The Reluctant Duchess: a Charmingly Sexy Historical Regency Romance by Jane Goodger

Author:Jane Goodger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: 2019-03-10T21:40:33+00:00

Mrs. Habershaw arrived within a fortnight, frowning heavily as she looked around the grand hall. “Where is my nephew?” she called out as she handed off her muff, cloak, hat, and gloves without looking at who was taking them. Rebecca swore she could feel the coolness of her sharp gaze when the older woman spied her. She looked down her nose through a pair of spectacles that perched, rather miraculously, near the very tip. “You there. Fetch His Grace.”

Rebecca hid a smile and dipped a quick curtsy, realizing too late that she greatly outranked the woman before her. “I am the duchess.” Even to her own ears she sounded unsure.

Mrs. Habershaw seemed to freeze on the spot—or rather turn to stone. “You?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh, dear.” The woman’s face sharpened imperceptibly. Her expression told Rebecca more than her words ever could. It said: Now I understand why my nephew sent for me. This girl is an impossible case but I shall forge ahead and do my best out of duty.

Oliver appeared then, walking into the hall, his eyes searching out Rebecca. “Your aunt has arrived, Your Grace.”

Oliver came immediately to her side, then stepped forward to greet his aunt. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Aunt.”

“You have not outgrown your affliction I see,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Indeed, I have not.”

“A pity,” she said, and Rebecca felt herself bristle. She swallowed a retort, not wanting to be combative when she needed this woman to remain. “I last saw you when you were still in the cradle, shortly before my sister brought shame upon the family.” She glanced at Rebecca. “I do hope we can avoid a repeat of such scandal.”

“From what I understand, scandal is the only thing to brighten the ton’s day,” Rebecca said. “I do believe we shall cause quite a stir when we travel to London.”

Mrs. Habershaw looked aghast. “Surely not for the Season.”

“In two weeks. I would like to go and return before the holidays and before the weather becomes too harsh.”

Mrs. Habershaw nearly staggered, but she did hold one hand over her heart, as if it were paining her. Stepping forward, the lady peered at her more closely. “Two weeks? I could not possibly get her ready to be presented in two weeks. You do realize she will have to be presented to Her Highness.”

Rebecca felt the blood drain from her face. Presented to the queen? Oliver looked at Rebecca uncertainly, and she could almost hear his mind whirring—perhaps thinking he had miscalculated terribly in his choice of a wife. One might think she was standing there dressed like a… She looked down at herself and realized she was dressed more like a governess or a housekeeper than the lady of the house.

“We only wish to purchase a more suitable wardrobe and to obtain spectacles for His Grace on this trip. Then we will return and the lessons can begin in earnest.” Twisting her hands together, Rebecca said, “Do I truly have to be presented to the queen?”

Mrs.

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.