Miss Darby's Duenna Read Online Free PDF

last time you asked.”
    “He’s not coming, is he?” Olivia asked miserably. “Harry isn’t coming.”
    “Well, if he is, he’d best be quick about it,” said Mrs. Darby matter-of-factly. “The doors are locked precisely at eleven, and no one—not even the hero of Waterloo, Wellington himself—is admitted after that hour.”
    “I suppose I should have known,” conceded Olivia with a sigh.
    “Indeed, I should think you would, my dear,” replied her mama briskly. “After all, why should a young man be expected to dance attendance on his fiancée, with so many other amusements to distract him? Men are all alike, my dear. Predictable, but necessary. They loathe Almack’s to a man. But you mustn’t take it personally, Olivia. Never mind losing an occasional battle when you have already won the war.” Having delivered herself of this sage advice, she bent a frown upon her unhappy daughter. “In my opinion, you were a bit rash in refusing to dance with young Eversley—excellent ton, and a sizable fortune, especially for a younger son. Perhaps we might have steered him in Georgina’s direction,” she added, sotto voce, casting a furtive glance at the primrose-clad damsel seated on her other side, who observed the waltz in progress with a marked air of disapproval.
    “I thought it only fitting to save my first dance for Harry—indeed, I promised him as much,” she confessed. “Unfortunately, it appears that he—”
    But Mrs. Darby, eyes widening in anticipation, had lost interest in her daughter’s absentee suitor. “Only look, Olivia! Lady Cowper is headed this way, and see the fine gentleman she is bringing with her! If he asks you to dance, my dear, you are to accept. We cannot have you and Georgina labeled as wallflowers.”
    The next instant saw the Hawthorne party introduced to Lady Cowper’s distinguished companion, and although he was scrupulously polite to all three ladies, it was clearly Olivia’s presence which had led him thither.
    “Lord Mannerly, may I present Mrs. Darby, Miss Darby, and Miss Hawthorne? Lord Mannerly, I believe, is an intimate acquaintance of your fiancé, Miss Darby,” added the patroness, darting a mischievous glance at the marquess.
    Georgina, seated demurely beside her chaperone, watched as the most striking man she had ever seen bowed over Olivia’s hand. She could not in all honesty call him handsome, for his swarthy countenance possessed a magnetism which transcended mere beauty. His hair was the glossy black of a raven’s wing, and his dark eyes glittered as if at some private amusement. Georgina was struck with the notion that he would be a dangerous man to cross. She was immediately ashamed of the direction her wayward thoughts had taken. If her brother considered this gentleman a friend, why should she think of him as an enemy?
    “I should be honored,” Lord Mannerly was saying, “if you would stand up with me for the waltz, Miss Darby.”
    Olivia, having been warned by her mama not to waltz until being granted permission to do so, glanced at Lady Cowper and, seeing the patroness nodding her approval, took the marquess’s proffered hand. “I am sure any friend of Harry’s must be a friend of mine,” she said as they took their places.
    “I have a confession to make,” replied Lord Mannerly with a notable lack of repentance. “I fear you were misled. Although I am acquainted with Sir Harry, I cannot in good conscience call any man friend who steals a march on me so unsportingly. Tell me, Miss Darby, how came you to cast your lot with Sir Harry without giving the rest of us poor blighters a chance to win your affections?”
    “We are near neighbors, my lord, and it has always been our families’ dearest wish that we should wed,” explained Olivia.
    “Then it is an arranged marriage?”
    “Yes—not that we ourselves are reluctant for the match,” she added perhaps a bit too quickly.
    “My dear Miss Darby, how could any man be reluctant to