The Earl's Countess of Convenience by Marguerite Kaye

Author:Marguerite Kaye
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-02-05T19:43:49+00:00

* * *

‘My Lord and Lady Rasenby, welcome. May I present my wife, Eloise, Lady Fearnoch?’

‘Mr Barrington, it is a pleasure to meet you.’

‘Sir Edward, I am so glad you could join us to celebrate our recent nuptials.’

‘Lady Teasborough, Miss Teasborough, may I introduce...?’

‘Monsieur and Madame Bauduin, if I may be permitted...?’

‘My Lord Alchester. Sir, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you...’

For almost two hours Eloise stood by Alexander’s side to welcome the constant flow of guests. Judging by the numbers, it seemed that every person on Mr Robertson’s carefully prepared and vetted list had accepted their invitation. She recognised a number of names, having inscribed them herself on the cards, but she knew not a soul. Fortunately each guest was announced by Wiggins as they arrived at the top of the stairs, allowing her to greet them by name, and even more fortunately, Alexander either knew enough or had gleaned enough of each to whisper cryptic reminders in her ear, sufficient to allow her to elevate her conversation above the bland.

‘Second cousin. Collects snuff boxes and wives—this is his third.’ ‘Abolitionist and tea connoisseur. Astonishingly sees no conflict of interest.’ ‘Breeds lap dogs and children, both in vast quantities.’ ‘Reformist. Librettist. Gourmand, as you will easily have deduced for yourself,’ he whispered as a rotund man in extremely creaky corsets, who smelled disconcertingly of lamb, bowed low over Eloise’s hand.

‘I’ve heard of mutton chop whiskers, but mutton chop cologne is a new development,’ she whispered back, after he had moved on. Alexander’s witty comments were intended to keep her at ease as well as inform, and it was working. She forgot her nerves within five minutes. The ordeal which she had been secretly dreading became an amusing game. Though several people did enquire after the Dowager, they seemed to accept readily enough the story that Lady Constance’s health did not allow her to leave the country for the metropolis and merely asked for their compliments to be passed on.

‘Sir Marcus,’ Alexander said, stepping forward to greet the tall, elegant man who had just reached the top of the stairs and pre-empting Wiggins’s announcement. ‘I did not dare hope you would honour us with your presence. My love,’ he said, turning to Eloise, ‘this is Sir Marcus Denby, my most esteemed colleague from the Admiralty.’

‘And, I hope, his friend too. How do you do, Lady Fearnoch,’ Sir Marcus said, saluting her hand with a courtly kiss. ‘Now that I have met you, I can readily understand why Alex was so eager to embrace matrimony.’

‘How do you do, Sir Marcus. It is a pleasure to meet one of my husband’s colleagues.’ The first and only one as far as she could recall, in fact. And there hadn’t been another guest who counted Alexander as a friend either.

‘Well now, it seems I am the last to arrive,’ Sir Marcus was saying, casting a glance behind him at the empty staircase. ‘If you don’t mind, I’ll spirit your new bride away for just a moment, before you get embroiled in the festivities.

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