The Baron Next Door (Prelude to a Kiss) Read Online Free PDF Page A

Sophie. “Although I feel I must point out, you, Miss Wembley, are mad. Quite, quite mad.”
    Charity grinned at the joking comment. Sophie’s solution had been completely inspired, but brazen and presumptuous as well. The three of them exchanged collusive glances before bursting out with laughter. The sound echoed gaily through the woods.
    “Oh, Miss Bradford, you don’t know the half of it,” Sophie replied, winking good-naturedly. “I shall warn you now that you may not wish to befriend me, as I do tend to get myself in trouble. Mama claims my mouth always moves faster than my brain.”
    Brushing aside a low-hanging branch, Miss Bradford grinned. “I must say, despite the fact I have known you both for all of an hour, I think you have earned the right to call me May. And fear not: My father raised me to always align myself with the outspoken, for their thoughts are rarely hidden. It’s the quiet ones that one must worry about.”
    “Hold on,” Charity said, putting her hands to her hips. “Are you saying I am not to be trusted?”
    May lifted a shoulder. “It does rather make you suspect. I recommend tossing aside any introversion while in our little trio.”
    It was such fun to tease with these women—it felt like honest friendship. While Charity was growing up, her father had disapproved of her mingling with those beneath their family’s status. A rather inconvenient stance when he outranked everyone in a thirty-mile radius. She counted the Moore family as friends, but after ending the betrothal with Richard last year, it had felt a bit awkward to visit his sisters. They were wonderful, of course, but the broken engagement always felt like an invisible curtain between them and Charity.
    She smiled easily at her new friend and nodded. “Very well. I hereby promise to chatter like a magpie when it is just the three of us.”
    “I’m not altogether certain it would be a good idea to have
two
magpies in the group,” Sophie said, her tone wry. “Heaven knows no one would get a word in edgewise.”
    “Excellent point,” Charity conceded. “A sparrow, then. And, May, what shall you be?”
    “Why, a malkoha, of course.”
    “A mal-what?”
    “My mother used to call me her little malkoha because my eyes are so blue.” A flash of sadness passed over her features, but she quickly rallied. “They’re funny little birds in the East Indies with bright chestnut breasts and blue-green wings. Mama simply overlooked the fact that the males were the ones with the blue eyes.” She paused, tilting her head. “What?”
    Charity exchanged glances with Sophie. “It’s just so very . . .
foreign
. I thought I was quite adventurous to have traveled from Durham to Bath.”
    A delighted smile brightened May’s entire face. “Oh, there is just so much to see beyond the borders of this soggy little island. I’ve spent almost my entire life in the warmth of the tropics. Brightly colored birds, lush tropical landscapes, and the heavy scent of spices define my idea of home. Being here in Bath is such a culture shock, I hardly know what to do with myself.”
    Sophie just shook her head. “I can’t imagine how different it must be. I mean, what on earth does one do in the East Indies? Other than play the zither, of course. Are there as many dangerous animals there as I’ve read? And are the natives really as scantily dressed as I heard? Not that I blame them, if the rumors of the intensity of the sun there are to be believed.”
    If Charity had known Sophie was this outrageous, she would have made a better effort to befriend her during the Season. Charity never had the nerve to say such things, which made being around people who did that much more fun. Chuckling, she said, “Perhaps we should start with one question.”
    “One question is not nearly enough. Do please tell us
everything
, my dear.”
    May laughed with delight, clearly making no effort to temper her enthusiasm. “As you wish. But first I have one