Pride in Regency Society. Sarah Mallory

Читать онлайн книгу.

Pride in Regency Society - Sarah Mallory


Скачать книгу
are you going?’

      ‘I must leave. I have no wish to force my attentions upon you, nor my company, if you find me so repulsive. Forgive me, Evelina.’

      ‘Go, then!’

      No, don’t leave me! The words echoed in her head but Eve could not voice them. Nick buttoned up the old frock-coat.

      ‘Richard will escort you back to Monkhurst tomorrow. If you are happy to remain there it will be a comfort to me to have you so close, but it could be dangerous. You need only say the word at any time and Richard shall take you to my brother.’

      ‘Monkhurst is my home now. I shall stay there. What do you want me to do?’

      ‘Watch and wait. But you must be careful, and tell Martha she must watch her tongue, because no one else at Monkhurst knows I am alive. Send a message with Richard if you want to contact me.’

      ‘I will.’

      Eve’s heart leapt as he took a step towards her, but he stopped just out of arm’s reach and gave her a wry, apologetic smile.

      ‘Do not turn me into a monster while I am away from you, sweetheart. I shall give you no cause to distrust me ever again, I swear, but I need time to prove it to you.’

      ‘Wait!’ She gazed at him. Phrases such as ‘do not go’ and ‘stay with me’ rattled in her head, but instead she heard herself say, ‘Should I not go on to Hastings? Granby will have told you it was my intention to visit the spot where you…died. It might look suspicious if I do not continue.’

      ‘As you wish.’ He smiled at her and the sight of that wickedly attractive dimple made the breath catch in her throat. ‘Aye, go to Hastings. Let the world know that someone mourns my passing!’

      Nick kissed his fingers to her, turned on his heel and disappeared through the door in the panelling. Eve watched the door close behind him, felt the stillness of the room envelope her again. Then, as if released from a trap, she dashed across the room and ran her fingers over the wood, trying to find a handle or lever to open the door. There was nothing. She pressed her ear to the panel. Straining, she thought she heard his boots on the wooden stairs and the dull thud of the outer door closing behind him.

      He was gone.

      There was a scratching on the servants’ door and she went across to unlock it. Martha peeped in.

      ‘Shall I clear away now, mistress? It’s growing late and I don’t want to be traipsing through these passages once they have snuffed out the candles.’ She looked over Eve’s shoulder. ‘Where’s the master?’

      ‘He’s gone.’ Eve took a long breath, but she could not stop the tears spilling over. Martha put her arms about her and guided her to the bed.

      ‘There, there, Miss Eve. You come and sit here and tell Martha all about it.’

      ‘Th-there’s nothing to tell,’ sobbed Eve. ‘I—we…had a disagreement and…he l-left.’

      Eve subsided into tears and Martha clucked over her like a mother hen.

      ‘Good heavens, Miss Eve, never say he forced himself upon you!’

      ‘No,’ cried Eve in a fresh flood of tears. ‘No, of course he did not, I told him to g-go and…and he d-did! Stupid, stupid man!’

