The Misfit Marquess by Teresa DesJardien

Author:Teresa DesJardien [Teresa DesJardien]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nov. Rom
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

She closed her eyes in weariness, but that just made her dizzy, so she opened them again.

There were voices ahead, in the dining room. Tiny hop by tiny painful hop, Elizabeth made her way to the open doorway. Lord Greyleigh was there, and at his side stood a common-looking fellow who had neglected to doff his hat. Or perhaps he had just donned it anew, for he shook his head and said to Lord Greyleigh, "Yer cook already seen I was taken care of. I'll leave yer to yer own meal then, m'lord."

Beside a spread of news sheets that Lord Greyleigh had obviously been reading before he was interrupted by his caller, the table was set with plates and utensils ready for luncheon. Footmen were just starting to scuttle in and out from the opposite doorway, bearing trays of cold carved beef, cheeses, fruit, and fragrant buns. At least, Elizabeth assumed they were fragrant, but the overall scent of food only served to turn her stomach.

There was no possibility she could eat, she realized at once. This roiling effect in her stomach was a sure sign that the infection in her heel did not bode well. A chair, she just wanted a chair, to sit for a while, then she would ask some of the footmen to carry her away from all the unwelcome sights and scents that filled the room.

Lord Greyleigh turned and spied her. "Ah, Elizabeth. Come to join me for luncheon?"

She nodded, because it was easier than correcting his misas-sumption that she meant to eat. She was grateful when he pulled out a chair for her. He frowned as she made her slow progress to the table, each effort oddly more difficult than the one before it. As she reached the chair and sat down, her ears began to ring. Suddenly there were bright lights dancing before her eyes, and she couldn't see or hear anything for several very long moments.

"Elizabeth? Elizabeth?" Gideon picked up one of her hands, chafing it between his own. She had gone quite pale of a sudden, and he thought with dawning alarm that perhaps she was going to faint. Again he noticed that she felt warm, too warm.

She blinked several times, and then slowly focused on his face as her color came rushing back. "I am sorry," she murmured. "I became light-headed for a moment." She gave a little shake of her head, as if to dismiss the moment, then looked as though she wished she had not. She took her hand from his and gave him a peaked smile. "You had a caller?"

"Mr. Arbuckle. He . . . works for me," Gideon said, but he was not about to share what news Mr. Arbuckle had brought him: that the investigator had compiled a list of six young ladies who had suddenly "disappeared" from Society, one from Bath and the rest from London. It was suspected, naturally enough, that they had been sent to the country, either to avoid an unsuitable connection or else to be delivered of any infant that resulted from such an unsuitable connection.

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.