Page 69 of A Lady of Means
“Naturally, you saw I was carrying a gift, so you took pity on me.”
Gretchen didn’t laugh, but one corner of her mouth lost the battle against smiling.“I was just in shock that you still remembered my address.”
Moria bit into a scone.“I deserved that.”
“When Miss Herring told me that you’d gone shopping together, and selected a dress for her to wear to entice His Grace-”
“She saidwhat?”
“Open the gift you brought me first,” Gretchen straightened her shoulders and lifted her head proud like a curly-haired queen.
Moria lifted the striped lid off the hat box and held out the confection of millinery for her friend.
“I thought you said my hats were too big.”Gretchen said, pulling her lip between her teeth.
“Theyare.You have a small head and beautiful hair.Butyoulike them.That’s all that matters.”
Gretchen’s eyes turned a little watery, but she accepted the hat and turned it over gingerly.
“She said that you confided in her.That you thought she was a better friend.That’s why you took her shopping and suggested she try and aim for the Duke.”
Moria scoffed.“And you believed this bit of farce?”
“Thedress, Moria.She wore it earlier this morning to a breakfast that you didn’t show up to and everyone was talking about how regal she looked.But it was…so unlike her.It was more likeyou.”
Moria dusted her hands of the sugar from the sweet treat she’d been eating then reached for Gretchen’s.“She isn’t a better friend than you.I barely know her.I was shopping.She was shopping.She was just there.And then…” Moria blew out a long breath, “She started prying, I didn’t want to tell her about something, so I picked her out a dress and told her she should wear it if she wanted to get His Grace to notice her.I didn’t give my blessing on their marital union.”
“That little redheaded?—”
“There’s something else, Gretchen.”
Gretchen leaned forward, squeezed Moria’s hand.“On Carina’s dead husband’s grave, I swear I won’t tell a soul.”
Moria scrunched up her nose.“You couldn’t promise on something better?”
“No, because why would I break a promise or tell a lie and risk being haunted by that lecher?”
Moria laughed, truly laughed, for the first time in weeks.“I’ve missed you.”
Gretchen waved for her to keep talking.“Don’t change the subject.”
Moria bit her lip before continuing.“There is a reason I’ve been…keeping to myself.”
Gretchen squealed, stood from her seat, and then ran to close the door.“I’m going to need to close the door for this, I can feel it.”
And when she sat down next to Moria, Moria finally unburdened herself to her friend of all the things she’d kept buried and felt several pounds lighter.If Devyn could love her enough to promise life and death, enough to give her his mother’s ring and every oath he could make to come back to her, then she could share all of it with her friend.He would come back, and she would need her friends.
ChapterTwenty-Eight
11 weekslater
The outpost in Bajgah had been ambushed.Captain Devyn Winter and his Lieutenant, Calum Sterling, tried to get everyone out, all of the men, the civilians, and locals that they could.Still, more and more enemy attacks kept coming.
Death was all around him.Death walked at his back and stood at his side and ran towards him.He couldn’t tell if it had come for him, or to use him.
“Where’s Belcher?”He heard Calum’s yell above the artillery fire.
He heard someone to his left swear.He followed the other man’s vision.There was one of Devyn’s men several yards ahead, being forced into a caravan at gunpoint.Sweat beaded on Devyn’s brow, he wiped it, feeling the dark dirt sticking to his skin.His heart pounded so loudly he barely heard another onslaught of folly.