      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/4RdGRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAAEsAAAAAQAAASwAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDE0OjA2 OjI3IDEyOjM5OjQzAAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAQABAACgAgAEAAAAAQAABligAwAEAAAAAQAACgAAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAAWGAAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAf/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AGzab7aBZjuZ6zYc1x0cSfbs3H95Yn116lfTjY3RKCWYOL7ngja668Oc27Iv /q2+p9nq/M/8979T30ubZQW35IcBaHiGAH2lm4+zZt/nX/4JZf12HTs6o9SFgqtsJDqi1xb6hDJb Rfs9O3Hu/n6rt7FV5SJGpF69vl81QiCbAO29aBp/U3621dKbb0fq7ftPRMwEWMeC/wBEuHvdXWP5 zHu/7UUt/wDDFP6Tf6kvrT9SbOmYjuqdGs+29Gsi1ljXB7qBI2/pGn9Zxtf59n83/wBqP9IuNJIA DjEaLU6J13r/AEfI+0dJttYXkepXtLqrI/01RHpv9v8AhP53/hFdMdbH1CQb+Wy731Z61jHBfVmU m2hrRVcwy9oBlzIq/wBG/wDkfuLqMLqPT7KRTi2hrWCGAnbtH5ob6o/M/MXME4LMxnVcHBPTRlN/ Wse5hfRRaCdtuJtH6XHft9VtOz9Dd/wf83byMy17HWUWF9Zfrc0Q0g/zm383d/I3KrljUtAdWSeW UIi4Xpr+ih6plizOvOpua97H3au3hvt9T/N/zP6iHkv6EGw3IIe2lp7hotD/ANLUXMDmtbbitd9l u/03p+tVQjY+bm0OPS8en7Y3NrtcTMFrrKbcK26pwG1u6m5vrep+j/VqEHrGRkNxrGZGKzZk100W X02seCMZ132Wt7qPVr9VmNbVi+/9JZXi+qgOAECxctQL1+xo0ZCUyLHXTTXxQX19BOdc2rKtfj+p Uay6ZFAc1mb601te3I22erT7P5uh/wDOeqqF+UMe9rscOI9KqSd2tj2Ndd/m3+pUz/v6tN6xlZed e7HxwLszLb1B4c+RvpFzW1WOe1jfsWzJf6/q/wDbiGOp5VdfomlllYx7MIn1A8Sa8eum72Nd78fJ w682l/8ApNn6T9GnnhOhIRwxFHYd6av7dzv3klU/Y3UP+47vw/vSTah4J9Pd/9A2eanY+VTTjbKb GObbY727i4bXPbXH6Jm78zd+k/wy515ybcD7Lk5NjhXFYwWsa50fm7nBvr3Mb/pty28qtzmO+0WE 1AyQ3Sse6Wt2/o67Nv8AN7N9v+kQaGObXWZIe1u0vaYcYgN9zTu+gPcrIhER4QKpviAAoCvJ5DH6 U4dQvx7azbcP0eyR7XEf5rl0fRhl4F46eKybCZY4mIFf09n73PvVYi2nrjnUCLba91Lz2LPZY/a7 6btvt96sZVt9ldeJucDW8FtRM7Y/OD/pub/bSjGr8yiMQLru7wJebBj5Dmt4Dzs15c9zGR73u2/T cqxzW3YlWPnU7McNFjWsYfaQN3srY/Hr2/1N/wDUVdtU1tF30tvtOhMlx2DY7e31Pp7PzFY9U149 3rfpX1VgVvIa0hz/AG7NjDs+k7e70/8AoJxiCKItcQNjq08uvEGNZdiPstryQdbWbC0Et/R7K/zP 5W1Vc0W002dPmuzFupY5rWEHZaA05ORS3/AN/wAN6P8AhLK6/oLUbWK8duPbDaXlm50TH5r3iPpf m+z89Z+aenY19jWuBdfvbU8Nil1bxsqsf6h9an+WszmICOQgDQeqI8e//NaGWIx5TGIqMv8Auuji /aeoYDabqsZlWJlN3sa9jHm1jHen7rntdfvc/wDPZ6X6T9Jj1rdzMRrw+50OpaTTZvkXUkHY5lxb /Scf9x9vvpt/Qeuz+aVCrMtDWMvxr2ZOAw01X1WFjhUCbm491bq7Wfonvf6WQz/B/wCkVnPrx2Xj HqLhViMeHOYHODnO2ueGv9v6p7fT/wCG/n7P5xV5gmcfTwn1eqOvHD9Gzxf3GMyAhIXY03/Rkx+x 2f8Ac5/3JKn62N/oWfe7+5JSer+Qa/p7P//RWRjVvsa/0zY9ux1usTI3b3Od6m33D3v2KvVYW0Me 5rQ0GSKxo3f79N3uc3VFfkVNua60ipkGt1ji4tg67rA33fT2oTaK7XVMBLXbjXvaIbW0ku9rz7rf 5G5XHRY5WDjdRa19Vj6MitwdVa0asPd3u/eb9NCxsLqLco25eRVcWth5FW1xBHtZ9Pazb/wbFO1h a2oMcTVc02VuILR7QHP9oafpfQ+iouosrY5ldxL27Q/cRt93BqI930z/AG/5CXiqhdttwZ6z2Q57 WMDXV6N9p1eQf3m+1T+lRjvrq3mwl9bhDtw/M3PrDfZ+c9jvz/0Sr11ZFNgazWx4O54IDGggta/1 LB/Oe19r2v8A+u/6NEwjYBWMR4FQaSzYAWu37Tu9/t2bf+rSUmc3L9Ok2OfU5tgeLmslzGM2mWe0 /Q/MTZbMZ1wNYd6kbPXewD1C8/pH2b53+73P/wDRau20dQ+xm2lz7MhhLttMN3MeDW9hZt/TNbKy a+sNZU6o4tf2nHaQ6+wvc8u/Ose0+xrvzfYs3nAfcvsHO5vXJqNKFI68e+m5gsdTZjAQwEPGwE/Q ptZt2+7+bb6no/8ABqJsxaLLKixzRWSHNNp2kDt7Kmu/6avPvpzcSRjPaGAbntJLmEe5zG1F27ZY z/Cva9Yl+a2rNrxfTcWNH6IOaB7T9Fz9v7/5yqHUmr+hMWHXwPmL/wCk2vt3TP8AuP8A+fv/AHoS UfXq/wBCPvSQvwl/jlHF4R/xYf8Aev8A/9Ku9nqN2+JjXzICHUcnDoYyhwADjZDxubJLvoifb7P9 EtIYLWuhuRU9wdBYN07vpRG3yVfLx8it/wBnsZ6Om/1QdzXMBndU/X6f83Z7PYpOaymEYSGwmDP+ 5+k3M2ThESOkgT/dadt/r5QyTjtY9xcXuY46veWzYzc1za3bd6LW+yoe/Fssra7cHte1xmBtN1f5 rmtYmdjgWljHNcDwHe0meP5G7+q5L0mveB+iZaJDq9zZJbqdpdtb72/y1Y0ZtOjWzbcnOp9G5opq Il9LSTucPo73u2/Rc5vsatfot4NNOPWxr7Gtixx9rGNadm72/n/Q9n571nXsNZLbdrHTBO5p1nb+ a4/n7kTp9l+I5j6Hfo8h7ZB0BE7GnX3e130UjsggVo9H1Ox+JZhBjhY6x5JrJ2iGgN3+z9yyzfU/ /SIHV+lspnq2NYGMuPodRocHFlj3bmsusNR9Sqzcdl3/AFq5ZvU8t1nVXEmPs1baWkdiB6tjh/bu Vq/rmfh2NwstjKXZYrc2+kGwWkQz1Nlu2rG
Скачать книгу