Page 36 of The Banished Bride
Aurora’s lips curled into a sardonic smile. “Now that the preening prig is a high and mighty lord, it’s obvious he wishes to look elsewhere for a bride.” Her gaze fell down once more to the closely spaced lines of elegant copperplate script. “He wants his freedom, does he? Well, that suits me just fine, especially as he is willing to pay handsomely for it.” With a curt laugh she stuffed the letter into the pocket of her gown. “Come, Robbie, you have always said that you wished to visit London above all things. And so have I. Let’s start packing.”
Within the week, the two of them were comfortably settled in Town. The earl’s man of affairs had responded to Aurora’squickly penned reply by arranging everything. An elderly Woodbridge aunt was away taking the cure at Bath and her townhouse was put at their disposal, along with a good deal more servants than Aurora or Miss Robertson considered necessary. Before either of them could think to demur, they were whisked off to a series of fittings with the most-sought after modiste in London, and a selection of open accounts at the finest shops on Bond Street were put at their disposal. When questioned, the man of affairs simply stated that he was following His Lordship’s specific orders.
“You have to admit that the current Lord Woodbridge appears not to be a nipcheese like his father. Or yours,” remarked Miss Robertson, fingering the soft wool of her new day gown as she watched yet another pile of boxes being carried up the marble stairs. “He has been most generous in insisting that we acquire a suitable wardrobe and other necessaries for our stay in Town.
Aurora glanced down at her own figured silk skirts. “You may be seduced by a few fripperies, Robbie,” she muttered. “But the rogue is going to have to cough up a good deal more than that if he wishes to get what he wants from me.”
The former governess’s cheeks turned quite pink. “Seduction is quite the furthest thought from my mind?—”
“From mine as well.” She grinned. “I am far more interested in the notion of extortion. How much do you think I should attempt to squeeze out of him this first time around?”
Miss Robertson gave a strangled cough. “My dear, pray do try to moderate your opinions somewhat when meeting your—that is, Lord Woodbridge for the first time. Surely it would help make things go as you wish if you make some attempt to be civil to the man.”
Aurora said something under her breath that the older woman did not ask her to repeat.
With a purse of her lips, Miss Robertson regarded her former charge’s rigid profile and the defiant tilt of her jaw. “Are you sure you do not wish for me to accompany you to the meeting? I?—”
“No, I prefer to go alone. There’s nothing to be concerned about. I can handle the situation just fine on my own.”
“Hmmph! As I recall, that’s what you said the last time you went haring off without me.”
Aurora had the grace to color slightly. “This is entirely different,” she muttered. “I am going to meet with my husband and his solicitors, not with?—”
“Not with some dashing, rakish Major with eyes the color of jewels?” Miss Robertson crossed her arms over her ample chest and gave another snort. “Hmmph! Well, let us hope there are not two such men on this earth who could have such an effect on your fluttering heart.”
“Oh, do stop sounding as if you are reading a passage fromThe Mysteries of Udolpho.” Aurora turned away to gaze out of the tall mullioned windows of the drawing room. “The Major had no effect on my heart, save to cause it to heat my blood to the boiling point.” She bit her lip. “With anger, of course.”
Miss Robertson refrained from making any direct reply and simply reached over to give Aurora a quick hug. A harried sigh followed. “Men! Detestable creatures!”
The slight tremble on Aurora’s lips turned into a laugh. “Oh, Robbie, whatever would I do without your stalwart support and keen sense of humor! She picked up her new reticule from the gilt sidetable. “But truly, you have no need to worry. I think my heart has learned its lesson regarding rakish soldiers. If the Earl of Woodbridge thinks he can use any sort of wiles on me, he had better think twice. He has no idea who he is up against.”
Alex tooka deep breath and adjusted the precise folds of his cravat yet again. “She has arrived?”
“Yes, milord.” His man of affairs shifted the hefty portfolio of legal papers from one arm to another. “I have just brought her in to meet the fellow you had me hire to handle her part of the proceedings. I suppose we had best give them a few minutes to review the matter in private before we join them.”
Alex clasped his hands behind his back, then shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Perkins?”
“Yes, my lord.
“My experience as a soldier has taught me it is a wise thing to have engaged in some, er, reconnaissance before entering enemy territory.”
“Sir?”
This was damned awkward, he fumed to himself, but he couldn’t quite overcome a sudden curiosity. “Er, you are aware of the circumstances of my marriage, since you helped my father draw up the agreement. It was a long time ago, and I was not exactly in full possession of my faculties during our one meeting.” There was a fraction of a pause. “So tell me, is she … short and stout?”
The man coughed. ”Rather tall and slender.”
“Dark mousy hair?”
“Light, my lord. Not exactly blond, but …”
“Attractive?”
The man took a moment to extract a handkerchief from his pocket and dab at his forehead. “What one man may find?—”
“Don’t prevaricate, man. I wish an honest answer.”
“Yes. Quite.”
