Much Ado about the Shrew Read Online Free Page B

thought. "What about the man who tups the
maid? Er ... Borachio ."
                "A
drunkard? And he tups the maid? Excellent! It's
almost as if the part was written for me!" Milford smiled.
                "Enough!" Benedick hushed them both. "Bee is headed this
way. No mention of plays, or of being drunk, or tupping of maids."
                Milford
made a face into his champagne.
                "Who
is that with her?" Welles asked.
                "He
is her cousin," Ben said. "His mother is her aunt on her mother's
side."
                "I
have no idea what you just said," Milford remarked.
                "Their
mothers were sisters," Welles supplied.
                "Oh,"
Milford said, "Why didn't he just say so?"
                "I
did," Ben said. "Just so you are not thrown off, Lennox is Scottish,
but was raised for most of his life in England."
                "He
looks Scottish, with that bright red hair of his," Milford said.
                "Or
like an overgrown oak," Welles said. "Dear God, the man is a
giant!"
                "You
should tell him that," Ben said, pulling at his cuffs. "Let me know
how that turns out."
                "He
looks to be an eager young pup," Milford said. "Quite amiable save
for his enormous size."
                Ben
shrugged. "He is, usually. He's just reached his majority a few years ago.
He has a small holding here in England and a larger one in Scotland."
                "Do
we treat him like a brother, then? If we are treating Lady Beatrice as a
sister?" asked Welles.
                "I
believe he sees Bee as an older sister," Ben warned. "Lennox is
young, but good with his fists. I wouldn't want to be at the end of them."
                "So
many knights for such a fair lady," Welles smiled. "If you put up too
many barriers, you won't be able to marry her off."
                Ben
huffed. "That, I believe, is the necessary evil. To find a husband for Bee
so I don't have to protect her anymore."
                Milford
blinked. "Protect her? And how have you been doing that, man? You've been
on the Continent for the past five years."
                "Whenever
I came back on leave I stopped in.   Plus,
I've been keeping tabs on her via her aunt. We've been corresponding."
                "How
have you kept her out of society for so long?" Welles asked. "She
truly is exquisite."
                "I
thought you said lovely," Ben said, his eyes narrowed.
                "And
exquisite," Welles said. "Honestly, Kendal... can she be more of a
second cousin than a sister?"
                Milford
gave Welles a small shove with his arm and a gentle shake of his head.
"No, no, Welles," he said. "We should respect Lady Beatrice and
work to help find her a respectable husband."
                Welles
looked questioningly over at Milford. "Um... all right," he said.
                "Yes,"
Milford said. "If Kendal has gone to the extent to keep Lady Beatrice tucked away until he returned from the Continent,
we should respect that. Don't want to ruin another chap's chances at her hand,
you know."   
                "Ah,"
Welles said, smiling.
                "What?"
Ben asked. "What are you going on about?"
                "Look,"
Milford said, pointing his empty champagne glass before passing it onto a
passing servant's tray. "She's coming."
                Lady
Beatrice was indeed walking up to the trio, and Ben was filled with dread. He
never knew what to expect from Bee- some days she appeared amiable, but usually
that was hiding an ulterior motive. It was easier when they were outright at
war, and he found he had been looking forward to the challenge. He was
surprised by how much he had missed their verbal sparring, and was not quite
sure what