Forever Delighted by Virginia Taylor

Author:Virginia Taylor [Taylor, Virginia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Serenade Publishing

The Christmas festivities, like the heavy fruit pudding, were now finished. Anna sat in the front parlor embroidering the last of the tiny white flowers onto the border of the yellow voile she and Jonquil had purchased two months ago—the day that Delmore had been respectably introduced to Anna.

The warmth from the fire barely reached her, although she had pulled up a chair to one side. For years, embroidery had been her greatest pleasure. Being off her feet doubled her enjoyment. Having recently completed Jonquil’s pink gown, she diligently plied her needle, trying to savor an activity that had formerly been her only joy.

One tear wandered out of her eye and dripped down the side of her nose. She used the back of her hand to wipe up the spill. In the past four weeks she had heard nothing from Delmore. She had hoped for a meeting, or an invitation, or even a social call. Clearly, she had been mistaken in his interest. She was apparently just another woman to him.

The door opened and Jonquil glided across the room to warm her hands by the fire. She glanced down at the embroidery. “You’re so kind to do that for me, Anna. It’s lovely.”

Anna cleared her throat, keeping her gaze on the work, although she doubted that a single passing tear had reddened her eyes. “Thank you, but you know I love doing this fine work. Morag has finished sewing the under-gown for you. She grumbled to me for half an hour this morning about the lack of fullness in the skirt, but I explained for the third time that we needed to cater for the current fashions.”

“Could you put more lace on the sleeves?”

“If you have more, the voile overdress will look too fussy.”

Jonquil flopped down onto the settee, prepared to argue, when the knocker sounded at the front door. Morag’s heavy footsteps plodded down the hallway and back. The parlor door cricked open. Jeremy wandered in. He had been by almost every second day since the unfortunate stranding at Drake House, keeping the vicarage informed as to his latest doings, mainly sporting events attended by him with John and Rodney.

“Delmore has run mad.” He tossed his hat onto the side table. By rights, Morag should have taken his hat as he entered, but her memory wasn’t the best these days.

Jonquil looked interested. “In what way?” She arranged herself on the settee, ankles primly together, hands clasped on her lap. Before the visit to Drake House, she had usually left the room whenever Jeremy came to call on Anna. Now she hastened into the room whenever she heard his curricle outside.

He turned the other single chair by the fire to face her and Anna and sat. “I can’t really say, but he spent yesterday on the home farm and today he is off to stick his nose into the affairs of his tenants.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Anna kept her gaze on her embroidery.

“What does he know about running the

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