White Regency 03 - White Knight Read Online Free PDF

marquess’s, Grace. An announcement beforehand would
create a public stir. Any hope of peace in your life would be gone. Your every
move would be watched, your every gesture criticized. Some desperate miss might
even attempt to prevent the wedding from taking place altogether. Thus it will
be a private ceremony, in an obscure church in the country somewhere, arranged
by special license.”
    “I am not even to be allowed a formal
wedding ceremony?”
    As a girl, Grace had always dreamed of a
grand wedding. In fact, when Princess Charlotte had wed Leopold of Coburg, she
and Nonny had read every news report and had pored over every engraving they
could lay their hands upon. Grace had always known that she would wear the
dress both Nonny and her mother had worn before her in a church that would be
filled with fragrant flowers. It would be a day she would never forget, the day
on which she joined her life with her husband’s— that nameless, faceless knight Nonny had always assured her would be hers.
    She now had a name, yes, but the face was
yet unknown. And if she could not meet him, speak to him, how would she ever
know for certain he was the one?
    “I’m sorry, Uncle, but I have already
told you I cannot wed a man I have never met.”
    Tedric shook his head. “On the
contrary, my dear, you said you would ‘see’ him before you would agree to wed
him—and see him you shall.”
    “You know that is not at all what I
meant when I—”
    He held up his hand to silence her.
“There is to be a ball, Grace, at the Knighton town house. It is to
introduce Lord Knighton’s sister to society and is certain to be a crush. You
will attend this ball; I will escort you. Since you haven’t yet been introduced
to society, no one will know who you are. We will go, you will see the
marquess—you can even watch him for a while if you’d like—and then we will
leave. This is the best I can offer.”
    Grace looked at her uncle, hearing again
the words of her grandmother. I had only to dance with my own true love and
I knew I would spend the rest of my life loving him…
    “But for one last thing, Uncle.”
    “And that is?”
    “I would share a dance with
him.”
    Tedric shook his head.
“Impossible!”
    “Why, sir? It is a single dance. You
have already said no one will know who I am, including Lord Knighton.”
    Tedric fell silent in contemplation of her
request. After
a moment, he appeared to smile. “I think perhaps the marquess is in for a
bit of a surprise from his wife.” “Potential wife.” Grace
drew a breath, wondering why her pulse had suddenly quickened, but decided that
a clandestine dance with one’s potential future husband without his
knowing did have a measure of excitement
    “Then you will do it?” she
asked. “You will arrange for me to share a dance with Lord Knighton?”
    Tedric turned and headed for the door.
“I don’t quite know how I’ll accomplish it, but yes, Grace, I will find a
way for you to have your dance with the marquess.”

Chapter Four
    Grace
passed the next three days trying not to think about the Knighton ball. She forced
herself to concentrate on thoughts of the weekly menu or the furniture that
needed polishing even as she forged through her wardrobe for something suitable
to wear. By the time the morning of the ball dawned, she had thrice convinced
herself to abandon the venture, then even again as she was walking down the
front stairs with her uncle to leave.
    When all was said and done, she did go and
their coach arrived at the Knighton town house shortly after ten. For the first
moment or two, Grace thought surely she must be dreaming, for as they came into
the ballroom, she could only think that it was like stepping through a magical
door into the legendary land of Cockaigne, where the rivers flowed wine, the
houses were made of cake, and the pavements were lined in honey-iced pastry.
    Music and laughter rang out in this
enchanted setting that was indeed every bit a