Wedding Rows Read Online Free PDF Page B

Elizabeth frowned. The Winterhalters had left immediately after the cake had been cut, apparently taking her butler and housekeeper with them. She sincerely hoped that Martin was not the cause of their hasty departure. He was not used to attending social events and rarely left the manor these days. Though he had seemed quite well when she’d spoken to him.
    Feeling uneasy, she was relieved when Earl pulled up to the steps with a scrunch of tires. “The night is still young,” she said, as he helped her climb out of the Jeep. “Would you like to join me in a glass of sherry?”
    To her disappointment, he shook his head. “I’ve got some paperwork to catch up on, and I have to make a real early start in the morning. Rain check?”
    She smiled at him. “Of course. Good night, then.”
    He still had hold of her hand, and he held on to it for a moment longer before letting her go. “You’ll let me know if you get involved in this mess, right?”
    “Don’t I always?”
    “Not until you’re knee deep in trouble, as a rule.”
    “I promise I’ll keep you informed.”
    He lifted his hand and gently stroked her cheek. “I’m gonna hold you to that. Just watch your step, okay? Don’t go charging ahead until you know what you’re getting into.”
    She covered his fingers with her own. “You worry too much.”
    “Yeah, I guess I do. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you. You’re my lucky charm, you know.”
    He’d said the words lightly, but she knew, only too well, the significance behind them. Every time he took to the skies he was in far more danger than she could ever be. The chances of him coming back grew slimmer with each mission. Like so many others who flew into dire peril each day, he was convinced that as long as he had someone there waiting for him, he would survive.
    “And you are mine,” she reminded him. “As long as you need me, I’ll always be here for you. Just make sure you come back to me.”
    She saw the light in his eyes change. He stared down at her for a long moment, then dropped his hand. “ Damn, ” he muttered softly. “So long, Elizabeth. See you soon.”
    She nodded, her heart too full to answer. Hurrying up the steps, she resisted the urge to watch him drive away. Every time she left him, she never knew if it would be her last sight of him. If it was, she didn’t want it to be the image of him leaving her.

CHAPTER 3
    Polly gazed mournfully around the crowded, noisy pub and wondered why the heck she’d bothered to go down there. Sadie, her round cheeks flushed and her light brown hair stuck out the sides of her head like two ears of corn, was at the dartboard surrounded by a bunch of rowdy GIs. The rest of the guests from the wedding were at the piano making a horrible noise with their singing.
    Polly reached for her gin and orange and took a sip. Nothing was going right lately. Nothing had gone right since Marlene had left to drive ambulances in Italy. She missed her older sister more than she ever thought she would.
    She missed Sam even more. Sam Cutter, the man she thought she was going to marry, had gone back to America. Without her. She still couldn’t believe it. All because he thought she was too young for him. Almost sixteen years old, she’d been then, and he thought she was too young. Well, that was the last time she’d ever look at another Yank.
    With a flick of her wrist, she drained her glass. She was fed up. Even Sadie, her best mate, had deserted her tonight. She might as well go home.
    She slapped the glass down on the table, but before she could push her chair back a young woman plopped down on the chair opposite her and demanded, “You’re Polly, aren’t you? Lady Elizabeth’s assistant?”
    It took Polly a moment to recognize the bridesmaid Sadie had brought down to the pub with her. Tess Winterhalter looked quite different wearing a skirt and blouse instead of the beautiful blue frock she’d worn at the wedding. Her face looked different,