Seductions of a Duke's Daughter (The Duchess's Investigative Society Book 4) by Samantha Holt

Author:Samantha Holt [Holt, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Helstone Press
Published: 2022-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Turning in time to find his mother marching toward him, Oliver threw back his glass of lemonade and winced. The liquid was still less sour than his mother’s expression, however.

She took his arm in a painful grip and barely glanced at Eleanor. “Excuse me, young lady, but I crave a word with my son.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Mother.”

“Must you make a scene,” his mother hissed.

“If you continue trying to tear my arm off, I do believe it will be you making a scene,” Oliver managed to respond calmly, though he felt anything but.

Handling his mother was difficult enough without Eleanor witnessing it all. How he—a grown man with enough experience of life under his belt—could be made to feel anything but confident by this shrew of a woman, he did not know, but dread twisted deep in his gut. He’d seen his mother watch them dance, seen the narrowed gaze and the tightly pursed lips. Eleanor was not a young eligible debutant, and his mother would despise him for it.

Despise Eleanor.

“You should be dancing,” his mother insisted, tugging on his arm again. “There are plenty of young girls sitting down, in need of a partner, yet here you are, wasting your time with—” She sent a withering look Eleanor’s way.

Eleanor shrank back a few steps and Oliver clenched his jaw. “I did not know quenching one’s thirst could be considered a waste of time. To think how much time I have wasted merely drinking...goodness, I could have been doing so many other things.”

His mother narrowed her gaze, her lips so tight they almost vanished. “You really are the most disgraceful excuse for a son.”

In the periphery of his vision, he spied Eleanor’s posture stiffen. “I’m so sorry to have disappointed you so, Mother,” he said without emotion, despite the tightness bunching in his chest.

Nothing would ever please this woman, he knew that much. She’d been bred to rise through the ranks and think nothing of happiness or pleasure. He didn’t even blame her sometimes, but he wished she had the intelligence to see what life had done to her and his siblings. They were all withered and tired, all utterly spent, thanks to living a life that was not theirs.

He glanced at Eleanor.

That life couldn’t be for him. Wouldn’t be for him.

“Well, you could make up for disappointing me by taking up with Miss Haverford. She is such a handsome young lady and is not engaged for the next dance,” his mother insisted.

“I find myself entirely occupied tonight.” He took Eleanor’s dance card and showed his name written across the entire thing. When he released it, Eleanor clutched the dance card close to her body and stared at the floor. He needed this to be over, swiftly. He could not bear for her to look any more uncomfortable.

“You would not?” his mother gasped.

“I would indeed.”

“People shall think...shall think...” She flailed for words for a few moments, her mouth forming an ‘o’ shape.

“Shall think I am interested in Lady Eleanor? Mother,

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