Connie (The Daughters of Allamont Hall Book 3) by Mary Kingswood Page B

said indignantly. “It is all very well for you, Hatty, since she thinks the sun shines out of you, but we get the worst of it, you know.”
    “That is only because I behave myself, whereas you boys are always in some scrape or other. And what are you up to now, I wonder? One of you running to hide behind Great-aunt Augusta’s skirts I might just about accept, but two of you? No, you are up to some scheme or other, I am certain of it.”
    “I think it very shabby of you, sis, to be always suspecting us in this way,” Reggie said in aggrieved tones. “Surely Grandmama is reason enough for us to want a change of scenery?”
    “If it is the usual — that you are a pair of rapscallions, who ought to settle down with a nice heiress apiece and start breeding little lords and ladies — then I should think you know well enough how to fob her off, for you have grown very skilled in the art these past five years.”
    “Well, it is that, it is true, but this time she has the heiresses all marked out, and is planning to invite them to London. There is no escaping it this time, and you might be more sympathetic, Hatty. Our days of freedom are numbered.”
    “No, you are not convincing me, Reggie. You are up to something, the pair of you.”
    The Marquess smiled benignly at her, and said nothing.
    ~~~~~
    News arrived that Mr Wills was returning to Lower Brinford. As one of the very few eligible bachelors of the district, he had at one time been thought a possible suitor for Amy, until Mr Ambleside had dispatched the rival for her hand by the simple expedient of buying up all his debts. Thus freed from the immediate threat of penury, Mr Wills had set about fully restoring his fortune with determination. He had gone to Bath, where his fine estate and not inconsiderable person might attract a wealthy heiress or, failing that, a rich widow.
    Now Mr Wills was returning in triumph from Bath with his bride. The whole neighbourhood was wild to see the former Miss Harris of Hartlepool, sole daughter of the owner of a fishing fleet, and possessor of fifty thousand pounds. Since Hartlepool was a great distance from Bath, there was much speculation that the lady had taken herself there for a very similar purpose to Mr Wills. How fortunate, then, that they had happened to meet and, in less than a fortnight, to find themselves quite in love.
    Lady Sara and the Miss Allamonts had paid the customary wedding visit, which enabled them to determine that Mrs Wills was even stouter than her husband, with prominent teeth and an unfortunate liking for excessive amounts of lace. Before Mrs Wills could repay the courtesy with a visit to Allamont Hall, Sir Matthew and Lady Graham decided to hold one of their generous dinners to welcome the bride to the neighbourhood. Since the dining table at Graham House, when fully extended, could seat fifty guests in comfort and as many as sixty-four if they could contrive to eat without moving their elbows, the evening promised to be a lively one.
    Almost as soon as Connie entered the crowded drawing room, she saw Lord Reginald’s smiling face. He waved to her from the far side of the room, then ploughed his way in a determined manner through the crush to join her.
    “Miss Constance, how are you? Looking enchanting, as always. Is this not delightful? Such a large party, and several faces new to me. You must tell me who everyone is. Who is the gentleman in the extraordinary waistcoat over there?”
    “That, my lord, is Sir Osborne Hardy, of Brinford Manor. The lady in purple is his mother, and the lady in blue is his sister, Miss Clarissa Hardy. There is another sister lives at the Manor, but Miss Hardy is very frail now and never ventures out. The gentleman talking to Mr Ambleside is Mr Merton, Sir Osborne’s particular friend.”
    “Ah, I see. And the striking lady in the green and gold over there?”
    “That is my cousin, Mrs Henry Allamont…”
    And in this way, the time before dinner passed rapidly, Lord