First Season / Bride to Be

Author:Jane Ashford [Ashford, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781492630951
Google: lByGCgAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00XWMC7AO
Barnesnoble: B00XWMC7AO
Goodreads: 25880415
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2014-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Five

The duchess came into Emily’s bedchamber and ran an expert eye over her. Emily shifted a little under that critical gaze, telling herself that her gown of sea green muslin was impeccable and her hair was styled in a most becoming cloud of curls. “Very nice,” her aunt said.

This was high praise from Aunt Julia. Emily gathered her dark green wrap and followed her out to the stairs.

“I think you will like Vauxhall Gardens,” the duchess declared as they walked. “The fireworks are very pretty.” Emily murmured her agreement.

“We have received a prodigious number of invitations. I do believe you are making a hit. And we certainly needn’t worry about Warrington any longer after his disgraceful behavior in the park.”

“Disgraceful?”

“Throwing you down in that odious way and positively rolling about on the ground. Everyone is talking of it.” She raised a hand. “No one blames you, of course. It was all Warrington. He was…ferocious.” Her expression showed how shocking she had found the incident.

“He saved me from being crushed by that urn,” objected Emily.

“A gentleman would have done so in quite another manner.”

“How?”

The duchess gave her an admonitory glance. “I don’t know, my dear, but he certainly would not have grabbed you so…aggressively and thrown you into the dirt.” She shook her head. “Warrington’s unfortunate experience at sea must have upset the balance of his mind.”

“He acted boldly to save us both from being hurt. I don’t know what you expected him to—”

“You sound almost admiring. Emily, you must not—must not—get some romantic notion in your head that—”

“It is nothing of the kind.”

The duchess frowned at her, looking every inch the outraged duenna.

It took Emily a moment to realize the extent of her transgression. “I’m sorry I interrupted you, Aunt.”

“You must watch your tongue, Emily. We have spoken about this. A young girl does not have opinions, let alone such very…insistent ones.”

Emily nodded. It was rather hard, to have been encouraged for her first twenty years to have strong opinions and now to be told that this was not what was wanted at all.

In the front hall, two of her cousins, George and Philip, were waiting to escort them. Tall and blond, they looked elegant and imperturbable in their evening dress. Did they mind being commandeered to take her about London? She never could tell how the men of this household felt about anything. Her father, the only male she knew well, was such a different creature. His feelings were never in doubt.

All such concerns fled when they reached the river and embarked for Vauxhall. The gardens glittered on the other side of the water, and music drifted in the soft spring air when they stepped to shore again. There were colored lanterns hanging in the trees, Emily saw with delight. Paths wandered through the vegetation. She could see a glowing fountain at the far end of one and a small pillared structure down another. “It’s beautiful,” she said.

Philip looked down at her. “Mater thought you’d like it.”

Fashionably dressed groups strolled here and there, chattering like exotic denizens of a fairy story.

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