An Offer From a Gentleman (Cinderella)
Chapter 13
Sophie couldn
’t quite bring herself to nod. Some things were simply too demeaning.
Araminta marched over until their faces were quite close. “You didn’t answer,” she hissed. “Do you understand me?”
Sophie nodded, but just barely. Every day, it seemed, brought more evidence of the depth of Araminta’s hatred for her. “Why do you keep me here?” she whispered before she had time to think better of it.
“Because I find you useful,” was Araminta’s low reply.
Sophie watched as Araminta stalked from the room, then hurried up the stairs. Rosamund’s and Posy’s hair looked quite acceptable, so she sighed, turned to Posy, and said, “Lock me in the closet, if you will.”
Posy blinked in surprise. “I beg your pardon?”
“I was instructed to ask Rosamund, but I can’t quite bring myself to do so.”
Posy peered in the closet with great interest. “May I ask why?”
“I’m meant to polish your mother’s shoes.”
Posy swallowed uncomfortably. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I,” Sophie said with a sigh. “So am I.”
Chapter 5
And in other news from the masquerade ball, Miss Posy Reiling’s costume as a mermaid was somewhat unfortunate, but not, This Author thinks, as dreadful as that of Mrs. Featherington and her two eldest daughters, who went as a bowl of fruit—Philippa as an orange, Prudence as an apple, and Mrs. Featherington as a bunch of grapes.
Sadly, none of the three looked the least bit appetizing.
LADY WHISTLEDOWN’S SOCIETY PAPERS, 7 JUNE 1815
What had his life come to, Benedict wondered, that he was obsessed with a glove? He’d patted his coat pocket about a dozen times since he’d taken a seat in Lady Penwood’s sitting room, silently reassuring himself that it was still there. Uncharacteristically anxious, he wasn’t certain what he planned to say to the dowager countess once she arrived, but he was usually fairly glib of tongue; surely he’d figure out something as he went along.
His foot tapping, he glanced over at the mantel clock. He’d given his card to the butler about fifteen minutes earlier, which meant that Lady Penwood ought to be down soon. It seemed an unwritten rule that all ladies of the ton must keep their callers waiting for at least fifteen minutes, twenty if they were feeling particularly peevish.
A bloody stupid rule, Benedict thought irritably. Why the rest of the world didn’t value
“Mr. Bridgerton!”
up. A rather attractive, extremely fashionable blond woman in her forties glided into the room. She looked vaguely familiar, but that was to be expected. They’d surely attended many of the same society functions, even if they had not been introduced.
Lady Penwood,” he murmured, rising to his feet and offering her a polite bow.
of her head. “I am so delighted that you have chosen to honor us with a call. I have, of course, informed my daughters of your presence. They shall be down shortly.”
Benedict smiled. That was exactly what he’d hoped she’d do. He would have been shocked if she’d behaved otherwise. No mother of marriageable daughters ever ignored a Bridgerton brother. “I look forward
furrowed slightly. “Then you have not yet met them?”
Now she’d be wondering why he was there. “I have heard such lovely things about them,” he improvised, trying not to groan. If Lady Whistledown caught hold of this—and Lady Whistledown seemed to catch hold of everything—it would soon be all over town that he was looking for a wife, and that he’d zeroed in on
Lady Penwood beamed. “My Rosamund is considered one of
“And your Posy?” Benedict asked, somewhat perversely.
The corners of her mouth tightened. “Posy is, er, delightful.”
He smiled benignly. “I cannot wait to meet Posy.”
Lady Penwood blinked, then covered up her surprise with a slightly hard smile. “I’m
A maid entered with an ornate silver tea service, then set it down on a table at Lady Penwood’s nod. Before the maid could depart, however, the countess said (somewhat sharply, in Benedict’s opinion), “Where are the Penwood spoons?”
The maid bobbed a rather panicked curtsy, then replied, “Sophie was polishing the silver in the dining room, my lady, but she had to go upstairs when you—”
spoons in the first place. “I’m sure Mr. Bridgerton is not so high in the instep that he needs monogrammed spoons for his tea.”
“Of course not,” Benedict murmured, thinking that Lady Penwood must be a bit too high in the instep herself if she even thought to bring it up.
“Go! Go!”
hurried out, and the countess turned back to him, explaining, “Our better silver is engraved with the Penwood crest.”
that of the Penwoods. “We don’t have anything like that at Bridgerton House,” he said, hoping he wasn’t lying. In all truth, he’d never even noticed the pattern of the silver. “I should love to see it.”
“Really?” Lady Penwood asked, her eyes lighting up. “I knew you were a man of taste and refinement.”
Benedict smiled, mostly so he wouldn’t groan.
“I shall have to send someone to the dining room to fetch a piece. Assuming, of course, that infernal girl managed to do her job.” The corners of her lips turned down in a most unattractive manner, and Benedict noticed that her frown lines were
“Is there a problem?” he asked politely.
She shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. “Merely that it is so difficult to find good help. I’m sure your mother says the same thing all the time.”
His mother never said any such thing, but that was probably because all of the Bridgerton servants
“One of these days I’m going to have to give Sophie the boot,” the countess said with a sniff. “She cannot do anything right.”
Sophie. But the last thing he wanted to do was get into a discussion on servants with Lady Penwood, and so he changed the subject by motioning to
“Of course, of course.” Lady Penwood looked up and smiled. “How do you take yours?”
“Milk,
As she prepared his cup, Benedict heard the clatter of feet coming down the stairs, and his heart began to race with excitement. Any minute now the countess’s daughters would slip through the door, and surely one of them would be the woman he’d met the night before. It was true that he had not seen most of her face, but he knew her approximate size and height. And he was
Surely he’d recognize her