A Christmas In Bath Read Online Free PDF Page A

wallflower. In the past, only the two Blankenship brothers had spared her from sitting out every single dance. And, when Glee's brother was in town, Lord Sedgewick could be depended upon to favor her with a dance. She suspected Glee's gallant husband was happy indeed that he would not have to stand up with her this night.
    When the final waltz of the night was struck up, and Jonathan Blankenship sought her for his partner, she came to realize she had never enjoyed an assembly more. She felt rather like a princess because of the attentions she had drawn.
    What a pity it was that the only man whose opinion she courted did not think her hair becoming.
    She knew she would not be able to persist with her vastly improved appearance. It was not as if she could have Glee's maid dress her hair every day, and she could no more arrange her own hair with such artistry than she could read a book without her spectacles. She had to own that despite feeling like a princess, she had been far more comfortable in her familiar old clothes that did not make her feel as if she were unclothed.
    "It seems you were a great success tonight," Mr. Blankenship said to her, "though I daresay none of your partners were up to snuff."
    "What do you mean up to snuff? I thought they were all delightful." Particularly her present partner.
    "I mean marriageable."
    "Oh. I did not realize. Perhaps I shall need your counsel." Glee had suggested she say that to him.
    "Indeed you do. Since you have neither father nor brother, I think it's best you allow me guide you. After all, I am older than you, and I've been more in the world than have you, my dear Miss Arbuckle."
    "You would do that for me?"
    "Of course. You are, after all, one of my dearest friends."
    She sighed. "That is the worst thing about becoming someone's wife. I shan't be able to continue our friendship, Mr. Blankenship, and I do value it excessively." Glee had encouraged her to say that too.
    He squeezed at her waist, where his hand rested, and her heartbeat drummed madly. He had never done that a single time in the last four years. "I don't mind telling you, I shouldn't like to lose your friendship either."
    "Perhaps my husband won't mind. It's not as if you think of me as a man thinks of a woman." That, too, had been Glee's suggestion.
    "I beg that you give me credit for knowing the difference between a man and a woman."
    "I don't mean to imply that you don't."
    "I would hope you don't confuse me with any of your female friends."
    She paused. "No, I don't believe I have ever taken you for one of my female friends."
    In the carriage ride home after the assembly, he said, "What a difference three months can make. The last time I was in Bath the weather easily permitted us to walk to and from the assemblies, and now it's so beastly cold I am happy for my brother's carriage."
    Then he directed his attention at Glee. "Would you be adverse to me borrowing the coach tomorrow to take Miss Arbuckle for a spin through Sydney Gardens?"
    "I have always told you that when you're in Bath you are to treat our house and our carriage as if they're yours, but I daresay Miss Arbuckle's likely made plans for tomorrow. You must have noticed how sought after she's become."
    She knew Glee would not approve, but Miss Arbuckle was far too eager to be with Mr. Blankenship. "Actually, I don't have plans. I should love to go for a drive with you tomorrow."
     

Chapter 3
     
    The following morning Glee, along with her sister Felicity, and Melvin Steffington's bride, the former Catherine Bexley, paid a morning call upon Mary Arbuckle. Other young ladies (well, perhaps not so young) might have been embarrassed to have the daughters of a viscount calling at their modest homes, but because of Miss Arbuckle's long association with the sisters, she knew they judged friends not on possessions but on  amiability.
    They had often surprised her with a visit—to Mrs. Arbuckle's delight. Though rarely in Society, Mary’s mother was