Scandal's Redemption by Gibson Pamela

Author:Gibson, Pamela
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing, LLC
Published: 2022-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

James paced as raindrops trickled down the glass panes of the windows in his study. Lady Miranda had sent him a note apprising him of expenditures for the upcoming ball. She also sought his input on the buffet. As his horse needed exercise and his body hated idleness, James decided to forego the carriage and ride to Longley House.

An asinine idea. He’d be wet and drip all over her furniture.

Perhaps he should cancel the damn ball.

He’d been plagued by second thoughts since the night he’d dined at Siltsbury House. What in holy hell was he doing? He should ask Jocelyn to marry him and be done with it. She’d been raised a lady, had excellent taste, was compatible in so many ways. And his body ached for her. He awoke at night in a sweat, imagining her lying next to him with her hair unbound and eyes half-closed, her soft skin waiting for his touch.

And then Leisterbridge’s sneering face would intrude, and all of his ardor would cool. How could he ask a woman who still pined for another to wed him?

Did she pine for another? Her response to my kiss hadn’t been feigned.

Restless, he strode to the library and found a book he’d tried to read the night before. When the words blurred, he threw it down, marched to his chamber, and rang for Baird.

“Order my horse to be saddled. I’m going to go out.”

“To Longley House?”

“No. To Hyde Park.”

“Should you be riding in this weather, milord? Is it wise, given yer family history?”

“Surely you are not referring to the curse.” Why were his servants such a superstitious lot? Even Baird had caught what he referred to as the malignant-mistress fever. “That portrait did not appear in the study by itself. Someone placed it there, probably to gratify prurient interest while I was away. The fact that it fell means it was someone who knew nothing about how to hang a heavy portrait.”

“If ye say so, milord. I find it odd, given everything that has happened to you.”

“I was shot by a poacher. People go hungry if they haven’t resources. The mishap with the tart intended for me was unsettling, primarily because I haven’t a clue as to how that happened. Either someone is lying and poisoned the tart on purpose, or someone with poor eyesight accidentally grabbed an old medicine bottle, thinking it was some kind of flavor enhancement. I interviewed everyone. No one has confessed, nor does anyone have the slightest motive.”

“Yer cousin could have paid someone to do it.”

“Enough about Dominick! I’ll hear no more. Besides, if your theory about the curse is correct, Dom is also at risk. He is a Margrave.”

“Yer testy today.”

“When I want your opinion, I will ask for it.” He turned away and placed his hands on the back of a chair, taking deep breaths. He shouldn’t snap at Baird. The man had stood by him in makeshift field hospitals, helping wherever he could. James couldn’t have asked for a better valet, even if Baird did make his views known.

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