to find Suzanna. And he didn’t even know her surname. “Very well.”
Victoria clasped her hands together. “Perfect! She will be in our company at the Dillsworth ball next week in London. I do hope you’ll be in attendance.”
“Certainly. I should be leaving now.” Deals with the devil always made him want to leave with haste—not that he’d made many deals of that nature. Or did that depend on one’s view of what constitutes a deal with said devil? At any rate, he wanted out of this parlor—now. He offered the Fairlyn ladies a smile. “I would hate to take up any more of your time on this lovely afternoon.”
Victoria laughed. “Oh, you’re no burden on our time. I’ve enjoyed our little chat immensely.”
“Yes, it’s been very enlightening. I will see both of you in London. Until then.” He offered the ladies a slight bow and headed for the door. As he rounded the corner into the hall, he could hear their voices echoing in the nearly empty room behind him.
“What was that about?”
“I’m simply making our season in London a bit more interesting.”
An “interesting” season was precisely what had Holden concerned. He grimaced and walked out the front door. By anyone’s definition, this qualified as a deal with the devil.
***
The tea grew cold while Mother instructed one of the maids in the pinning of Evangeline’s dress. Sue sighed and set her cup down on the small table at her side, which already teetered with piles of fashion plates. Every surface of the small drawing room they’d been given during their stay with the Fairlyns was covered in samples of fabric and ribbons and sketches of gowns for Evangeline’s come-out season.
Sue shuddered to think what any man would think if he walked into such an eruption of femininity. But that was hardly a problem since the only men around were footmen, who were forced to endure such chaos; her uncle, who was out hunting something on his new lands; and Father, who remained perpetually locked inside the library.
Normally, she would have stayed locked away in her suite painting during teatime instead of suffering through yet another one of Evangeline’s fittings—but not today. She’d been instructed to stay at Evangeline’s side until further notice. Sue assumed her mother wanted a bit of her sister to rub off on her like the green of wet grass on her knees when she sketched outdoors—only Evangeline would somehow make her clean and perfect. Ha! She snorted and covered the sound with a cough. Her sister and cousins had presumably slipped away from the ball last night without notice, lucky felines that they were.
Sue wouldn’t know. She’d gone straight to bed last night although she hadn’t slept at all once there. Her eyes burned from the tears even now. She closed her eyes for a long blink, savoring the darkness. But when Holden’s face swam through her thoughts, she snapped her eyes open. Tired eyes were better than seeing his face again. She refused to think about him for another second today. It was over. Done.
Taking a large bite of the bread in her hand, she allowed the warmth to melt on her tongue and slide down her throat. It was the first morsel of food she’d ever been allowed to eat without listening to a lecture in return. She licked a crumb from her lips and settled further into the cushions of the armchair, curling her feet underneath her. She’d spent years starving for half of the food Evangeline was allowed to eat.
Only a few months ago, her mother had berated Sue, grabbing a cake from her hand and giving it to Evangeline. “Evangeline is a head taller than you, Sue. She needs more sustenance. Besides, you could stand to lose a bit around the middle if you ever want to catch someone’s eye.”
Sue remembered looking down and smoothing her hands over her waist as she uttered, “Yes, Mother.” She hadn’t been able to bear watching Evangeline eat that last tea cake with her stomach so empty.
“It is a shame
Victoria clasped her hands together. “Perfect! She will be in our company at the Dillsworth ball next week in London. I do hope you’ll be in attendance.”
“Certainly. I should be leaving now.” Deals with the devil always made him want to leave with haste—not that he’d made many deals of that nature. Or did that depend on one’s view of what constitutes a deal with said devil? At any rate, he wanted out of this parlor—now. He offered the Fairlyn ladies a smile. “I would hate to take up any more of your time on this lovely afternoon.”
Victoria laughed. “Oh, you’re no burden on our time. I’ve enjoyed our little chat immensely.”
“Yes, it’s been very enlightening. I will see both of you in London. Until then.” He offered the ladies a slight bow and headed for the door. As he rounded the corner into the hall, he could hear their voices echoing in the nearly empty room behind him.
“What was that about?”
“I’m simply making our season in London a bit more interesting.”
An “interesting” season was precisely what had Holden concerned. He grimaced and walked out the front door. By anyone’s definition, this qualified as a deal with the devil.
***
The tea grew cold while Mother instructed one of the maids in the pinning of Evangeline’s dress. Sue sighed and set her cup down on the small table at her side, which already teetered with piles of fashion plates. Every surface of the small drawing room they’d been given during their stay with the Fairlyns was covered in samples of fabric and ribbons and sketches of gowns for Evangeline’s come-out season.
Sue shuddered to think what any man would think if he walked into such an eruption of femininity. But that was hardly a problem since the only men around were footmen, who were forced to endure such chaos; her uncle, who was out hunting something on his new lands; and Father, who remained perpetually locked inside the library.
Normally, she would have stayed locked away in her suite painting during teatime instead of suffering through yet another one of Evangeline’s fittings—but not today. She’d been instructed to stay at Evangeline’s side until further notice. Sue assumed her mother wanted a bit of her sister to rub off on her like the green of wet grass on her knees when she sketched outdoors—only Evangeline would somehow make her clean and perfect. Ha! She snorted and covered the sound with a cough. Her sister and cousins had presumably slipped away from the ball last night without notice, lucky felines that they were.
Sue wouldn’t know. She’d gone straight to bed last night although she hadn’t slept at all once there. Her eyes burned from the tears even now. She closed her eyes for a long blink, savoring the darkness. But when Holden’s face swam through her thoughts, she snapped her eyes open. Tired eyes were better than seeing his face again. She refused to think about him for another second today. It was over. Done.
Taking a large bite of the bread in her hand, she allowed the warmth to melt on her tongue and slide down her throat. It was the first morsel of food she’d ever been allowed to eat without listening to a lecture in return. She licked a crumb from her lips and settled further into the cushions of the armchair, curling her feet underneath her. She’d spent years starving for half of the food Evangeline was allowed to eat.
Only a few months ago, her mother had berated Sue, grabbing a cake from her hand and giving it to Evangeline. “Evangeline is a head taller than you, Sue. She needs more sustenance. Besides, you could stand to lose a bit around the middle if you ever want to catch someone’s eye.”
Sue remembered looking down and smoothing her hands over her waist as she uttered, “Yes, Mother.” She hadn’t been able to bear watching Evangeline eat that last tea cake with her stomach so empty.
“It is a shame
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