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Feeling more miserable than ever, Sissy sucked in a breath and forced herself to turn away. She picked up her ruined dress and draped it over her arm before turning to leave.
‘All I have to do is get through tea and then we will be free to leave. All I have to do then is make sure that I never return.’
As far as she was concerned now, she had to have a quiet word with Norma and discuss with her whether it was time to move somewhere else and start afresh. If not, then Sissy had no idea what she was going to do. She could only hope that Alicia’s trip to Scotland would stop Morgan calling by and allow a natural distance to develop between them that would put paid to any further passionate clinches and the scurrilous gossip.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sissy retraced her steps to the top of the stairs. As she quietly descended to the main entrance hall she was painfully aware of the laughter and friendly chatter coming from the library. Doing everything to avoid it, she kept her gaze locked firmly on the door opposite where she hoped to find her aunt and Alicia finishing their tea.
Inside the library, Morgan stepped away from Doralee and lowered his arm, forcing her to remove her hold on him. He mentally cursed when she stepped after him and tried to touch him again. Annoyed, he turned to glare at Mariette. While he was pleased to see Doralee because he was a good friend of her father’s he had no personal interest in her beyond that. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Doralee who, for some reason only known to herself, seemed to have set her matrimonial sights upon him.
Damn you, Mariette. I hope to God you have not done anything to encourage her.
But when Morgan looked up and his gaze collided with his sister’s he did indeed suspect that Mariette had said something to Doralee.
‘I am afraid that I am going to cut back on my social engagements,’ Morgan announced.
‘Oh, but father will be so delighted if you can come for the weekend,’ Doralee protested. She sidled closer. ‘It would be nice if we could spend a little time together.’
Morgan was already shaking his head before Doralee had finished. ‘I think you should know that I am engaged to be married.’
Doralee blinked at him. ‘But I thought it had been agreed that she was not suitable for you, and that she was to remain your mistress instead.’
Morgan squinted at her. ‘Mariette is wrong,’ he said quietly. ‘It is not for her to tell you about my personal life. It is purely mine and not open to speculation. Moreover, Sissy is not my mistress and I am offended that you should think that of her.’
‘Oh, but-’
‘I shall, of course, write to your father and decline his kind invitation,’ Morgan replied. ‘Further, I would strongly advise that you are a little more wary about which gossips you listen to and how much you rely on their honesty.’
With a warning look, Morgan turned away from Mariette’s friend. He stalked out of the room without bothering to give anybody another look. A deadly silence fell in his wake because he had spoken loud enough for all of them to hear, but Morgan didn’t care. What mattered more than anything was returning to Sissy.
The last thing he expected was to find her descending the stairs looking so stunningly beautiful he immediately forgot about Mariette and her friends.
‘Good Lord,’ he murmured.
Boris also turned to stare in amazement at the young woman who was making her way steadily toward them. Morgan stepped closer to the bottom step and watched her without even realising he had moved. She looked like Sissy. That riotous mop of curls was the same, as was that gorgeous face of hers, but the rest of her looked so elegant and it wasn’t just because of the dress.
Maybe it is because of the dress that she walks so much taller, with her slender shoulders that much straighter, and her chin tipped that little bit higher. She belongs here.
Sissy looked every inch of an aristocratic lady, even more so than the young women who were presently in his library because Sissy had an air of maturity about her that made her almost regal.
‘You look stunning,’ he whispered when she joined him.
Sissy blushed but inwardly warned herself not to be too delighted by his compliment. It hurt to even look at him after what she had witnessed. When he held a hand out to her she took it because she had to. She smiled her thanks because she couldn’t speak past the lump in her throat.
‘Morgan, you sly old dog, you,’ a jovial voice called from the doorway to the library.
The young man who stepped into the entrance hall boldly raked Sissy with an appreciative look. ‘Where have you been hiding her?’
‘Charlton, this is Miss Sissy Finchley, my fiancé,’ Morgan announced.
Charlton stepped closer and looked at Morgan, clearly nonplussed for a moment. ‘Sissy?’ He frowned. ‘The old family friend?’
‘We have known each other for a long time, yes,’ Morgan acknowledged. He prayed that Sissy wouldn’t object to his impromptu announcement.
She didn’t because she wanted to see what the young man’s reaction would be. She suspected that if he was one of Mariette’s friends, up to date on the latest gossip, and knew about Mariette’s hatred of her, she would get an honest reaction that was likely to be echoed by other members of Morgan’s social set. Before the man could react, though, he was joined by others from the library.
‘Fiancé, did you say?’ A young woman gasped, stepping closer to run an assessing gaze down Sissy. Dressed as she was, though, there was nothing the woman could say.
