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and more demanding as the
weeks went by and Robert had decided to break it off,
when he saw her climbing into the Earl of Rathbone’s
barouche a few days previously. That made four that he
was aware of, how many others were servicing her. It
was enough to turn his stomach, so he decided to finish
it.
He looked at the countryside around him and
felt clean for the first time in nearly a year. He didn’t
really notice how filthy London was, until he left it for
the country. To smell the clean air, rather than the raw
sewage lying in the gutters and he was looking forward
to drinking clean water, eating fresh food and being
able to go hunting or just for a ride.
There was silence in the carriage, which Lady
Verity found strange at first. She had to remind herself
that these two girls and they were girls, neither of them
was over twenty, had both been subjected to traumatic
change, Elizabeth had been in a traumatic and violent
marriage and Sarah had basically been sold into slavery
by her father to pay his debts to the crown.
Elizabeth looked out over the scenery and hoped
she wouldn’t be sick, as the fear of being in a strange
place, with a strange man was building. She supposed
she shouldn’t worry because she was well chaperoned,
with the Duchess and now Lady Sarah, but that didn’t
stop the fear. She knew her greatest trial was to
overcome it.
Sarah was looking out the other side of the
carriage and wishing that the Duke of Argyll was with
them. She was so affronted and shocked when Prinny
manhandled her onto his knee for her first kiss, but he
made it totally memorable and he said thank you to
boot! She was horrified when the Prince made the offer
of lady in waiting. She knew exactly what he wanted,
but her bond had been purchased by the Duke and she
was surprised to be collected by the Duchess the next
morning and she hadn’t seen the Duke since.
‘I suppose we will have to see what
entertainment will be on offer this summer.’ The
Duchess said carefully. ‘If we’re lucky I could probably
get you both married off before the winter!’ she said
with a smile. Sarah looked at her with huge eyes, but
Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and said. ‘No thank
you, Your Grace. I’m quite happy on my own. I will
never have another husband.’
‘Never say never, my dear. Nobody knows what
is in the future.’
‘In my future will be lots of walking, shooting
and riding.’ Elizabeth said. ‘And when its raining I shall
sew and read by the fire in my room.’ She sat with a
serene expression on her face. ‘At least for the next few
weeks or until Lord Bosworth gets fed up of me and
sends me back to London.’
‘Robert won’t stay longer than two weeks. He’ll
have to go to Roding Hall at some point to check over
the estate, although he has excellent stewards.’
‘Is Lord Bosworth single?’ Sarah asked
innocently.
‘Have you had a season yet?’ Lady Verity asked
impertinently.
‘No. My father couldn’t afford one for me.’ She
shrugged eloquently.
‘Then you haven’t heard of Robert Bosworth, the
Duke of Roding?’ Elizabeth said with such scorn that
Sarah turned even larger eyes on her and slowly shook
her head.
Lady Verity sighed. ‘He has the reputation of a
rakehell, my dear.’ She smiled benignly. ‘He actually
isn’t quite as bad as the gossip would have you believe.’
‘I can believe that.’ Sarah said firmly. ‘He sprang
to my honour very quickly when the Prince was talking
about returning my fathers estate.’
‘In what sense my dear?’ Verity asked, so Sarah
relayed everything that happened in the receiving room,
even down to the look of horror on Robert’s face as he
realised the Prince was trying to blackmail her.
‘Yes, that sounds like Robert. He wouldn’t
actually have called the Prince out as they know each
other rather well. I suppose the Prince was surprised.’
‘Does Lord Bosworth have any family?’ Elizabeth
asked curiously, ‘He doesn’t seem to mention them.’
Verity