Tempting Sin by Ann Lethbridge

Author:Ann Lethbridge
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Regency Romance, Family, England, Duelling, Historical Romance
Publisher: Ann Lethbridge
Published: 2017-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Victoria edged deeper into the shadows of the hedge outside the Eckford townhouse. She shivered and pulled her blue merino cloak closer. What else should she expect for late April at two o’clock in the morning? If Cassandra didn’t arrive home in the next five minutes, Victoria was marching right back to her hired post-chaise and returning to her nice warm bed in Travis Place.

No moon brightened the sky, but the stars and a lamp farther down the street cast enough light for her to watch the Eckfords’ front door.

What on earth did people find to do at Vauxhall until this hour of the morning? If she hadn’t pleaded a headache and if Maria hadn’t still been feeling stiff and sore from the accident, Victoria would have known for herself. Try as she might, she’d been unable to think of a way to both go to Vauxhall and help Cassandra out of her difficulty. So here Victoria stood in the dark, like a garden ornament. Waiting for a girl who had no doubt enjoyed her evening to the full.

Playing the good Samaritan no longer seemed like quite such a good idea. Travis would be furious. If Cassandra had not sounded so pathetic in her note, Victoria would not have considered taking such a risk. Why on earth had Travis set his sights on an unwilling woman? One only had to see the way women ate him up with their eyes to know he could pick from a vast array of those who would be more than happy to become his mistress. Obviously Cassandra didn’t have a scrap of the courage needed to tell him her feelings.

A nagging doubt assailed her. Cassandra had told him she would go with him. His humiliation when she did not arrive would be Victoria’s doing. He would not be pleased.

She shifted her cold feet. Where was Cassandra? Perhaps she had decided to join Travis after all? A hollow emptiness spread through Victoria’s body.

She shivered, rubbing her cold hands together. Five more minutes then she would leave.

The sound of trotting horses on the cobblestones rang out nearby. Victoria held her breath, not sure if she wanted it to be the Eckfords’ coach or not. The carriage pulled up and soft laughter broke the silence. Footsteps tapped up the path and the carriage rolled away. A door slammed.

More minutes passed.

Soft footfalls behind her made Victoria turn around. She closed her eyes and opened them again. No, she had not been mistaken. Cassandra wore a hooded cloak made of some silver fabric that, even in the dim light, sparkled like hoarfrost in a winter sun. She could not have been more conspicuous if she had tried. Victoria reached out and pulled her into the shadows.

“Ouch.” Cassandra rubbed her arm.

“Shh. I thought you would never come,” Victoria whispered. “Where are your bags?”

“Travis said not to bring anything. He said he had everything I needed.”

Victoria rolled her eyes. “But you’re not going to Travis, are you?”

“Oh, right. Shall I go back and pack?”

Victoria bit back her impatient retort.

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