Clandestine Passion (The Lovelocks of London Book 2) by Felicity Niven

Author:Felicity Niven [Niven, Felicity]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bletherskite Books
Published: 2022-09-28T16:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Three

James cursed when he got the letter from Thomas Drake.

He had gone to Middlewich for Christmas. He longed to stay in London and wait for Catherine’s return, but he had promised his mother to come home. So he went. He might take some comfort in his sisters’ company, anyway.

True, he had not seen his friend Thomas in London for many weeks, but he had not expected a letter from him. Thomas had never written to James before. They were not men who wrote letters to each other. The letter from Thomas forwarded from London and arriving in Middlewich on Christmas Eve was, therefore, a surprise. The letter had been written weeks ago and had gotten delayed, likely somewhere from Sommerleigh to London and then also en route to Middlewich.

The letter was a greeting and an invitation and Thomas’ wife’s stepmother and sister were coming for Christmas and Thomas would be drowning in women and would James like to join the festivities and rescue Thomas since it was well-nigh impossible to drag his wife Harry from her mathematics and all the entertaining of the Lovelock ladies would fall on Thomas’ shoulders? And with all his sisters, James must surely know how to amuse genteel ladies? Thomas felt he himself would be hard-pressed to come up with suitable topics of conversation.

James fidgeted through the midnight church services that night and the services on Christmas day itself. He helped his sisters decorate an indoor tree, especially in honor of Queen Charlotte, who had died in November. She was the one who had brought the custom from Germany, still not widely practiced in England, of a decorated tree on Christmas.

That night, he kissed his sisters, said goodbye to his father and mother.

“Where are you going again?” his father asked.

“To see Thomas. The Earl Drake.”

“The old Earl Drake was a good man. His son, your friend?” The duke made a grimace of disapproval. “A wastrel, like you. A rakehell. How he could live and my William be taken from me I will never know. But I have heard that the young earl has married recently. A common chit of some kind. But very rich.”

“The Countess Drake’s father could have bought a dozen knighthoods, if he had wished to,” James said evenly.

His father harrumphed. “It’s good he did not. It sounds like he knew his place, at least.” His father leaned forward and spoke sotto voce. “And I hear her mother was a whore.”

James slouched and let his eyelids droop and gave a lazy smile. “The Lady Drake’s mother was, I believe, the daughter of a tailor. Her stepmother was an actress before she married the countess’ father.”

“Like I said,” his father yawned, “a whore.”

James gave instructions to his valet Enfield to enjoy his time with his wife here in Middlewich and to return to London with James’ luggage after the new year. No, he was off to see Thomas. No, they did not stand on ceremony at Sommerleigh, he could get by with very few clothes, just a saddle bag.

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