A Secret Affair Read Online Free

dainty gloved hand she presented to him. “You’re a vision as always.”
    “And you’re … your fabric…” She blushed bright pink. “Thank you very much, Mr. Holloway.”
    What was that bit about fabric ?
    Her mother gave Charlie an approving smile. Her father gave him a warning stare, and Charlie immediately ushered the two ladies out of the house and into his carriage with as much finesse as he could muster.
    Once they were settled into the coach, Charlie watched the two women seated across from him. Right. What exactly did one talk about with a young woman who’d essentially paid for one’s company?
    Be witty. Be charming .
    “Excellent weather, is it not? For the Wilmingtons’ ball?”
    Idiot. That was neither witty nor charming.
    Frances nodded rapidly, the wide blond curls at her temples bobbing. They were quite fetching, actually. “Oh, yes, I quite agree.”
    “It’s getting cold. I daresay we’ll see the first snow of the season before long,” Mrs. Birmingham added pleasantly, hitching up the collar of her pelisse.
    Charlie eyed the older woman carefully. What did Frances’s mother think about her daughter spending such a large amount of money on an evening with him? Had Frances been a wallflower? He couldn’t recall exactly. She was a pretty enough girl. She shouldn’t need to pay to draw a man’s attention. Then again, neither did Lady Lenora, and she’d seemed rather eager to part with a good deal of blunt for the honor of spending the evening with Charlie. Most curious, all of it.
    His gaze turned to Frances. She was looking out the window, her nose wrinkled in an adorable manner and her hands resting inside the muff that lay upon her lap. He stared at her profile. She was pretty. No doubt about it. She must be Annie’s age, around twenty. Which meant she’d already been out for two Seasons with no success. But that didn’t exactly put her on the shelf. Would it be ungentlemanly of him to ask her later, if they had a moment alone, why exactly she’d thought it worth the money to bid on him? Come to think on it, he might ask Lady Lenora as well if the opportunity ever presented itself.
    “I do hope it doesn’t snow too much before Annie and Lord Ashbourne’s wedding,” Frances said, turning her attention away from the window. “She’s planned an engagement party for next week, and the wedding itself will be in the country at Ashbourne Manor.”
    “Yes,” Charlie agreed. “Snow might complicate the travel arrangements.”
    “Oh, of course you know all that, being Lord Ashbourne’s brother,” she murmured.
    Frances met his eyes and then looked away, glancing out the window again. Had he embarrassed her? No. She didn’t seem like the embarrassed sort.
    “Don’t worry about that. If I know our Annie, I’m certain she’ll find a way to marry the earl rain or shine,” Mrs. Birmingham added with a nod.
    Charlie hid his smile. Mrs. Birmingham was entirely correct. Annie wasn’t about to let a little matter like weather ruin her wedding plans. The young woman defined the word ‘determined.’
    Thankfully, the rest of the journey progressed with more welcome small talk, and soon the three of them were being introduced at the Wilmingtons’ ball.
    “Oh, won’t you excuse me for a moment? I think I see Annie,” Frances said almost as soon as they’d finished greeting their hosts.
    Charlie let out a breath of relief. He’d go to Lord Wilmington’s study and have a quick drink in the interim; it might calm his nerves a bit. Besides, if he knew his brother and the Marquis of Colton, both men were already there … imbibing.
    Charlie took his leave of the ladies and headed directly to the study.
    *   *   *
    Frances spotted Annie in the crowd again and walked as quickly as possible over to her. Thankfully, Annie was standing with only her sister, Lily. Lord Ashbourne was nowhere to be seen.
    When Annie saw her, a bright smile lit her face. “Frances, what are you doing