The Spring Bride

The Spring Bride Read Free

Book: The Spring Bride Read Free
Author: Anne Gracíe
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blushed. “But you’ll find out soon enough. You’ll meet a handsome young man—maybe even next week at the ball—and you’ll fall madly in—”
    â€œDo you think Damaris and Freddy will have arrived in town yet?”
    Abby gave her a sharp glance, but accepted the change of subject. “Damaris’s last letter said they expected to arrive in London today or tomorrow, so they might have, yes.”
    â€œOh, good. I can’t wait to see her. Her letters from Venice contained some beautiful sketches—it seems like a magical place. I wonder if I’ll ever get to see it.”
    â€œJane—”
    But Jane didn’t want to talk about falling in love, which was all Abby talked about these days. “Watch out,” she said, pulling Abby back as a curricle whizzed past them. “You’re not in the country now, Abby—we have traffic in London, remember.”They crossed the street and mounted the front steps of Lady Beatrice’s house, where Jane and Daisy still lived.
    Max, on his marriage to Abby, had rented a town house around the corner. He’d offered to house Daisy and Jane there as well, but Lady Beatrice had objected strongly. “Stealing my gels? Losing Abby and Damaris to you and Freddy is bad enough. What’s wrong with newlyweds today—don’t you
want
privacy?” Delivered with a gimlet stare magnified by her favorite lorgnette.
    Abby and Max hadn’t argued. And Freddy, taking the hint, had also arranged the hire of a town house for the season, within easy walking distance of Berkeley Square.
    The front door opened silently before Jane could even reach for the bell. Featherby, their butler, placed a white-gloved finger over his lips in mysterious fashion and stood back to let them in.
    Daisy was sitting on the stairs, halfway up. “Daisy?” Jane began.
    â€œ
Sssh!
” Daisy made extravagant shushing gestures. Jane and Abby exchanged glances. What on earth was going on?
    Featherby, tapping his finger against his lips to reinforce the need for silence, pointed to the door to the drawing room, which was ajar. Voices wafted out. Lady Beatrice and a male visitor. Nothing unusual there. So why were Daisy and Featherby behaving so mysteriously?
    â€œWhat—” Jane began.
    â€œ
Shhh!
” Daisy made fierce, emphatic gestures, beckoning to Jane to come up and to be quiet.
    Mystified, Jane obeyed. Featherby stepped in front of the sitting room door, blocking them from the sight of the unknown visitor while Jane and Abby slipped past and hurried silently up the stairs.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” Jane whispered.
    â€œSit down and listen!” Daisy tugged her down beside her on the stairs. “It’s about you.”
    Jane sat. So did Abby. The three girls leaned against the rails, listening intently to the voices coming from the drawing room.
    The man, whoever he was, was talking about himself. “Of course, you know my family and my circumstances, Lady Beatrice, and naturally my eligibility is not in doubt—”
    Eligibility?
“What’s he talking about?” Jane whispered.
    â€œHe’s making an offer for you,” Daisy whispered back.
    â€œFor
me
?” Jane squeaked. She turned and stared at Daisy. “Who is he?”
    â€œLord Cambury.”
    Jane gave her a blank stare. “
Who?
”
    â€œLord Cambury. He came to the literary society a couple of times.”
    Jane shook her head, none the wiser.
    â€œLittle fat bloke. Thirty-three or so. Natty dresser. Balding.” Daisy mimed a comb being dragged across a scalp and Jane suddenly remembered. Lord Cambury.
    Lord
Cambury?
There must be some mistake. He couldn’t possibly be offering for her. She’d barely exchanged a dozen words with the man.
She leaned closer to hear the conversation coming from the drawing room.
    But Featherby, who had been hovering casually near the drawing room door,

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