Harlequin Historical June 2023--Box Set 1 of 2 by Bronwyn Scott

Author:Bronwyn Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

A drive in Hyde Park. It was the traditional way in which a young couple displayed themselves in public so all of Society could see that they were courting. It was not what Amelia had expected from this Season, or from any Season, and as she dressed for the occasion she kept asking herself, How has it come to this?

All she had wanted to do was save her magazine and have the pleasure of embarrassing Mr Devenish in the process. She had expected him to get peevish when he read the column, then shrug it off and eventually forget about it.

At worst, she thought he’d renew his efforts to find the ‘man’ responsible, and she could sit back and quietly laugh at the way his prejudices had blinded him.

Now here she was, standing in front of a full-length mirror, dressed in her prettiest day dress of striped blue and white cotton with a high-necked lace collar, a feathered hat placed on her head at what Minnie insisted was the fashionable jaunty angle and her cream parasol clutched in her white, lacy gloved hands.

Minnie had taken an inordinate amount of care with Amelia’s hair, as if it was the lady’s maid herself who was betrothed, and had even given Amelia’s cheeks a tight squeeze to bring colour to the surface.

‘You look so pretty, my lady,’ Minnie said, admiring her work. ‘Like a young lady in love,’ she added, placing her hands over her heart, and causing Amelia to frown at the lady’s maid’s silliness.

This was not a courtship. She was not in love. Her betrothed did not love her. All of this was a pretence. She was tempted to take off this pretty, fluffy outfit and change into something more appropriate. Mourning dress, perhaps.

She released a loud sigh, and it was Minnie’s turn to frown. ‘Does something not meet with your approval, my lady?’

‘No, as always, your work is perfect, Minnie. It’s just nerves, I suppose.’ This courtship might be a lie, but both those statements were the truth. Amelia had to admit that she did look the picture of a young lady being courted, and her jittery stomach certainly suggested nerves at seeing her intended again.

‘You have nothing to be nervous about,’ Minnie said, her smile returning. ‘You are glowing, just as a lady in love should.’

She forced herself not to sigh again or counter her lady’s maid’s claims. Until she found a way to untangle herself from this mess, Amelia would have to pretend that she was indeed a woman happy to be courted. That was the only way she could see to convince her father that she was being compliant.

She entered the drawing room and found Mr Devenish chatting with Aunt Beryl. He stood and stared at her, his brown eyes admiring, his lips smiling.

Oh, he was good. Anyone watching would think that he really was gazing on a woman who beguiled him. Although there was only Aunt Beryl and the footman present, so why he should make such an effort she did not know.

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