Lady Gabriella ugly. He winced at the mere thought.
“I promise, my lord, I would cut out my own heart before I would knowingly hurt her.”
“Good to hear, son. Now stop chastising yourself and let us go and see our lovely ladies.”
Chapter Seven
“Have you seen this play performed before, my lady?” Nick asked as he ushered her to their seat in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
“No, we studied it at finishing school, but I have never seen a performance of it.”
“I always think it much better to see a play performed at the theatre than to study it from a book, would you not agree?”
“Of course, my lord.”
Nick sat down beside her and awaited his parents’ arrival. He glanced around the boxes opposite and saw rather a large number of ladies talking behind their fans. It was December—who needed a fan in December except to hide what was being said? But then the announcement of his and Gabriella’s engagement had been in this morning’s paper.
“I see we are the topic of most conversations tonight. We seem to have usurped poor Mr Shakespeare.”
“No doubt they are all expecting a happy event for us in seven or eight months,” Gabriella mused.
“Do you think?” Nick asked, astounded and amused by both her forthrightness and her lack of faith in their fellow humans.
“Well they do not think you are marrying me for my beauty. Thougha man may be captivated by my breasts for an evening or two. You certainly look at them often enough.”
“Gabby!”
She grinned at him.
“Do not look so scandalised, my lord. No one can hear. Your parents shall not get away from the Duke of Eckminster for quite some time. We may never see them again, for that matter.”
Nick laughed. “You are incorrigible my lady. If these people knew you as I know you, they would know I was marrying you for your mind and your personality as much as for your beauty and your breasts.”
“Nick!” The countess’s voice behind him made him wince. Devil take it! Why was it that Gabriella could talk about her breasts and not be caught but the moment he said it, his mother overheard. “Really, what an inappropriate subject. Anyone could have overheard you. Lady Gabriella, I do apologise for my son.”
He turned to find his bride-to-be with her own fan in front of her face, her skin beetroot-coloured and her eyes glinting in merriment as she suppressed her laughter. As the curtain rose, Gabriella seemed to calm down. She leaned close to him, her fan raised and whispered, “I believe we are now even for you calling me ugly. Next we must deal with the strawberry jam remark.”
“Touché,” he muttered as he turned his attention to the stage—anything to stop his gaze drifting back to her décolletage. She definitely had a very generous set of breasts which was one of her attributes that seemed to be keeping him awake at nights. He settled back in his seat. He really could not wait until Christmas. Then he could keep her awake at night…all night.
****
“Would you like a drink?” Nick asked Gabriella as the curtain lowered at the end of Act One.
“I would, thank you.” Nick hurried away after offering a drink to both his parents. She was about to turn to speak to Lady Chetfern when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Gabriella!” She turned to look into the cold gaze of her brother.
“Joseph! How, umm, lovely to see you. How is Lady Thornwich?”
“At home in Thornwich, resting. She is rather overset that your wedding cannot wait until after the baby has been born.”
“The baby is not due until April.”
“Yes, but she is aware that people can tell she is increasing.”
“Of course they can. It is a perfectly natural state, you know.”
“Gabriella, if you cannot say anything kind about my wife, I should prefer you say nothing at all.”
Whenever Gabriella said anything to upset Joseph, he chastised her as though she was a naughty schoolgirl. She gritted her teeth and smiled pleasantly at her
“I promise, my lord, I would cut out my own heart before I would knowingly hurt her.”
“Good to hear, son. Now stop chastising yourself and let us go and see our lovely ladies.”
Chapter Seven
“Have you seen this play performed before, my lady?” Nick asked as he ushered her to their seat in the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
“No, we studied it at finishing school, but I have never seen a performance of it.”
“I always think it much better to see a play performed at the theatre than to study it from a book, would you not agree?”
“Of course, my lord.”
Nick sat down beside her and awaited his parents’ arrival. He glanced around the boxes opposite and saw rather a large number of ladies talking behind their fans. It was December—who needed a fan in December except to hide what was being said? But then the announcement of his and Gabriella’s engagement had been in this morning’s paper.
“I see we are the topic of most conversations tonight. We seem to have usurped poor Mr Shakespeare.”
“No doubt they are all expecting a happy event for us in seven or eight months,” Gabriella mused.
“Do you think?” Nick asked, astounded and amused by both her forthrightness and her lack of faith in their fellow humans.
“Well they do not think you are marrying me for my beauty. Thougha man may be captivated by my breasts for an evening or two. You certainly look at them often enough.”
“Gabby!”
She grinned at him.
“Do not look so scandalised, my lord. No one can hear. Your parents shall not get away from the Duke of Eckminster for quite some time. We may never see them again, for that matter.”
Nick laughed. “You are incorrigible my lady. If these people knew you as I know you, they would know I was marrying you for your mind and your personality as much as for your beauty and your breasts.”
“Nick!” The countess’s voice behind him made him wince. Devil take it! Why was it that Gabriella could talk about her breasts and not be caught but the moment he said it, his mother overheard. “Really, what an inappropriate subject. Anyone could have overheard you. Lady Gabriella, I do apologise for my son.”
He turned to find his bride-to-be with her own fan in front of her face, her skin beetroot-coloured and her eyes glinting in merriment as she suppressed her laughter. As the curtain rose, Gabriella seemed to calm down. She leaned close to him, her fan raised and whispered, “I believe we are now even for you calling me ugly. Next we must deal with the strawberry jam remark.”
“Touché,” he muttered as he turned his attention to the stage—anything to stop his gaze drifting back to her décolletage. She definitely had a very generous set of breasts which was one of her attributes that seemed to be keeping him awake at nights. He settled back in his seat. He really could not wait until Christmas. Then he could keep her awake at night…all night.
****
“Would you like a drink?” Nick asked Gabriella as the curtain lowered at the end of Act One.
“I would, thank you.” Nick hurried away after offering a drink to both his parents. She was about to turn to speak to Lady Chetfern when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Gabriella!” She turned to look into the cold gaze of her brother.
“Joseph! How, umm, lovely to see you. How is Lady Thornwich?”
“At home in Thornwich, resting. She is rather overset that your wedding cannot wait until after the baby has been born.”
“The baby is not due until April.”
“Yes, but she is aware that people can tell she is increasing.”
“Of course they can. It is a perfectly natural state, you know.”
“Gabriella, if you cannot say anything kind about my wife, I should prefer you say nothing at all.”
Whenever Gabriella said anything to upset Joseph, he chastised her as though she was a naughty schoolgirl. She gritted her teeth and smiled pleasantly at her
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