Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather Read Free Page A

Book: Birds of a Feather Read Free
Author: Allison Lane
Tags: Regency Romance
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drained from her face.
    “Has something happened to Lewis?” demanded Randolph, easing her into a chair.
    She handed him the letter.
    “Good God!” Randolph gestured for wine.
    “What is wrong?” Sedge kept his voice low. Elizabeth was clearly in shock.
    “Fosdale is dead.”
    “Her father?” The news raised intense satisfaction. Sedge had never actively hated anyone before meeting Fosdale, but the man had cruelly tossed Elizabeth out into a raging storm, nearly killing her. And when Cecilia accepted a baronet of modest means instead of forcing Sedge to the altar, Fosdale had tossed her out as well.
    “You needn’t whisper,” said Elizabeth. She had regained most of her color. “I was merely surprised.” She shook her head. “But how typical of him. And how appropriate. Refusing to repair the dairy after that last storm killed him.”
    “What happened?”
    Randolph finished reading. “He was dismissing the dairymaid, blaming her for a decline in cheese production – not that she was at fault, of course; those spring floods decimated the herd.” Disgust filled his voice. “A gust of wind collapsed the building, crushing him. The maid escaped with only a few bruises.”
    Poetic justice. Or perhaps divine retribution. Fosdale had been a thorough scoundrel, though Sedge kept the sentiment to himself. Despite the estrangement, the man had been Elizabeth’s father. Shocked eyes belied her composed face. But comforting her was now Randolph’s problem. At least the letter had not arrived before the wedding.
    Bidding his friends farewell, he watched Randolph escort Elizabeth upstairs, then encouraged the few remaining guests to leave. The newlyweds would retire to the country in the morning.
    Randolph had found a wife who suited him perfectly, Sedge admitted as he headed for his chambers at Albany – he had dismissed his coach on arrival, expecting to remain through dinner, but he liked walking.
    In Society’s eyes, Randolph was his oddest friend, for they seemed to have nothing in common beyond growing up on neighboring estates. Randolph was a renowned expert on medieval manuscripts, who cared little for appearance and less for Society. Sedge had replaced Brummell as the quintessential dandy, reveling in gossip and the London Season. Few knew he cared for anything beyond manners and the cut of his coats. Green cubs slavishly copied his style, and even the older bucks looked to him for sartorial leadership.
    Yet the bond he shared with Randolph included a plethora of similar interests. Both cared deeply for people, working to better the lives of others. Both kept a close eye on business and estate matters, unwilling to blindly place their fortunes in other hands. And both possessed adventuresome spirits, though expressing them had taken different paths in recent years.
    But Sedge kept his serious interests out of the public eye, for Society was suspicious of anyone it could not easily understand. One-word labels were comfortable, imparting the order and structure that made thinking unnecessary. Lady Beatrice was a gossip, feared because she knew everything. Lady Warburton was a hostess, her balls the highlight of any Season. Lord Devereaux was a rake, unprincipled enough that parents kept daughters out of his path. Lord Shelford was a Corinthian, determined to best his own numerous speed records. Lord Sedgewick was a dandy, caring only for clothes and on-dits.
    He derived considerable amusement from Society’s antics, much of it rooted in this willful blindness. Few people acknowledged that Lady Warburton was as obsessed with gossip as Lady Beatrice. No one admitted that Devereaux knew as much about horses as Shelford did. And as for himself, not only did people ignore his intelligence, the pleasure he derived from helping others, and even his love of history and literature, but disclosing these interests would actually reduce his credit.
    Not everyone adored him, of course. Some even held him in contempt. Like

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