The Untamed Heiress. Julia Justiss

Читать онлайн книгу.

The Untamed Heiress - Julia Justiss


Скачать книгу
in a more cheerful direction. The rest of the afternoon passed agreeably in that endeavor, with Madame agreeing to have several designs completed for Helena within the week.

      After the dressmaker’s departure, Harrison brought in the tea tray, bending low to murmur to Lady Darnell before bowing himself out. Frowning, her aunt turned to Helena.

      “My dear, Harrison just told me you paid a visit to the kitchens today in search of a temporary maid.”

      She was about to be chastised for her sins, Helena thought, armoring herself against the coming scold and resentful of Harrison for immediately reporting her breach of decorum. But then, what had she expected?

      A frisson of dismay dissipated her annoyance. Having once again demonstrated just how untutored she was, would Aunt Lillian’s warm affection for her cool?

      Ready to suffer any punishment to retain her aunt’s good will, she replied in her most penitent tone, “Yes, ma’am, I did, and I do apologize. From the staff’s reaction, I saw immediately that I had made an error.”

      “You should have let Harrison handle it.”

      “So Mrs. Baxtor informed me. I tried to leave as quickly as I could once I realized my error, but I’m afraid the housekeeper must think me rather odd. I am sorry, Aunt Lillian. I didn’t mean to upset the household.”

      To Helena’s immense relief, Lady Darnell patted her hand. “Don’t refine too much upon it, my dear! I suppose it must have seemed quite logical for you to inquire about it yourself. But such things are not done directly.”

      “So the housekeeper also informed me,” Helena said.

      Lady Darnell chuckled. “Mrs. Baxtor is a bit tart-tongued, but vastly efficient! You must treat servants fairly and with respect, but at a distance. Although it might seem otherwise, if you are too familiar, they will think you do not know your place and disdain you for it.”

      Helena smiled wryly. “They are right. I do not.”

      “But you soon will! Harrison said you made quite a good recovery. You mustn’t fault him for reporting the matter to me, for if you had not already won his respect, he would not have done so! He told me that with a bit of guidance, he expects you will make an excellent mistress. Which is quite a tribute, my dear, considering you have been with us barely a day.”

      “I hope I will ever follow your guidance.”

      “I am sure you will,” Lady Darnell replied, squeezing Helena’s hand. “Now, shall we have our tea?”

      Having armed herself to suffer serious chastisement, it took Helena a moment to realize that Lady Darnell considered the matter settled. Still rattled by the encounter, Helena sipped her tea silently, unable to remember when she’d last made any error for which she’d not been severely punished. A bit more of the hard shell in which she’d had to encase her emotions softened as a wave of gratitude flooded her.

      While she pondered the marvel of her aunt’s forbearance, Charis and Lady Darnell discussed the various entertainments offered by the Season and how much Helena would enjoy them when, several weeks hence, she was gowned, coifed and confident enough about her mastery of ton etiquette to attend. A riot of contending emotions roiled in her chest as she listened—awe at the easy dismissal of her error, surprise at Harrison’s unexpected championship, relief that she had not altered Lady Darnell’s affection.

      Just then Charis mentioned a dinner the two ladies were to attend that coming Thursday. Recalling what she had planned for that day, Helena felt a pang of guilt.

      A moment’s reflection, though, convinced her that it was essential she follow through with her engagement. ’Twas fortunate, then, she reflected as she sipped the rest of her tea, that she’d had years to perfect her skill at evasion, for if Lady Darnell were to discover the nature of this coming excursion, her sympathetic aunt would doubtless be much less understanding.

      

      WHILE THE LADIES WERE TAKING tea, Adam was calling in Grosvenor Square to take Miss Standish to the park.

      The lady first impressed him by keeping him waiting only a few minutes. Then, garbed in an unadorned carriage dress of medium blue that intensified the hue of her eyes, blond curls peeping out from under a fetching bonnet that framed her oval face, her understated elegance and modest demeanor again elicited both his admiration and approval.

