AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Their wives, on the other hand, were lolling in bed right now drinking chocolate deciding on what they wanted to wear for the day, while Rayne was saving lives.
She opened her mouth to speak, and Alex placed his hand on hers giving it a light squeeze. With a quick shake of his head at her, he turned to the man with the rude question and said, “Sterling is quite proud of his wife. She saved his life years ago, before they married. In fact, he takes care of her books to make sure she is not cheated, which she was when he first arrived at her infirmary.”
The woman at the end of the table thumped her cane on the floor. “New generation. No respect for their elders or for the rules that protect women’s sensibilities. A woman should not be dealing with such messy business.” She shook her head, and Natalie was ready to dump the contents of the woman’s plate over her head. Instead, she took a deep breath, smiled at Alex, and stood.
She walked to the buffet and added food to her plate, giving herself a chance to calm down. It was a good thing this was a pretend engagement for her and Alex because most likely no one in his family would approve of a marriage between him and a nursing assistant.
He stood again and pulled out her chair. “Are you well?”
Natalie nodded and sat, shaking her napkin out and placing it on her lap. Luckily there wasn’t much that daunted her appetite, so she enjoyed the various things on her plate she never ate, because a sturdy breakfast of porridge, eggs, and tea was her standard fare to keep her going well into the afternoon.
“Where is your home, Mrs. Shaw?” A different man, one most likely younger than her asked the question after a few moments of silence. It gave her time to consider if maybe a cup of hot chocolate in her bed each morning for the rest of the party would be the thing to do.
“My daughter and I reside in Bath with my sister, Dr. Stevens, her husband, Lord Sterling, and their son and daughter.”
“You have a daughter?” The elderly woman at the end of the table asked.
She could hear Alex groan.
Natalie cleared her throat. “Yes, my lady, I do have a daughter. Annalise is six years old.”
“Humph,” the old witch said. “Not a good idea to raise someone else’s get, Alexander. You had better think this one over.”
Natalie had had enough. Despite Alex’s hand squeezing on her thigh, she wiped her mouth with her napkin and placed it alongside her plate. Standing, she said, “Then I think it is a wonderful idea for you to never attempt to raise someone else’s child.” She placed a great deal of emphasis on the last word.
She looked down at Alex. “If you will excuse me, my lord. I shall take a stroll in the garden.” She stepped away when he moved her chair back. “The air in the garden is much more pleasant.”
Alex made a choking sound, which told her he was trying to hold in a laugh. She really had not intended to cross swords with the woman, but after years of abuse from Milton she swore she would never again let anyone cut her with words.
She walked as quickly as possible, believing that she would shortly be asked to leave, which was fine with her.
“Natalie, wait for me.”
Not realizing how fast she had been walking, Alex caught up to her and put his arm around her shoulder. “Please, slow down.”
She came to an abrupt halt that almost had him stumbling forward.
Natalie turned to him, pointing her finger at his chest. “That woman insulted my daughter. She is not a ‘get’, but a girl, a child, a lass. Conceived in marriage. Any number of other words would apply than what she said.” She was appalled to feel a tear sliding down her cheek.
Alex wiped the tear from her face with his thumb, then pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t cry, sweetheart, she is not worth the pain. Lady Demon, as we all call her, who is Lady Beauchamp, is my mother’s oldest aunt and we are all amazed that she is still rigorous enough to attend these events.”
She leaned back and looked at him. “I love my daughter. She’s a wonderful little girl. Anyone would be pleased to raise her.” All the words came out in sobs.
“Natalie, love, I believe all the stress of this endeavor is getting to you. I am so sorry I got you involved in this.” He pulled her back against his chest again and rubbed the muscles in her neck.
Once she stopped crying, and feeling like an absolute fool for doing so, she straightened and looked him in the eye. “I am fine now. As I’ve said before, I am committed to carrying this through because I don’t go back on my word. My father taught us honor.”
He kissed her forehead and looked over to the front of the house. “It looks like more guests are arriving.” He took her hand and they walked to where a carriage had drawn up.
A handsome carriage came to a rolling stop. Drawing a deep breath, he looked back and forth between Natalie and the woman stepping out of the vehicle, smiling brightly at him.
“Bloody hell.
“Bloody, bloody hell.”
CHAPTER6
Alex pulled Natalie close to his side as Miss Mildred Walsh—his erstwhile fiancée— came hurrying from the carriage in his direction.
