Snippet from The
Captain and The Countess, set in England in Queen Anne Stuart’s reign 1702 –
1714. Release date from MuseItUp Publishing 21/02/2014
Captain
Howard and The Countess of Sinclair sat side-by-side opposite Mrs Radcliffe,
on the sopha upholstered in crimson damask.
Although
Kate smiled at him, the expression in her large blue eyes remained as cool as
it had been when she first entered the salon. “Tomorrow, please join those who
visit me daily at my morning levee.”
“I fear
my voice would be lost among many, thus casting me into obscurity,”
Edward replied much amused.
“I don’t
take you for one to be ignored, sir. However, I respect your wishes. Besides those who seek my patronage, there
are many gentlemen eager to wait on me. ’Tis more than my porter’s life is
worth to deny them entry.” She turned her attention to his godmother and raised
a pencilled eyebrow. “Mrs Radcliffe, do you not agree it is pleasant to lie
abed in the morning while indulging in conversation with one’s admirers?”
“Come,
come, madam, confess you value their advice,” Kate teased.
“Sometimes.”
Frances
Kate
turned her attention to Edward. “I have no doubt you would become a cherished
member of the group of those who seek my favour.”
“Countess, life at sea teaches a man to be
wary of enemies, not to compete with them. I am not a flirt who is given to
haunting ladies’ bedchambers.”
“If I seclude
myself with you tomorrow morning, may I have the pleasure of your
company?”
“Alone
with you in your bedchamber? How improper. Are you always so
careless of your reputation?” he asked, with a hint of
laughter in his voice.
Her eyes
widened. “I have no reputation to guard, Captain.” She had spoken in a forward
manner he was unaccustomed to in polite society.
“Have you not?” Edward needed a plunge in icy
water.
A frozen
glimpse of despair deep in her eyes unsettled Edward. Did he imagine it? He
could not speak. Why should a lady like the countess despair?
He
recovered his voice. “If it is your custom to take the air in The Mall, I shall
be pleased to be your sole escort.”
Kate
fidgeted with one of the diamond buckles that fastened her satin covered stays.
“Are the battle lines drawn?”
“Don’t
confuse battle lines with a mere skirmish at sea.” His voice hinted at the
chuckle he restrained.
“There
are those who would welcome an invitation to a tête-à-tête with me.”
He preferred to take the lead in affairs of
the heart. “Perhaps I am not one of them,” he teased. “Maybe I would like to be
your friend.”
“My
friend? Is that all you want of me?”
His eyes
widened.
Kate
laughed. “No, I thought not.”
* * * *
www.facebook.com/writerinagarret
No comments:
Post a Comment