climber. Although Blythe was pursuing a title, that was only to be expected of a girl in her position. She’d been raised to believe that making the best possible marriage was her sole purpose in life.

Nevertheless, he disliked seeing her wed a stuffy, middle-aged widower like Savoy. She ought to choose a husband closer to herself in age. A man who had the virility to arouse and satisfy her passions.

James realized he was clenching his jaw. He forced himself to relax. It served no purpose for him to dwell on his desire to bed her. Blythe might be naïve enough to flirt with a footman, but that was the extent of it.

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