Willing Love by Mary Jean Adams

Author:Mary Jean Adams [Adams, Mary Jean]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, Suspense
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2015-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

“They’re both here?” Prudence decided she must have misunderstood Mrs. Hatcher.

“Sit still, Miss Prudence, or I’ll never finish your hair.” Netty spoke through the pins she held between her lips.

“Yes, ma’am.” Mrs. Hatcher seemed rather surprised herself. “Both Mr. Evan and Mr. Bainbridge are waiting for you in the parlor.”

“They came together?”

After the long, silent carriage ride back from the Governor’s Ball, Prudence found it hard to believe Richard had dared come within ten feet of her betrothed. For reasons she could not fathom, Mr. Evan clearly disliked her oldest and dearest friend. It just didn’t seem possible. Everybody liked Richard. Positively everybody!

“I don’t exactly know if they came together, but they arrived at the same time. They both claimed to be escorting you to the assembly tonight.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hatcher. Tell them I will be down shortly.”

Netty took the last of the pins out of her mouth and spoke to her mistress as if she were a child. “Not if you don’t sit still you won’t. You keep fidgeting, and I’ll have to start all over.”

Prudence willed herself to keep still. She didn’t care one whit what her hair looked like, but she hated to leave the two men alone in her parlor any longer than necessary—especially when her grandfather’s dueling pistols lay in a case on the mantel.

As soon as Netty declared her ready, Prudence snatched her reticule from the bed and flew down the stairs, slowing only to catch her breath before throwing open the double doors to the front parlor.

Both men looked up. Richard wore his usual jovial expression. Mr. Evan’s face was as icy as a Rhode Island winter.

“Mr. Evan. Richard.” Prudence fanned herself. “How...nice to see you both here.”

Mr. Evan raised an eyebrow.

Richard cast him a sidelong glance, then stepped forward. “Yes, I thought I’d stop by to ensure you had an escort to the assembly. I know how much you were looking forward to attending.”

“Oh, yes, I am so looking forward to it.” Prudence lied. “Let me fetch my cloak. I’ll be but a moment.”

The last place she wanted to be was at the Waite’s assembly, and Richard knew it. The Waites fancied themselves among the upper crust of Rhode Island society, and they filled their home with guests they deemed worthy of their notice. There would be fops and coquettes aplenty, social climbers who thought that what one wore was more important than one’s character. Nevertheless, wealth remained the primary criteria for inclusion on the guest list. It was the latter that had won the Ashcrofts their invitation over the years.

Then there were the political climbers, men who looked to England to further their station in life. They were vocal in their support of England’s attempt to control trade between the Colonies and other countries and especially vociferous in their claim the Colonies should be grateful to the mother country for all they had.

These were the men she had to be especially careful around. They had been suspicious of Ashcroft for

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