The Duke's Seduction of Lady M by Raven McAllan

Author:Raven McAllan [McAllan, Raven]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780008189297
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-10-18T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Mary worked her way through the next two days without paying a lot of attention to what she did. As a result she achieved very little. One cushion cover she was embroidering, up until then neatly and with pleasure at her efforts, had so many stitches pulled out she decided it was a lost cause and threw it into the rag pile. It would never appear even half decent, even if she sewed it perfectly the next time.

A visit to Molly Trevor, the seamstress Miss Wishlade had recommended, had proved fruitful, although Mary had found it hard to decide on Ecru or Eau de Nil sprigged cotton for a new day dress. An introduction by Molly, to the other lady present, “Miss La Compte, my mentor” had proved somewhat of a surprise.

Miss La Compte spoke with a distinctly local accent and laughed at Mary’s obvious surprise.

‘I was born not many miles from here,’ she said cheerfully. ‘I don’t shout it out but nor do I hide it. I moved when I was quite young, but the duke and his family have always been good to me. Likewise Lord Bennett and his.’

Mary had heard of Lord Bennett and his recent marriage, who hadn’t? But surely she had heard the renowned modiste, Belle, made the new Lady Bennett’s clothes. She thought it might not be polite to mention it.

Gloria laughed. ‘I see you’ve caught up with some of the gossip. My lips are sealed but everything is amicable and we are all happy with our lot.’ Her face clouded. ‘Or mainly. Although my megrim is irrelevant. You’re here to avail yourself of Molly’s expertise. You won’t be disappointed.’

Mary acknowledged Gloria had deftly changed the subject. As Mary knew how annoying it was to have people probe into things that were really not their business, she followed Gloria’s lead and changed the subject. Shortly after she had decided on the gowns she wanted, she gave Molly a considerable order and took her leave of them.

On her ride home, and once she’d gained her own house, the fact she kept looking up to the skyline where the castle stood out in stark relief annoyed her. Nevertheless she was resigned to the fact that she always would. Not only was it a reminder of who she was, it also served the important purpose of reminding her who Brody was and how far reaching his influence undoubtedly would be. She’d have to be on guard if she wanted to keep her secrets. Why was it so important he didn’t know about Horry? Brody was richer than she, and had stated he wanted no truck with marriage. Nevertheless that nasty insidious worm of “what if” still had root in her brain. What if that knowledge made a difference? Best to stay silent.

Mary worried and wondered about it as she waited to hear from Brody about their assignation to visit Blissland. He’d said he’d contact her once he knew the best time to visit. Now she was on tenterhooks.

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