      After he’d handed her up and remounted himself, he signaled the horses to start and turned to her. “I must thank you for overlooking the impetuosity of my request and agreeing to drive out with me anyway. You would have been quite justified in putting this upstart in his place by refusing, if only to gratify your other suitors.”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEBLAEsAAD/4gTwSUNDX1BST0ZJTEUAAQEAAATgYXBwbAIAAABtbnRyUkdC IFhZWiAH1QAGABAAEAA5ACdhY3NwQVBQTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA9tYAAQAA AADTLWFwcGyZk741QrBeLI8Q6ZH1Tna/AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA5y WFlaAAABLAAAABRnWFlaAAABQAAAABRiWFlaAAABVAAAABR3dHB0AAABaAAAABRjaGFkAAABfAAA ACxyVFJDAAABqAAAAA5nVFJDAAABuAAAAA5iVFJDAAAByAAAAA52Y2d0AAAB2AAAADBuZGluAAAC CAAAADhkZXNjAAACQAAAAGZkc2NtAAACqAAAAd5tbW9kAAAEiAAAAChjcHJ0AAAEsAAAAC1YWVog AAAAAAAAdEsAAD4dAAADzFhZWiAAAAAAAABacwAArKYAABcmWFlaIAAAAAAAACgYAAAVVwAAuDNY WVogAAAAAAAA81EAAQAAAAEWzHNmMzIAAAAAAAEMQgAABd7///MmAAAHkwAA/ZD///ui///9owAA A9wAAMBuY3VydgAAAAAAAAABAc0AAGN1cnYAAAAAAAAAAQHNAABjdXJ2AAAAAAAAAAEBzQAAdmNn dAAAAAAAAAABAADRdAAAAAAAAQAAAADRdAAAAAAAAQAAAADRdAAAAAAAAQAAbmRpbgAAAAAAAAAw AAChSAAAVwoAAEuFAACa4QAAJ64AABO2AABQDQAAVDkAAjMzAAIzMwACMzNkZXNjAAAAAAAAAAxW R0EgRGlzcGxheQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG1sdWMAAAAAAAAADwAAAAxpdElUAAAA FgAAAMRmckZSAAAAGAAAANpuYk5PAAAAFAAAAPJlc0VTAAAAGAAAAQZmaUZJAAAAFAAAAR5wdFBU AAAAFgAAAMR6aFRXAAAADgAAATJqYUpQAAAAFAAAAUBubE5MAAAAHgAAAVRkZURFAAAAFgAAAXJr b0tSAAAADgAAAYhlblVTAAAAFgAAAZZzdlNFAAAAEgAAAaxkYURLAAAAEgAAAb56aENOAAAADgAA AdAATQBvAG4AaQB0AG8AcgAgAFYARwBBAE0AbwBuAGkAdABlAHUAcgAgAFYARwBBAFYARwBBAC0A cwBrAGoAZQByAG0AUABhAG4AdABhAGwAbABhACAAVgBHAEEAVgBHAEEALQBuAOQAeQB0AHQA9gBW AEcAQQAgmG95OlZoAFYARwBBACAwxzCjMLkw1zDsMKQAVgBHAEEALQBiAGUAZQBsAGQAcwBjAGgA ZQByAG0AVgBHAEEALQBNAG8AbgBpAHQAbwByAFYARwBBACC6qLLI0TAAVgBHAEEAIABEAGkAcwBw AGwAYQB5AFYARwBBAC0AcwBrAOQAcgBtAFYARwBBAC0AcwBrAOYAcgBtAFYARwBBACBmPnk6VmgA AG1tb2QAAAAAdW5rbgAABxcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAB0ZXh0AAAAAENvcHlyaWdo dCBBcHBsZSBDb21wdXRlciwgSW5jLiwgMjAwNQAAAAD/7gAOQWRvYmUAZIAAAAAB/9sAQwAGBAQI BAgOCgoOEg8QDxIWExQUExYZFxcXFxcZFRUXFxcXFRUVGhocGhoVHR8fHx8dHx8fHx8fHx8fHx8f Hx8f/9sAQwEHCwsaDRoiGBgiHx8fHx8fHx8fHx8fHyYmJh8fHx8sLCwsHx8fLCwsLCwfLCwsLCws LCwsLCwsLCwsLCwsLCws/8AAEQgHxATpAwERAAIRAQMRAf/EAB8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAAB AgMEBQYHCAkKC//EALUQAAIBAwMCBAMFBQQEAAABfQECAwAEEQUSITFBBhNRYQcicRQygZGhCCNC scEVUtHwJDNicoIJChYXGBkaJSYnKCkqNDU2Nzg5OkNERUZHSElKU1RVVldYWVpjZGVmZ2hpanN0 dXZ3eHl6g4SFhoeIiYqSk5SVlpeYmZqio6Slpqeoqaqys7S1tre4ubrCw8TFxsfIycrS09TV1tfY 2drh4uPk5ebn6Onq8fLz9PX29/j5+v/EAB8BAAMBAQEBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAABAgMEBQYHCAkKC//E ALURAAIBAgQEAwQHBQQEAAECdwABAgMRBAUhMQYSQVEHYXETIjKBCBRCkaGxwQkjM1LwFWJy0QoW JDThJfEXGBkaJicoKSo1Njc4OTpDREVGR0hJSlNUVVZXWFlaY2RlZmdoaWpzdHV2d3h5eoKDhIWG h4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWmp6ipqrKztLW2t7i5usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uLj5OXm5+jp 6vLz9PX29/j5+v/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A858YnOq3n/XeXn/gZNcjPdh8K9DIZxuAHpSNLiOSQBkY Pv60AKeOuPwoBkQ5+lMgUkcfrQDGZCjHNMkZJwTimQyPGOlMkApP9aAsO5Ycdec0gIyBnnmmSNZO cimS0MpkCbStAASV6Zx
Скачать книгу