A Christmas Elopement by Fenella J Miller

Author:Fenella J Miller [Miller, Fenella J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-08-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

Frances thought it might be humiliating for the young man to know that she’d been listening to this exchange so she slipped away and joined her mother and Lord Sinclair in the smaller room that was used for both breakfast and luncheon.

Things were changing so fast that she could scarcely keep up with them. First, she’d disliked the earl and had a preference for his friend and now the reverse was true. The smiling, friendly face Sinclair showed to the world could well be a façade. His annoyance when she’d refused to allow him to use her given name had registered.

Heaven knows how she now came to be on such intimate terms with the Earl of Tiverton. Yesterday she had wished him one hundred miles away and now she was relishing the thought of spending the next week or so in his company.

Smoke was sitting at the bottom of the staircase but instead of pushing his huge head into her hand as he always did, he continued to stare at the upper gallery.

‘You’re a fickle friend, my boy, to have changed allegiance so suddenly.’ Curtis and Mr Palmer appeared and the dog began to thump his tail. ‘My faithful hound has abandoned me in favour of you, sir, I cannot imagine why.’

‘Guilt is what motivates him, my dear. After all he took a lump out of me yesterday thinking I was doing you harm.’

‘I don’t suppose you’ll believe me if I tell you he’s never bitten anyone before.’ She glanced up at him and smiled. ‘Rather like yourself, he appears far more dangerous than he actually is.’

‘I think that untrue – after all, am I not full of holes because of him?’

The young man was watching the two of them with an open mouth. With some difficulty he closed it and asked plaintively. ‘I’m sharp-set, Miss Compton, do you think there’ll be anything left for us?’

‘One thing that this household is not short of, Mr Palmer, is food. I expected to be entertaining literally hundreds over the twelve days of Christmas and now all my careful planning has come to nought.’

‘Perhaps we can still do some of the things you’d planned, Miss Compton. I enjoy play-acting and so does Esther.’ He frowned and then continued. ‘In fact, I think she play-acts more than she is herself.’

Curtis patted the boy sympathetically on the shoulder and she saw the young man flinch away. ‘We have both been bamboozled by her. You’re fortunate, you need never spend time with her again. I, on the other hand, foresee many years of lively debate before I can hand her over to another gentleman.’

The sound of footsteps behind them made them all turn. Lady Esther was hurrying towards them no sign of her previous ill temper in her happy smile.

‘I’m glad that you’re together. Curtis, Miss Compton, I wish to apologise for my intemperate words earlier. Felix, we would not have suited and you must think yourself lucky to have escaped a lifetime of misery tied to me.

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