Abducted by a Prince Read Online Free Page B

may suit you, Miss Stratham.”
    Ellie’s fingers closed automatically around the shoes. Having expected an etiquette manual, she could not have been more flabbergasted. Never in her life had she seen anything more beautiful—or more wildly impractical. “You’re very kind, my lady, but … where would I wear such shoes? They’re far too elegant for a governess.”
    “You’ll be accompanying your cousin into society, I presume. Surely you’ll need slippers for dancing at balls and parties.”
    “That may be true for most ladies,” Ellie said. “However, I’m afraid my gowns are rather plain and I’ve nothing in my wardrobe to—”
    “As my chaperone, Ellie won’t be dancing,” Beatrice interrupted. Her covetous gaze flitted to the slippers. “And my feet are daintier than hers. Which means that I am far more likely to wear the same size as you, my lady.”
    An enigmatic smile curved Lady Milford’s lips. “Indeed? Then perhaps you should sit down. You shall each have the chance to see if they fit.”

 
    Chapter 3
    Departing Lady Milford’s town house a short while later, Ellie gripped the blue velvet pouch beneath her drab brown cloak. The bag held the dancing slippers that had pinched Beatrice’s toes so much that the girl had exclaimed in discomfort and kicked them off at once.
    Consequently, Ellie had at first declined to try on the shoes. But Lady Milford had insisted, and by some miracle, the slippers had fit Ellie to perfection. She still didn’t understand why. Though she and her cousin shared the same proportions in gowns, Ellie could have sworn that she herself wore a full size larger in footwear.
    That mystifying thought evaporated under the joy of cradling the gorgeous shoes against her bosom. From the moment she’d slid her stockinged feet into the garnet satin lining, a sense of buoyant pleasure had uplifted her. It had felt as if all of her troubles had floated away. She’d wanted to wear them home, though her practical side had swiftly overruled such foolishness.
    And although she’d put the slippers back into the soft pouch for safekeeping, her gloved fingers continued to trace the slim shape and the bits of crystal beading. It had been a long time since she’d possessed anything so lovely—not since her papa had been alive. He’d often showered her with presents, though upon his death everything had been sold to help her uncle pay off the creditors.
    Ellie didn’t want to remember that now. Nor did she wish to heed the sullen expression on her cousin’s face. In a peacock-blue cloak, her hands tucked into an ermine muff, Beatrice marched toward the black brougham with the gold Pennington crest emblazoned on the door.
    That scowl foretold trouble. No doubt Ellie would be soundly chastised on the way home. Nevertheless, she didn’t believe for an instant that her cousin’s ill humor had anything to do with a pair of cast-off dancing slippers. After all, Beatrice owned a cupboard overflowing with fancy shoes.
    No, the girl’s sulkiness was rooted in the failure of her marriage scheme. Having been pampered all her life, Beatrice had expected to persuade Lady Milford to do her bidding. Now, Beatrice would have to be soothed and placated, and Ellie didn’t look forward to the task.
    A footman in forest-green livery sprang to open the door of the brougham. However, Beatrice didn’t climb inside. Rather, she stopped so abruptly that Ellie nearly collided with her.
    Beatrice peered down the town-house-lined street where a few carriages and drays rumbled over the cobblestones. As if transformed by the wave of a fairy godmother’s wand, the petulant set of her mouth altered magically into a coquettish smile.
    “Oh, splendid!” Beatrice pushed past Ellie, leaving a cloud of rose-water perfume in her wake. “Wait here, or you’ll spoil everything.”
    Ellie turned to see a gentleman on a fine bay mare cantering toward them. He looked like the consummate fashion plate in his