An Unexpected Love Read Free

every relationship.”
    And with a severe bow, he turned and vanished into the dark gardens.
    Ravina glanced down at the frill and bit her lip. The odious man was right. A small blood stain marked the lace.
    She realised straight away that it must be from Mr. Dunster’s finger. The thorn on the rose he had picked must have bitten deep and when he grasped her arm to stop her falling, he had marked her dress.
    She shuddered.
    She hated the sight of blood, especially on her clothes.
    Picking up her full cream lace skirt, Ravina moved swiftly away from the rose garden. She did not want to stay and speak to Robert Dunster again.
    The stranger had annoyed her so much.
    But as she headed for the house, determined to find her friends and insist that they go home, she did wonder how he had known her name, because she knew she had never met him before. He was not the type of man you would easily forget.
    Ravina was not in a good mood when she finally arrived at Ashley House, the London home in Knightsbridge belonging to her father, the Earl of Ashley.
    Steven, the night-footman on duty, opened the front door as she stepped out of the Ross’s coach, said her thank yous and goodnights and ran swiftly up the steps.
    â€œMy Lady,” he murmured as she flounced into the house, pulling off her long white gloves and throwing them carelessly on the beautiful inlaid hall table.
    â€œHello, Steven. Heavens, I am tired. I think I have danced too much. Are my parents still downstairs?”
    â€œNo, my Lady. They have retired for the evening. But Nanny Johnson is waiting for you in her room, I believe. She asked me to tell you that she would not be retiring until she knew you were home.”
    â€œGoodness, why on earth does she do this?” Ravina said crossly. “She should have been in bed hours ago. Steven, can you arrange for me to have a cup of tea and some biscuits in my room, please? I am starving.”
    The footman grinned as she dropped her evening cloak on the floor and headed for the stairs.
    He picked up the heavy ruby silk garment with a sigh. Lady Ravina had ruled this house ever since she was born, but the staff knew that beneath her sometimes careless attitude lay a kind and affectionate person.
    He wondered as he headed back below stairs if she had received any more proposals that evening. She had been portrayed in the newspapers as being one of the prettiest debutantes London had ever seen.
    Bets were being laid between the staff as to who exactly would win her hand.
    Unaware that her private life was the subject of such discussion between the servants, Ravina ran up the main staircase.
    She passed her own bedroom and up another smaller flight to the suite of rooms that had once been the day nursery, the night nursery and the bedroom that was now the permanent home of Nanny Johnson.
    Ravina knocked on the door and, without waiting for a reply, opened it and hurried inside.
    â€œAh, there you are. Back at last, miss.”
    Nanny Johnson was old. How old Ravina did not know. She had been her nanny, her father’s before that and had even been a nursemaid to Ravina’s grandfather when he was a baby!
    Small and wrinkled as an old apple, she always wore black with a white lace cap and, Ravina thought, mischievously, looked exactly like pictures of Queen Victoria, who was also very old.
    Ravina realised she must never, never tell her because to Nanny the Royal family were the most important people in the world and being told she resembled the dear Queen would, in her eyes, be close to treason.
    â€œReally, Nanny, you do not have to stay up every time I go out at night,” she said, trying to quell the irritation in her voice.
    She looked up from the crochet work in her gnarled hands.
    â€œI do not care to hear that tone from you, Lady Ravina. It is unpleasant. And take that frown off your face or else the wind will change and you will be left with it forever.”
    Ravina sank to the floor