A Bunch of Mistletoe by Lynne Connolly

Author:Lynne Connolly
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2020-07-17T21:00:00+00:00

THE NEXT DAY witnessed a rush of arrivals. Matilda enjoyed the flush of enjoyment marking Annie’s cheeks at her acceptance into society but watched her carefully and sent her upstairs for a rest in the early afternoon. In the drawing room before dinner, she quietly took her place at Gerald’s side as he greeted the guests. He was doing well, but the strain of greeting the guests was telling on him. His nostrils were pinched and he was standing rigidly, as if at attention.

The Duke of Blackridge, dark and glowering, had arrived and studiously ignored Dorcas. Something was going on between those two, but Matilda didn’t know what it was.

Undeterred by his forbidding appearance, Matilda greeted him warmly. He met her gaze and his lips twitched as if threatening to break into a smile. Matilda liked him. Unlike many of his kind, he did not despise her for her origins. Neither did he treat her like a servant or paid companion, as many others did.

“I remember this place as terribly daunting,” Blackridge commented, gazing around him. The drawing room was magnificently arranged, but Matilda privately considered it could use a personal touch, some family pieces. And the furniture need not be so rigidly arranged. Once Advent was over, sprigs of holly from the trees on the estate would give the room a festive touch. Formality would take another step back.

One day, a new mistress would take hold of the place and turn it into whatever she wanted. Matilda wouldn’t be here to see it. She’d make sure of it.

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