Historical Romance – The Best Of The Year. Кэрол Мортимер

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      * * *

      Every morning she rose early to ride with Hal. On their return she changed into a morning gown and then drank tea in the parlour or walked in the gardens with Jenny. In the afternoons they took it in turns to entertain one another. Hal had a good, strong, reading voice and the knack of making the characters come to life when he read from a novel. Adam had a pleasant tenor voice and could occasionally be persuaded to sing for them, but often they played cards or a silly childish game like jackstraws. Lord Ravenscar enjoyed a game of chess and one of them indulged him, taking it in turns to pit their skill against his, but it was not often that any of them could worst him.

      * * *

      A week passed so swiftly that the day of Jenny’s dance was upon them before they knew it. That morning the house was a hive of activity; the servants had been dusting and polishing for days, removing furniture from the long gallery so that it would be clear for dancing. Flowers from the hothouses had been brought in and arranged in beautiful vases and their scent pervaded the house.

      Madeline asked if she could help and was given the task of checking the rooms that would be used for entertaining the guests to see if anything had been left undone. Of course nothing had, for Lord Ravenscar’s servants had been with him for years and were accustomed to making ready for any occasion. However, by giving Madeline a task Jenny had made her feel she was useful and that was a kindness, for to be always a guest was not what she had been used to.

      On the evening of the dance, Madeline dressed in a gown of pale-lilac crape with an overskirt of silver tissue. The neckline was modest and the sleeves short and puffed, as was the prevailing fashion, the high waist emphasised with a sash of silver embroidered with glass beads.

      She decided against wearing any of the more expensive jewels from her husband’s box, preferring the delicate diamond pendant that had been a present from her father and a pair of long delicate earrings with diamond drops.

      Satisfied that her appearance was modest and subdued enough for a lady recently widowed, she went downstairs to discover that the family was just gathering in the large drawing room. Jenny was looking a picture in a gown of green silk that could only have been fashioned in Paris. When Madeline complimented her, she confessed that it had been bought on her honeymoon and blushed prettily.

      ‘You are very content in your marriage, are you not?’ Madeline asked for she could not fail to see the shining happiness in Jenny’s eyes.

      ‘So happy I cannot tell you,’ Jenny agreed. ‘I knew I was in love long before Adam asked me to marry him and I knew he was the man I wished to marry—but I had no idea how wonderful it would be.’

      Madeline would have liked to question her further on the intimate side of her marriage, but the guests had started to arrive. It was a delicate subject and one she was shy to raise, but seeing how happy Jenny was had made her wonder. Having experienced only her husband’s brutality in the bedchamber, she had come to believe that all men must be the same. Yet Hal was so gentle and kind to her—and she’d seen the way Jenny looked at Adam, such trust and love in her eyes that she could not believe her friend had ever been subjected to anything remotely unpleasant.

      Was it possible that she too could find, if not pleasure, at least acceptance of a man’s touch?

      Madeline would not have thought it possible a few days previously, but a subtle change had been happening of late. Hal had never once tried to take her in his arms or kiss her, but the touch of his hand as he helped her to mount, a light finger on her cheek and a gentle kiss on her hand aroused only feelings of comfort and even pleasure.

      Her thoughts were suspended as the guests began to move into the series of rooms, which had been opened up to make one long, flowing chamber. The footmen were circulating with trays of crystal glasses filled with the finest champagne. Madeline looked round at all the excited faces and smiled. Many of the guests were young ladies, perhaps attending their first ball, and their eager looks reminded her of herself as a young girl. She must have looked just so when attending her come-out ball, before her father lost everything at the tables.

      ‘Will you dance with me, Maddie?’

      She turned at the sound of Hal’s voice, her heart suddenly pumping hard, as she knew an urgent desire to feel his hand at her waist and be swept around the floor.

      ‘I wish that I might,’ she said and smiled up at him. How handsome he was and how much she wished she were one of those young girls meeting a man she admired for the first time. ‘You know I cannot, Hal. It would not be right.’

      ‘No, I suppose not,’ he said and looked regretful. ‘You will not feel neglected if I dance? I must take my share of the responsibility for entertaining our guests.’

      ‘Of course you must,’ she agreed. ‘Do not be concerned for me, Hal. I shall be happy to watch.’

      ‘I wish that I might sit at your side and do the same,’ he said, touching her gloved hand. ‘But I must do my duty as one of the hosts.’

      ‘Go and enjoy yourself,’ she said and gave a slight shake of her head.

      He remained with her a few minutes longer, remarking on various guests. Madeline did not know all of them and he pointed out various neighbours and long-standing friends, before leaving her to seek out one of the ladies still sitting on the sidelines.

      Madeline found herself a chair by the window, where she could watch the other guests mingling. She could hear the music and see the dancers as they whirled by, but was a little out of the crowd. After a few minutes alone, Lord Ravenscar joined her.

      ‘How pleasant to have someone to talk to who does not dance,’ he remarked. ‘I fear my health will not sustain it, but I like to see the young people enjoying themselves.’

      ‘Yes, indeed, especially the very young girls,’ Madeline replied. ‘There is a very pretty girl over there—the one with red hair. She looks so happy and excited.’

      ‘You must mean Patience Harris,’ Lord Ravenscar said. ‘Her mother was an exceedingly handsome lady, but she died eighteen months ago. Patience could not attend dances last year and I dare say this may be her first affair of this sort.’

      ‘I thought it might be,’ Madeline said. ‘I dare say some might think it improper of me to attend this evening, but I do not intend to dance.’

      ‘No, I fear you cannot,’ he said and looked at her. ‘Hal has told me something of your story, Madeline. You must be assured of a welcome here for as long as you wish and if there is anything I can do to make your life easier...’

      Madeline was thanking him for his kindness when her eye was drawn to a party of newcomers. They were a little late and Jenny had left her position at the head of the stairs to join the party, but she went immediately to greet the family. As the last of them entered the room, Madeline’s breath caught.

      What was Lord Rochdale doing here? Jenny would scarcely have invited him knowing that he was suspected of having tried to abduct her.

      A feeling of panic swept through her as she saw his eyes move about the room until they rested on her. Had Lord Ravenscar not been sitting with her she thought she would have left the room at once. However, to do so would occasion surprise—and, after some reflection, she realised that it would appear to the marquis that she was afraid of meeting him. She must accept that they would meet socially sometimes and, until she was certain СКАЧАТЬ