Engaging the Earl (The League of Eligible Bachelors Book 1) by Mindy Burbidge Strunk

Author:Mindy Burbidge Strunk [Strunk, Mindy Burbidge]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: FiveJoys Press
Published: 2023-02-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

Reginald stepped into the entryway of Charles Bancroft’s Berkeley Square townhome. Mariah was in front of him, already unbuttoning her pelisse and untying her bonnet.

He sucked in a deep breath. Tonight was to be a quieter night with just friends in attendance. Which was precisely what he needed after the crushes of the last few weeks. He was not only physically tired but mentally tired as well. The London Season was not for the faint of heart.

Apart from his time at his club and his lessons with Sarah, he had little to look forward to. At least until this invitation had arrived.

The butler led them down a well-lit corridor and into a cozy parlor. Reginald smiled and released a breath. All his friends stood in the room, talking and laughing. Several ladies stood with the group, but even then, there were little more than a dozen people in the room. A far cry from the hundreds that turned out for the various balls and parties he usually attended.

“Reg,” Charlie called from the other side of the room. “I’m glad you and Lady Mariah could attend tonight. With how late the invitations went out, I worried you may already have plans to attend another party.”

Reginald strode over, taking the glass Charlie offered him, and grinned. “I felt not a moment’s regret in declining the invitation from Lady Portsmouth. It has been barely a month since I’ve been in London, and I am already tired of society. It is all so taxing.”

Several of the men raised their glasses to him, calling out words of agreement.

Mariah stayed close to his side. She likely did not know any of the ladies in attendance. And as they all looked to be several years her senior, he could understand her slight hesitation. While most would think his sister was rather high in the instep and overly confident, Reginald knew better. She tended to overcompensate for her insecurities by acting confident and at times rather arrogant.

Reginald motioned with his head to a girl standing next to the pianoforte. She kept to herself. He took a step closer to Mariah and lowered his voice. “Do you see the young lady standing by the pianoforte?”

Mariah nodded, her eyes drifting over to the girl.

“That is Charlie’s sister, Madeleine. She has only just arrived from Cornwall. You and she are of similar ages. Perhaps you could go and speak to her. Make a new friend.”

Mariah swallowed and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Perhaps after dinner we may be introduced.”

A rustling at the doorway drew Reginald’s attention away from his sister. Sir Winston and Lady Brown, along with Sarah, stood in the doorway.

Reginald sucked in a deep breath. The evening kept getting better and better. Sarah looked lovely in a deep green gown. He could not help but notice her neck was completely exposed. Surely there was some sort of lesson he could impart to her while they were there together.

Charlie moved away from Reginald and made his way toward his new guests.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.