To Love a Lord by Pennington Michelle

Author:Pennington, Michelle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-03-08T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Patience smoothed her hand down her evening gown of cream gauze over an underdress of orange-blossom satin and frowned at Dora. Her maid had informed her, while dressing her hair, that the Emery family had arrived, and that knowledge had led Patience to changing her choice of dress for the evening, as she was certain Dora had intended.

“I shouldn’t have worn this,” she said aloud, annoyed with herself. The simple blue silk would have been more appropriate; there really was no need for the more extravagant gown.

“Oh, but you do look lovely, miss—if I may say so.”

“But why am I wasting it on tonight?”

“Now you know as well as I do that those Emery girls will have their eye on Lord Stanton. And they’ll be as pretty as two kittens tonight, mark my words.”

Her annoyance growing, Patience picked up her scent bottle and dabbed on the rose-and-lavender perfume. “And of what importance is that to me?” she asked.

“Oh, miss, as if I didn’t know.” Dora grinned and fastened a string of pearls around her mistress’s neck.

Patience stood and glanced at herself in the mirror, unable to help wondering what Stanton would think of her tonight. As for Lord Aston, well, after all, what had he ever done for her but give her compliments and a love note that she now regretted ever setting eyes on?

She never would have guessed that Stanton, of all men, might have the power to stir her emotions like this, and with seemingly so little effort on his part.

How was it possible that steadiness and strength and sincerity could prove more intoxicating than charm of manner and easy smiles?

But she was determined not to examine her feelings too closely, no matter how significant Stanton’s words had seemed, no matter how his soft kiss on her fingers had made her feel.

As she went downstairs, she determined to keep her distance from him—just because he had such an unfortunate effect on her control. Every time she was around him, her emotions ran wild. She could not risk her aunt learning of her growing interest.

She also could not possibly play for company tonight. Not the way he wanted her to. She dared not think what the consequences would be.

But by the time the company had gathered in the drawing room after supper, Patience felt strange new storms of emotion that she was afraid might be jealousy. Truly, could the Emery sisters be any more obvious in their flirtations with Lord Stanton? And their mother! The woman sat smiling on them as if they were behaving just as they ought. When Eleanor Emery reached out, laughing, and rested her hand on Lord Stanton’s arm, Patience’s anger bubbled to the surface and she looked away, afraid she might betray her feelings.

All out of patience with herself, she looked to where Amelia and Lord Aston sat close together in a corner near the window. Why didn’t she feel jealous about that? And why did she not care that Amelia intended to

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