Connie (The Daughters of Allamont Hall Book 3) Read Online Free

wealthy?”
    “Because she is exceedingly ugly.”
    “Hmm. I might be prepared to overlook the ugliness for sufficient wealth.”
    “And she has a glass eye and a wooden leg,” she said triumphantly.
    He laughed out loud at that. For a few minutes their conversation was suspended as they moved down the set. When they came to rest, he said, “You are most entertaining, Miss Constance, but your earlier guess came close. There is indeed a fiery dragon about to descend on Drummoor, with her three dragonet sisters, and no sword can deter them, unfortunately. My grandmama and great-aunts have decided that I am sadly ramshackle, and they must come and set me straight. And although I should like to see myself as a bold dragon-slaying knight, in truth I fear I am a coward, for I could not face them. So I ran away to hide with Great-aunt Augusta, and by happy chance arrived on this very day to find a ball in prospect, to which I was already invited, although Hatty had shamefully neglected to tell me of it. And glad I am that I came, for I have been greatly entertained. I have rarely seen such lively dancing outside town. Who is the young lady who leaps so high?”
    “That is Miss Drummond, my lord. She is newly arrived in the neighbourhood from Scotland. Her brother is the village schoolmaster and she keeps house for him.”
    The dance ended and he led Connie to the side of the room, but showed no inclination to leave her side.
    “I should not have set Miss Drummond down as a schoolmaster’s sister. Her gown is of the first style.”
    “The Drummonds are from a long-established and respectable family,” Connie said politely, although tiring rather of the subject. “Their father died, leaving the family in difficult circumstances. Mr and Miss Drummond must make their own way in the world now.”
    “Ah,” he said. “No money, then?”
    “Not a penny piece between them, beyond a hundred a year each from their mother.”
    “It is always unfortunate when that is the case,” he said.
    She had no wish to talk about Jess Drummond, so she said quickly, “Do you really have a suit of armour on the stairs?”
    “Indeed I do, but I may have misled you earlier when I talked of wearing it, for such a thing would be impossible. Our ancestors were much shorter than men of the modern era, seemingly, for the armour only comes up to here.” He waved a hand near his collar-bone. “Most of them are like that, although the Hepplestone one is an exception.”
    “Is there one at Hepplestone? I did not know.”
    “Have you never seen it? I would have thought your grandfather would have shown it to you.”
    “We have never been to Hepplestone,” she said sadly. “Mama goes to stay sometimes, but Papa never went and we have never been invited, nor to Uncle Edmund’s house.”
    “That is strange,” he said. “I daresay there is a good reason for it. Ah, supper!” he added, as there was a general movement out of the room.
    But before he could offer to take her in, the Drummonds arrived in a swirl of merriment, as if sharing a joke. “There you are, Miss Connie,” Drummond said, beaming genially. “Are you enjoying the evening?”
    Before she had done more than agree that she was, the Marquess patted her hand where it rested on his arm. “Miss Allamont, would you do me the honour of introducing me to your friends?”
    And somehow, in the swirl of introductions and greetings and polite enquiries, it was Jess Drummond who was led into supper by the Marquess, and Mr Drummond who held out his arm for Connie. Without a word, she allowed him to take her through to the dining room.
     
     
     

3: A Visit To Willowbye
    The sisters fell, happily exhausted, into their beds after the ball, so it was not until the following morning that they were at leisure to discuss the evening’s events. Hope shared her room with Grace, and Belle, Connie and Dulcie shared another.
    “Is he not perfect in every way?” Connie said, as they sipped their