The Duke's Scandalous Kiss: by Aileen Fish

Author:Aileen Fish
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2019-12-27T16:00:00+00:00

THE NEXT DAY, Grandmama took the girls on morning calls to say goodbye to their friends. At their third stop, Lorna’s world fell apart.

She and Julia sat to one side of the drawing room with a friend, talking of the men who’d attended the picnic.

Julia suddenly nudged Lorna and nodded toward where Grandmama sat with their hostess. The two matrons whispered, their heads together, both staring at Lorna.

They might have looked in Julia’s direction, or the other girl’s, but Lorna could feel the chastisement in Grandmama’s narrowed gaze.

She knew.

What she knew was unclear, but they’d already overstayed the polite length of a casual call, so Lorna would find out too soon for her liking.

Once they were seated in their carriage, Grandmama’s pinched expression made Lorna sink deeper into the leather seat. “You’re the object of much speculation this morning.”

There was no doubt she wasn’t speaking to Julia. “Oh? How surprising,” Lorna said.

Julia didn’t even snort at the audacity of Lorna’s response.

“It is said you and Everleigh were more…congenial than one would expect on casual acquaintance.”

Relief tampered some of Lorna’s fear. No one had seen them kiss. She glanced at her aunt from the corner of her eye and received a silent nod. “He stayed at your home just a few weeks ago. He’s trying to free Declan. One can’t call that a casual acquaintance.”

“A duke should know better than to be so friendly with a young lady. You were seen walking away from the others.” Grandmama’s voice grew sharper with each word.

Lorna squeezed her eyes shut. “We were seen walking. That proves we didn’t want to give anyone another impression.”

Hearing her grandmother’s gasp, Lorna continued. “You know the man. If he had an indiscretion in mind, no one would have discovered us.”

“Lorna, you’re not helping your situation,” Julia whispered. “Stop talking.”

“I won’t. Not until Grandmama admits she knows Everleigh better than to believe he would accost me.”

“I know him better,” Grandmama said. “But others don’t, and they’re the ones I’m concerned about. I won’t point out all the reasons I could give for how foolish your actions were. I’m certain Julia made them clear more than once.”

Lorna nodded.

“It’s too late to do anything about it now,” Grandmama continued. “We’ll move up your return to Margrave. You’ll leave in the morning. Prattle will only grow more scandalous as the tale gets ’round. I must tell Jacob to see you are married by summer. You’re too headstrong for your own good, Lorna. One of these days you’ll find yourself in a situation you can’t talk your way out from.”

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