The Duke’s Wife: The Three Mrs Book 3 by Michaels Jess

Author:Michaels, Jess
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781947770522
Publisher: Passionate Pen LLC, The
Published: 2021-05-10T16:00:00+00:00

* * *

Abigail’s hands were shaking as she followed Gardner to the parlor. He announced her and then stepped aside to allow her entry.

She found Nathan first, standing by the window. Their eyes locked and her heart made the funniest flutter. She hadn’t seen him in nearly a week, and she realized in that moment that she’d truly missed him. It was unconscionable.

He began to cross to her and she let her gaze flit around the room, looking for his sister. A young lady stood at the sideboard, setting down the teapot in her hand. She was pretty, with blond hair and a lovely pink dress that was fitted to perfection. She had to be Ophelia. Her eyes looked too much like Nathan’s not to be. Eyes that bored into her, though her expression was neutral as she flicked her gaze over Abigail from head to toe.

“Good afternoon,” Nathan said as he reached her. “I’m so glad you’ve arrived. May I present to you my sister, Lady Ophelia. Ophelia, this is Abigail. Mrs. Montgomery.”

Abigail flinched at the use of her married name. So did Ophelia, so at least they had that in common. She extended a hand toward the young woman and tried to make her smile bright. “My lady.”

Ophelia looked at her outstretched fingers for what felt like a few seconds too long and then shook her hand. “Mrs. Montgomery.”

Had Ophelia emphasized the name? Abigail couldn’t tell if she was being paranoid or observant. Nathan didn’t seem to react as he motioned them both to sit. Ophelia took one of the chairs and Nathan the other, leaving Abigail to take a place on the settee, staring at them as if they were a firing squad.

For a little while, it was only small talk between them. They spoke of the weather and the roads during Ophelia’s journey from Cornwall. It was a strange thing. Abigail had always seen Nathan as so certain of himself, and yet he seemed nervous as he managed the conversation. She could see how much he wanted them to like each other.

And she couldn’t help but smile, despite the fact that she had no idea if his acrobatics were working. Ophelia was still entirely unreadable no matter where the conversation moved. She did watch Abigail, though. Reading her, she thought. Just as Nathan had done back at the beginning.

Abigail smiled at Ophelia. “You’ve been away from London a while, I think. Do you have any plans for your time here?”

“Just a wedding,” Ophelia said with a light laugh. When she smiled, it did soften her considerably. “I think you have lived mostly in London, though, haven’t you? At least since your marriage to Erasmus Montgomery.”

Nathan stiffened. He leaned forward. “You know, there’s really no need to discuss—”

Abigail kept her gaze on his sister and interrupted. “I don’t agree, Your Grace. I think it’s very important we address this subject. It is the elephant in every room I enter, and your sister has a special interest in the topic because of her own past with the man.

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.