Read Online Our Wicked Mistake by Emma Wildes - Free Book Online Page B

They varied from foppish and eager to smooth and sophisticated, but with none of them had there been any certain sense of elevated interest on her part. A few she liked quite well, some she thought pleasant, but her attitude in general was ambiguous.
    She wanted to fall in love, which was a hopelessly romantic view of the entire process, she knew, but it had happened to Amelia, so why couldn’t it happen to her ?
    A mischievous smile curved her friend’s mouth. “You mean you can’t imagine it yet . There’s a distinction. When you meet the right gentleman, it could all change.”
    “I want to share your confidence.” Elizabeth gave a rueful grimace. “But so far, marriage doesn’t seem all that appealing.”
    “I completely shared your views until one evening, when a mysterious stranger appeared on my balcony.”
    “Balcony?”
    “Never mind.” Amelia waved at a friend, her expression as sunny as the sky. “My point is you should be open-minded about the possibilities ahead.”
    “I’ll accept your word on it.” Disappointed, Elizabeth murmured, “In the meantime, as we wait for me to discover my gallant prince, can you please ask Alex to talk to Luke? I am not sure how to describe it. He’s restless, distant.”
    There was a pause. Then Amelia nodded once. “I’ll ask. Though I can’t promise Alex will be in favor of complying with my request. Men are such strange creatures at times.”
    Thinking of Miles’s infuriating refusal to interfere, Elizabeth said darkly, “I agree.”
    Quiet settled between them, except for the chatter of the children and the people strolling in the park. The slanting sun added to the bucolic feel of the afternoon, even in the middle of the city.
    She might be an ingenue, and she might be a debutante with little experience, but it suddenly struck Elizabeth that her friend seemed extraordinarily absorbed and had been since they set out on their stroll, their maids a suitable distance behind them. The direction of Amelia’s gaze was definitely fastened on a baby in his pram.
    A light dawned. Elizabeth was uninformed, not completely ignorant, and Amelia had so precipitously married the notorious St. James. Her eyes widened. “Oh.”
    Amelia blushed.
    The banks of the Serpentine were crowded, and they walked parallel through the grass instead of on one of the winding paths. Elizabeth observed neutrally, “I am not a mystic, but also not without some intuition.”
    “Like?”
    “You’ve been quite absorbed in the children ever since we started this walk.”
    “Have I?”
    “Indeed, you have.” The remonstration was gentle but direct. “Can I guess the reason?”
    “You always have been able to be perceptive about the emotions of others, with the exception of your own.” Her friend was composed and amused, her cheeks still a becoming pink. “Well, yes, then. Alex and I are expecting a baby.”
    This was, Elizabeth realized, why Lady Amelia had called on her and suggested the walk in the park in the first place. She smiled warmly. “Congratulations.”
    “Thank you. We’re delighted, of course. I—”
    “Good afternoon, ladies.”
    The interruption of a deep voice made Elizabeth jerk her attention back to the path. A man stood there, bareheaded, his ironic smile all too familiar. He was dressed casually in buff breeches and a white shirt, his cravat looped in a simple tie, a well cut dark brown coat com pleting the informal ensemble.
    Miles.
    What an inconvenient coincidence.
     
    At what point had he lost any semblance of dignity and begun to drift into a life of humiliating covert surveil lance?
    Probably when I was about ten , Miles decided sar donically, inclining his head politely and taking Lady Amelia’s hand. It was the first time he remembered fol lowing Elizabeth and her governess. Then it had been harmless enough; he’d hated Latin and wanted to avoid his lessons and tutor. Whatever his spritely young cousin had been doing was surely more interesting