The Viscount's Revenge (The Royal Ambition Series Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page A

covered in a whole snowstorm of French chalk by the village boys before the dance, and it was slippier than it had ever been before. So instead of subsiding artistically, one foot skidded out from under her and she landed up at Richard’s feet, banging into his legs.
     
    He bent to pick her up, but she struggled furiously away from him, and in an effort to reach forward and help her, he overbalanced and slipped on the treacherous floor and landed full on top of her.
     
    “I am so sorry,” said Richard, struggling to his feet, red with embarrassment. Amanda, who had just joined hands across with Lord Hawksborough in a neighbouring set, stopped suddenly and stared in consternation at her brother. Lord Hawksborough tugged impatiently at her hands, but Amanda refused to move.
     
    “You oaf!” screamed Miss Devine. “You great clumsy yokel!” She turned her eyes languishingly in Lord Hawksborough’s direction. “Take me away from these peasants,” she cried.
     
    Amanda tore her hands from Lord Hawksborough’s and rushed to her brother’s defense.
     
    “You slipped
deliberately
,” said Amanda roundly. “You, madam, are the peasant. Come, Richard!”
     
    “You forget,” said the cool voice of Lord Hawksborough at her elbow, “that this dance is promised to me.”
     
    Amanda looked around wildly. The music had stopped, the dancers had stopped. Miss Devine was on her feet and her mouth was opening, and Amanda felt sure some really terrible words were about to come out of it. “Darling Richard,” said Amanda hurriedly, “Aunt Matilda wishes some refreshment. And we are spoiling the dance.”
     
    She turned to Lord Hawksborough and held out her hands. “Forgive me, sir,” she said sweetly.
     
    The music struck up again. Richard turned on his heel and strode off smartly in the direction of the refreshment room, his face flaming. Miss Devine rejoined her companions at the fire.
     
    Lord Hawksborough automatically went through the motions of the dance, his mind busy with angry thoughts.
     
    He wished he had never come. The visit had been a disaster and the earl’s miserly table a disgrace. There had been bad shooting and worse fishing. The company had been spiteful and dull.
     
    He had only accepted the invitation because he was to escort his sister and mother to London from nearby Bellingham, where his sister had been attending a seminary for young ladies. He had not wanted to dance but had felt obliged to when Miss Devine had forcibly brought it to his attention that the behaviour of the earl’s company was uncivil to say the least. And so he had asked this strange little girl who looked so like a fairy princess to dance. But his fairy already had her country lover if that “Darling Richard” was anything to go by. If the earl wished to patronise the country people, let him do it on his own in future! The viscount was prey to a violent fit of indigestion, an unromantic complaint which made him look increasingly brooding and sinister.
     
    Amanda found herself becoming disappointed in him and also a little bit afraid of him. He was not at all romantic, she decided. She did not like his eyes. They were very pale, like pale silver, and he had rather a fixed look.
     
    Lord Hawksborough performed his part of the country dance with grace, despite a feeling that a great lump of burning-hot lava was lodged somewhere under his cravat. He could never remember having felt so spleenish before. But then, he could never remember having eaten such terrible food or drunk such bad wine as he had at the Earl of Hardforshire’s home before.
     
    Supper was announced immediately after the dance, and he gave a silent groan. He did not want to eat. He did not want to fight among the jams and jellies in the next room. He wanted to go home and take rhubarb pills and forget that such a place as Hember Cross ever existed.
     
    The guests were already jostling and pushing into the refreshment room. With a sort of weary