Read Online ROMANCE: Regency Romance: Fated to His Kiss (Historical Victorian Romance) (Historical Regency Romance Fantasy Short Stories) by Eva Madden - Free Book Online
Authors: Eva Madden
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Without further ado, the married couple hurried into the drawing room.
Rafe looked spectacularly nervous, which was so unlike Rafe that Henry realized immediately that something serious indeed had transpired. Rafe was tugging at his hair until it seemed to be standing positively on end, giving him a half-mad appearance.
“Rafe, what is it? What do you need Anabelle for?” Henry asked while Anabelle's heart began to pound. She had only the slimmest of acquaintances with the young man before her, having not yet moved beyond the honeymoon phase with Henry and had not yet been formally introduced to all of his friends.
Rafe glanced from face to face before him and cleared his throat. “You see, Princely dear, I was at the racetrack yesterday when I ran into Isadora Givens. It appears she was in the company of Haversham, and that the two of them were quite cozy together.”
A flash of pain came across Anabelle. So her sister was still besotted with the horse-mad lord. “I trust that since you are a friend of Henry's, you have not come here to spread idle gossip,” she said to Rafe, her tone as even as she could make it. “It is known that my sister is often in Lord Haversham's company; what of it?”
At this, Rafe managed to look even more uncomfortable than before, if that was possible. “Ah, yes, my lady. You see, the thing is that at some point, Devon's mother decided to pay an unexpected visit to her family box.”
Anabelle froze.
“And it appears that she did not know about your sister's connection to her peach of a son.
“Oh God,” whispered Anabelle and closed her eyes, as if doing so would blot out the occurrence.
“I'm afraid so,” said Rafe, ruefully shaking his head. “She caused quite the scene when she discovered the two of them together, with no regard for either her own or Isadora's reputation.”
“Her own is already marred by the extracurriculars of her son,” noted Henry, but knew that that was not the end of the story.
It appeared as though he was correct. “Yes, but it seems as if her son's activities did not seem to bother her as much as Lady Givens' financial status, which she proceeded to proclaim loudly from the box. Said she'd disown him before she would see her son wed to such a pauper.”
Anabelle's heart bled for her sister. Although it what she had warned her of all along, she still felt like Anabelle did not deserve the blow dealt to her. It was one thing to hear it from your sister and quite another for the words to leave the mouth of a potential mother-in-law quite so publicly.
“Poor Isadora,” she murmured, thinking a visit to her sister was well in order. But Henry caught sight of the troubled expression on Rafe's face and knew that their troubles spanned well beyond such petty public humiliation.
“Out with it, man,” he said firmly.
“Well, it turns out Lord Haversham had quite a few things to say to his mother himself,” said Rafe. “Said that he cared not one whit for Lady Givens' coffers; he loved her and would marry her even if the Devil himself were standing in their way.”
Anabelle's head began to ache. On one hand, she was pleased that her sister had found an answer to her feelings with Devon, but on the other, she still could not wrap her mind around how her sister could carry on with somebody who was so much like their father, impulsive, rash, and full of clearly terrible decisions.
“Oh Henry, it's all just the same old story. Papa was just as impulsive.”
Rafe looked spectacularly nervous, which was so unlike Rafe that Henry realized immediately that something serious indeed had transpired. Rafe was tugging at his hair until it seemed to be standing positively on end, giving him a half-mad appearance.
“Rafe, what is it? What do you need Anabelle for?” Henry asked while Anabelle's heart began to pound. She had only the slimmest of acquaintances with the young man before her, having not yet moved beyond the honeymoon phase with Henry and had not yet been formally introduced to all of his friends.
Rafe glanced from face to face before him and cleared his throat. “You see, Princely dear, I was at the racetrack yesterday when I ran into Isadora Givens. It appears she was in the company of Haversham, and that the two of them were quite cozy together.”
A flash of pain came across Anabelle. So her sister was still besotted with the horse-mad lord. “I trust that since you are a friend of Henry's, you have not come here to spread idle gossip,” she said to Rafe, her tone as even as she could make it. “It is known that my sister is often in Lord Haversham's company; what of it?”
At this, Rafe managed to look even more uncomfortable than before, if that was possible. “Ah, yes, my lady. You see, the thing is that at some point, Devon's mother decided to pay an unexpected visit to her family box.”
Anabelle froze.
“And it appears that she did not know about your sister's connection to her peach of a son.
“Oh God,” whispered Anabelle and closed her eyes, as if doing so would blot out the occurrence.
“I'm afraid so,” said Rafe, ruefully shaking his head. “She caused quite the scene when she discovered the two of them together, with no regard for either her own or Isadora's reputation.”
“Her own is already marred by the extracurriculars of her son,” noted Henry, but knew that that was not the end of the story.
It appeared as though he was correct. “Yes, but it seems as if her son's activities did not seem to bother her as much as Lady Givens' financial status, which she proceeded to proclaim loudly from the box. Said she'd disown him before she would see her son wed to such a pauper.”
Anabelle's heart bled for her sister. Although it what she had warned her of all along, she still felt like Anabelle did not deserve the blow dealt to her. It was one thing to hear it from your sister and quite another for the words to leave the mouth of a potential mother-in-law quite so publicly.
“Poor Isadora,” she murmured, thinking a visit to her sister was well in order. But Henry caught sight of the troubled expression on Rafe's face and knew that their troubles spanned well beyond such petty public humiliation.
“Out with it, man,” he said firmly.
“Well, it turns out Lord Haversham had quite a few things to say to his mother himself,” said Rafe. “Said that he cared not one whit for Lady Givens' coffers; he loved her and would marry her even if the Devil himself were standing in their way.”
Anabelle's head began to ache. On one hand, she was pleased that her sister had found an answer to her feelings with Devon, but on the other, she still could not wrap her mind around how her sister could carry on with somebody who was so much like their father, impulsive, rash, and full of clearly terrible decisions.
“Oh Henry, it's all just the same old story. Papa was just as impulsive.”
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