Slightly Dangerous by Mary Balogh

Author:Mary Balogh
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780440334996
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2004-05-31T16:00:00+00:00

12

CHRISTINE HAD ARRIVED IN LONDON ONE WEEK BEFORE Audrey’s wedding and had taken up residence with Melanie and Bertie. She had enjoyed the week. It had included numerous shopping trips to Oxford Street and even the more exclusive Bond Street, since she needed new clothes, and for once in her life had money to spend on them—and since shopping was one of Melanie’s passions. Soon Christine had a new wardrobe of spring and summer clothes, all chosen with an eye to color and fashion and practicality—and economy. She did, after all, want to have some money left with which to purchase gifts to take home to her family. And she was not extravagant by nature.

She had enjoyed visiting Lady Mowbury with Melanie and seeing Hector and sharing some of the excitement of the approaching wedding with Audrey. She had taken a drive in the park with Justin.

She had even gone with Melanie and Bertie to dine with Hermione and Basil two days before the wedding, an occasion she had not looked forward to with any eagerness at all. But they had been civil, if not exactly affectionate, and Basil had taken her aside during the evening to explain to her that he intended to make her a quarterly allowance, since she was Oscar’s widow and therefore his financial responsibility. When she had tried arguing with him, he had insisted. He and Hermione had talked about it, he had told her, and come to the decision that it was what Oscar would have wanted. Christine had seen that it was important to him that she accept, and so she had argued no more.

Hermione had kissed the air near her cheek as they were leaving and submitted to Christine’s hug.

Some sort of peace had been made, Christine supposed. It was more than she had expected after last year. Their two sons, Oscar’s nephews and therefore Christine’s too, had greeted their aunt with enthusiasm and she had remembered that she had always been a great favorite with them.

She had done the right thing to come to town for the family wedding, she had decided. She had still thought so even when she arrived at St. George’s on Hanover Square and discovered that there were obviously going to be far more guests than just family. At least by then she had been clad in the smartest of her new clothes and was with Hermione and Basil and the boys.

She had thought it right up to the moment when she had looked up to see who the gentleman was who was important enough to be seated in front of Viscount and Viscountess Elrick, cousins of the bride, and had realized that he was the Duke of Bewcastle.

To say that she had felt seriously discomposed at that moment would be greatly to understate the case. She had almost panicked, if the truth were known, and jumped out of her pew and blundered back along the nave of the church to make her escape—and a public spectacle of herself.

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