Read Online Elizabeth Kidd by My Lady Mischief - Free Book Online Page B

such platitudes as assuring her that he would always love her whether she gave him an heir or not. It was true, but that did not mean she would believe him.
    “Blooming, according to her latest letter. Perhaps I should have included Mr. Campbell,” Antonia went on, apparently unafflicted by such thoughts as troubled her husband. “Elena seemed at ease with him.”
    “Nonetheless, they are virtual strangers.”
    “That is true.” Antonia sighed and bent to kiss her husband’s forehead. “And the announcement will appear in the Times tomorrow morning. We can always wave it about or post it on the door by way of official announcement.” She gathered up her gardening shears and said, “I shall leave you to your correspondence, dearest. I must see if the berries for the sweet course have arrived.”
    With a smile and a gay little wave, Antonia left the library and closed the door softly behind her. The instant she heard it click shut, however, she took in a deep breath and snatched a handkerchief out of her sleeve to wipe away the tears that welled up despite her determination not to let them.
    “Do stop being so foolish,” she told herself in a fierce whisper. “Fretting yourself to flinders will achieve nothing!”
    Refusing to dwell on her secret, unreasoning fears about her inadequacies as a wife and the dreadful possibility that she would never be a mother—those doubts would pass, they always did, she knew they would—Antonia went off to bedevil the cook, harry the maids, and drive her dresser to distraction. And, as always in the Kedrington household, when it came time for her guests to arrive, Lady Kedrington looked as fresh and lovely as a spring day, the decorations were perfection, and the servants went about their remaining tasks with smiles and giggles, as if they had never been more happy in their work.
    His lordship appeared, fresh from the talented hands of his valet and ready to greet his guests ten minutes before anyone was expected. He presented himself for his wife’s approval in knee breeches and striped stockings, a beautifully cut dark blue coat, a white waistcoat, and a cravat tied in a style she recognized as his own but to which he refused to put a name.
    “You do look elegant,” Antonia told him, “as always.”
    “And as always,” he replied, “you, my love, look delicious.”
    “Why, thank you, sir,” she said, spreading her skirts in a curtsy which served to show off the supple radiance of her pink satin gown. The amethysts in her ears and at her throat had been a gift from Kedrington on their second wedding anniversary.
    “Are you coming down to greet our guests?” she asked him.
    “No, I leave that chore in your expert hands. When you need me, send Trotter. He will know where to find me.”
    Antonia gave his a look he dared not attempt to interpret and, with no further word, swept past him toward the stairs. He surely only imagined her saying, as she disappeared, “Slacker!”
    * * * *
    The first of their guests to arrive was, unsurprisingly, Hester Coverley, in a youthful but unusually restrained gown of lavender and white stripes. The moment the door was opened to her, she swept past the butler, hugged Antonia, and snatched off her bonnet.
    “You need not hide your bonnet from us ,” Antonia said, laughing. “Although I should not suppose you need it indoors.”
    “Oh, do forgive me, Antonia, dear. Force of habit, you know. Julia does take on so when I wear what she considers a too frivolous or too expensive hat. I do think this one is quite elegant, though, don’t you? It’s a real ostrich feather. And I got it for a song, I assure you.”
    “I’m sure you did,” Antonia replied, leading Hester into the drawing room. She thought, but did not say, that she would have expected Hester’s modiste to give her a large discount for the sheer volume of business Miss Coverley brought her way.
    Hester rattled on for several moments about her activities that day, but it