Taming His Wicked Duchess (The Shadows Book 5) by Sadie Bosque

Author:Sadie Bosque [Bosque, Sadie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Independent
Published: 2022-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The St. Johns arrived a few minutes after the Roths, and together they were seated in the parlor, waiting for the host of the dinner party to arrive.

“Helen had a fainting spell,” Olivia explained.

“It wasn’t a fainting spell so much as just dizziness,” Helen chimed in with a pained expression. “And a headache. I am so sorry. I did not mean to hold up the dinner.”

“You have nothing to worry about,” Caroline said. “Especially considering that the duke is nowhere to be found.”

“Surely he wouldn’t just disappear,” Lavinia said, looking worried.

“Well, you’ve seen the roads,” Olivia said. “Our poor driver struggled to get us here and we live a few streets down.”

“That’s true,” St. John offered. “The roads are icy, which can’t be good either for the horses or the carriages. And it happens so rarely that it’s enough to spook the horses. Depending on where Kensington went, he might be simply stuck on the road.”

“Yes,” Caroline agreed tightly. She had the urge to ask St. John how far his mistress’s place was since he knew. But she managed to keep silent. “I am guessing Annalise wisely decided to stay at home. So now that you’re here, we can actually start eating,” Caroline said.” The duke will have to join us when he can.”

St. John raised his brow, looking confused. “Are you certain? You don’t want to wait for your husband?”

“Lady Elinor is already sleeping by the hearth. And I am starving,” Caroline said, determined to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“Well, do you want some good news first?” Victoria interrupted, turning very excited.

“Yes, please,” Helen agreed readily.

Caroline’s stomach was growling, but since Victoria interrupted her with her cheerful tone, she decided some good news could liven up the atmosphere. “Of course, dear.”

“Well, I am so incredibly happy to say that we are finally going to Russia!” Victoria beamed.

“You are?” Olivia asked. “That’s wonderful news!”

“After Yuletide, of course. We wouldn’t want to celebrate on the road,” Victoria continued.

“Does that mean that you found Matilda?” Caroline turned toward Lavinia.

“Yes,” Lavinia answered with a smile. “Apparently Matilda ran off to look for her childhood sweetheart—a quest I full-heartedly approve of. I just wish she would have told me so I wouldn’t be this worried and could have assisted her. But of course, Mr. Atwood—my then guardian—threw her out on the streets while I was at the house party, so she had no means of passing the message to me.”

“And did she find her sweetheart?” Helen asked, looking awed.

“She did indeed. I received a letter from her just as we were about to leave for dinner. She apologized profusely for the way she ran off, but I am just happy to hear that everything is well. I had to pen her a response right away. I couldn’t wait.”

“That’s wonderful!” Caroline said, absolutely thrilled for her friend. She’d been worried about her stepmother all this time and now, just in time for Christmas, she’d received the best gift.

“So as soon as I

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.