Candice Hern Read Free Page A

them again, she would not see what she thought she had seen. And maybe the words she thought Nicholas had spoken were only imagined. It had to be a dream.
    “Prudence?”
    It was her father’s voice. She was not dreaming. She opened her eyes.
    “Girl, what have you done?”
    She stared at her father, who looked more furious than she’d ever seen him in her life. His blue eyes blazed, his face burned red with anger. She glanced over his shoulder to see four of her five brothers lined up behind him. All of them looked confused and angry, except for William, the youngest, who shuffled his feet in that nervous way of his and refused to meet her eyes.
    And then there was Nicholas, who had stepped back and was pressed against the wall, stiff and unmoving. His mouth was set in a grim line, and the expression in his eyes had grown flat, unreadable. He was in a shocking state of undress. Her gaze briefly swept over his bare legs and the expanse of chest revealed beneath the open collar of his loose shirt. Heat flooded her cheeks, and she turned her eyes away to look at her father.
    “Well?” he said. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
    Pru knew exactly what he was thinking, why he had come storming across town at this hour. But what he was thinking was so ludicrous she could not suppress a smile. Could he really have imagined that she and Nicholas …?
    “I fell asleep,” she said.
    “You what?”
    “I was working late, and I suppose I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t wake up until I heard all the commotion here in the hall.”
    “You were working?”
    “Yes.”
    “Then you did not spend the night in this scoundrel’s bed?”
    “Papa!” Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Of course not.”
    Her glance darted toward Nicholas, who glared at her father as though outraged at such an unthinkable suggestion.
    “You will oblige me, sir,” her papa said, returning Nicholas’s glare, “with an explanation for the despicable things you said about my Prudence.”
    Nicholas had said despicable things about her?
    I would not marry your wretched daughter if you put a gun to my head.
    She tried to catch his eye, but he looked away. What else had he said? Her stomach turned over to think that he had maligned her in some way. She had thought they were friends.
    Nicholas cleared his throat. “I, um, wasn’t speaking of Prudence.”
    “Then who?” Her father’s voice was sharp with anger.
    “Someone else. I did not know Prudence was here, I swear it.”
    Her father turned his furious gaze upon her. “You stayed late working on that idiotic magazine?”
    Her gaze darted to Nicholas. She didn’t understand. He had said despicable things about someone else? She furrowed her brow in confusion.
    “I’m talking to you, girl!”
    She tore her eyes from Nicholas and looked at her father. “Yes, I worked late and fell asleep at my desk. But—”
    “Had it perhaps slipped your mind that you were expected elsewhere last evening?”
    Pru gave a little gasp and covered her mouth with her hand. Good heavens, she had completely forgotten. “Oh, dear.”
    “Ah, so you do remember. How good of you. Yes, your niece’s breakfast is this morning, and Margaret expected you to stay with her last night so that you would be on hand to help. The whole damned family will be there, as you know. And apparently there are a thousand things your sister needed you to do that are not being done.”
    Yes, Margaret would be having fits. Her daughter, Arabella, had been brought to Town for her first Season. Before she was introduced to society, there were to be several family gatherings, the first of them an al fresco breakfast at Daine House, Margaret’s London home. And Pru, of course, was expected to be there early to help “keep the servants in line.” How could she have forgotten?
    “Oh, Papa. I’m so sorry. I got so involved in my work, it slipped my mind. I’ll just get my hat and pelisse and come home with you right now. I