Page 26 of Lessons for Marquesses
Oliver continued his furious pacing. It was the most exercise Georgiana had ever seen from her cousin. “I’ll get your horse back in the race. Mark me, girl.”
“And risk Georgiana being the laughing-stock,” Charlotte warned. “Eastwick seems quite determined. No, I fear he will resort to less respectable methods to stop her if you do.”
Georgiana’s patience shredded. “The marquess thinks he can drive me to sell? Well, I will. I’ll sell Farendon to the walls. There won’t be a chimney left, not even the stone facade. Not a box, not a rafter in the block. I’ll burn the remains and then, when not even an impression is left, when the weeds have grown over it all, then he can have it!”
Oliver paled to bleached straw.
They watched him stomp out of the room.
At the rattle of the front door slamming, Julian stood and clapped. “Excellent show, Georgie. Much better than eating crow. Now let’s have some fun.”
Suddenly, Julian’s grin went directly to a scowl. Julian’s sister, Caroline, stood at the sitting room door.
CHAPTER NINE
Georgiana wrestledwith the vestiges of her rage, and once outwardly composed, bowed as Caroline floated into the room.
Caroline took delicate hold of Georgiana’s hands. “Thank you, Poppy. It has been too long.”
Ah, the infamous poplar tree reference. It hadn’t been long enough.
Caroline strolled toward Julian, who abruptly left his chair for the fireside. Charlotte, never having laid eyes upon the exquisite Caroline, appraised her from her peach silk shoes to her embroidered floral petticoat and paused at the tiny waist a man could span with his hands. The three green satin bows upon Caroline’s stomacher were an irresistible ladder to her sumptuous bosom.
Kitty perused her own bosom in comparison and frowned. Charlotte looked from Caroline to Georgiana and winced over a cup of tea.
Julian, an elbow to the settee, braced his temple with two fingers. “Give it up, sister. Who is he?”
“Why brother, what do you mean?” Caroline asked, wide-eyed.
“I mean, your new lover. Your claws are retracted. You might be happy.”
Charlotte’s jaw fell. “Mr. St. Clair, that is enough.”
Julian shrugged off the reprimand. “Who, dear sister, is your new acquaintance?” He added quickly, “That you just happen to sleep with.”
Charlotte rose sharply. Julian spread his hands and Caroline landed in a pluff of silk next to Georgiana.
“Georgiana, please pour your cousin tea,” Charlotte urged.
At Julian’s snort, Georgiana shook her head. She was not ever, ever going tothinkof competing with Caroline, much less attempt it.
After pouring what amounted to a flawless portrait of tea, Caroline said, “I do miss our times together, Poppy. Perhaps I should visit Farendon this summer.”
“That ends my plans for a country respite,” Julian said.
“Kitty is to marry Lord Staverton this summer,” Charlotte said to Julian. “I should think you will receive an invitation.”
Julian’s gaze hardened on Kitty. “Bloody hell. Someone’s marrying you?”
Charlotte cleared her throat.
“Forgive me,” Julian said. “Someone is going to father children with you?”
“Mr. St. Clair!” Charlotte exclaimed.
Kitty rushed to the pianoforte, her long fingers interpreting with precision and feeling the notes of an Italian love song.
Caroline lowered her voice to Georgiana. “I saw you last night at the assembly conversing with Mr. Wolf. An interesting man, isn’t he? Full of mystery.”
