Courtship and Curses by Marissa Doyle

Author:Marissa Doyle
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

* * *

She spent most of the remainder of the evening watching the dancing, sitting with Amélie and Parthenope’s mother and Lord Woodbridge while Parthenope danced—twice with Mr. Leland, Sophie was happy to notice. Sophie could not help wondering if the duchess remained with them so that Lord Woodbridge, as her nephew, could sit with them without setting the gossips astir—at least not too astir. Sophie said as much to Amélie as they waited for their carriage when Aunt Isabel could finally be dragged away.

“I would not be surprised,” Amélie agreed. “I too am grateful for her presence. It was very kind of her to sit with me.”

“Kind of her to sit with you? Why?”

Amélie hesitated. “It is nothing, petite.”

“Amélie, please tell me.”

She took a moment to fuss with her pelisse before answering. “I am being a—a—what do you call it—a vaporish miss, I am sure. But some people here, they are not comfortable with a person whom they think is French.” She shrugged.

“Was someone rude to you?” Sophie asked, aghast.

“Not exactly rude … ah, I have upset you, ma chère. There is no need—”

“That’s why you stopped playing cards when I came in, isn’t it? Someone was rude to you there.”

Amélie sighed and nodded.

And the duchess must have seen, and by being openly friendly to Amélie was making it clear that she did not hold any silly views about being pleasant to a Frenchwoman. Just as Parthenope had had no qualms about befriending Sophie. The apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree, had it?

Sophie brooded about the matter on the carriage ride home and was still thinking about it as the footman opened the door for them and bowed them into the front hall. Perhaps she should talk to Papa about it … and maybe about her other concerns as well—

“You’re back early.” Aunt Molly appeared at the top of the stairs, squinting down at them in the light of the candelabrum left burning in the hall for their arrival. Even from here, Sophie could smell coffee. Evidently the aphid destruction program had occurred on schedule.

“It’s nearly one, Molly. Not all that early,” Papa said, pulling off his gloves. “You didn’t have to wait up for us. How is your head?”

“Oh … er, much better, thank you. And I didn’t wait up. Auguste happened to call and stayed to help me with my plants, and we’ve just finished. I was about to ring for tea. Auguste!” she called over her shoulder.

Sophie concealed a grin. So the comte had come to keep her company over her plants! Wouldn’t it set tongues wagging if Aunt Molly were to catch a husband this season … especially the husband she’d first wanted twenty years ago?

The comte appeared a moment later behind her, smiling a little sheepishly down at them. “Your pardon, Monsieur le Marquis. I did not intend to stay so late, but—”

“But we got all the plants taken care of, and you’ll never guess what we found! I must show you—in the

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