An Assembly in Bath (Three Sisters from Hertfordshire Book 2) by Meg Osborne

Author:Meg Osborne [Osborne, Meg]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Regency Historical Romance, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Kitty Bennet, Jane Austen Fan Fiction, JAFF
Publisher: Meg Osborne
Published: 2018-07-28T00:00:00+00:00

MATTHEW HAD NOT WISHED to return to the assembly immediately after overhearing the surprising truth about his friend. Captain Barton was married! Well, it ought not to be a surprise. Had not the fellow always been particularly attractive to young ladies? Yet, if it were true, where was his wife? Why did he never speak of her? Indeed, why did he actively seek to conceal her identity, her very existence?

His head began to pound, and he reached his free hand up to massage it, picking his way carefully towards the main doors and out into the courtyard. The night air was brisk, and he welcomed it, taking several deep breaths in hopes that clearing his lungs would also clear his mind and allow him to think sensibly once more.

There had been no clue, no indication that his friend was already in possession of a wife. In fact, it seemed to Matthew that he had gone further still: he had striven to conceal the fact. A fierce frown settled onto Matthew’s features. And what game had his friend been playing with Kitty Bennet if indeed he was already married? He was encouraging her in a flirtation that could go nowhere, which was cruel, or, worse, he was intent on deceiving her into a marriage that would be bigamous. Surely not! His friend was a cad and could be careless with the feelings of others, perhaps, but he was not immoral. And what role had Isabella Pike to play in this story?

Matthew’s leg ached, but this time for motion, some exercise to ease the agitation of his spirit. He strode away from the crowd, wishing with every step that his thoughts might become calmer and more ordered.

He wanted to give his friend the benefit of the doubt, to trust that this was merely a misunderstanding, but he had a nagging sense of suspicion at the back of his mind that, intentional or otherwise, Captain Barton’s married state was likely to cause heartache to at least one young lady, for if he had not known of it, it must be assumed that Kitty Bennet likewise did not. And yet, she was friends with Miss Pike, was not she? Surely her friend would have moved to protect her from being entangled with a married man. He considered the matter carefully. He was not well-versed in interactions between female friends, but he had rather been of the opinion that Isabella was encouraging a potential match between the captain and Kitty. What could be gained by such a mess, when she seemed the only one in Bath who knew the truth?

Confusion lodged itself in his stomach, and he knew that he could not keep this secret entirely to himself. He would not expose his friend, not until he knew the truth, but he would need to confess to what he had overheard. He would speak to Barton first, for his friend had never been anything but amiable with him, and he felt sure that he would not lie to him now.

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