Free Scandal of Love by Janelle Daniels Page A

more measurements and looking at fashion plates, fabric, and lace. There were enough decisions made to drown out thoughts of anything else.
    After ordering three dresses, a spencer jacket, and two new pairs of gloves, the two women were exhausted.
    “Want to visit the confectionary?” Aubrey asked with a smile.
    Thinking about chocolate, Sera nodded in appreciation. “The perfect way to end a shopping excursion.”
    They both laughed as they walked down Bond Street.
    “Look, Lord Bromley is across the road. Shall we wave?” Aubrey looked to Sera to make the decision.
    Sera laughed at her friend’s concern. “Of course. Just because I’m engaged now doesn’t mean I can’t speak with the man.”
    Sending Lord Bromley a smile and a wave, he returned their smile with a nod of his head before crossing the street toward them.
    They curtsied to his bow. “How well you both are looking this afternoon,” he commented with a smile to each woman.
    “Thank you,” Sera said. “What brings you to Bond Street?”  
    He held up a leather bound book and grinned. “Guilty.”
    Both Sera and Aubrey’s mouths dropped open before Aubrey chuckled and asked, “Is that Vivian Black’s new novel?”
    Sera couldn’t help but laugh when she saw an embarrassed look cross his face. The entire time he had courted her she had had no idea that he enjoyed reading dime novels. Most men scoffed at such stories, proclaiming they were unrealistic. What else hadn’t she known about him?
    “I have been meaning to buy a copy myself. Aubrey and I both enjoy Vivian Black’s novels.”
    “Really? Which are your favorites?”
    “Mrs. Derkly and the Haunted Forest. Most particularly the part where she thought the ghost of her former butler haunted her,” Sera said.
    “And yours Lady Aubrey?”
    Aubrey didn’t even hesitate before saying, “Lady Guinevere and the Mysterious Lord.”
    He chuckled at Aubrey’s choice. “Both excellent books. Well, I must be off now. I’m sure you ladies have plenty of things to do.” He gave them a friendly nod before heading off.
    The two women watched him walk away before Aubrey chuckled. “Did you know he enjoyed dime novels?”
    Sera shook her head, trying to hold her laughter in. “I had no idea. I’m starting to wonder what other things I didn’t know about him. Shall we head toward the chocolate?”
    “Yes,” Aubrey agreed whole-heartedly. They walked in silence for a moment before Aubrey looked over at Sera. “Do you regret that you aren’t marrying him?”
    “Lord Bromley?” Sera thought about it for a moment. “I can’t say I do. Although, I will not lie, I was disappointed at first. I thought that I was beginning to fall in love with him, but now that I’m engaged to Quinton, I can’t say I’m too sorry our relationship ended.” And she really wasn’t. She had thought the world was ending when she found out she was ruined. The idea of marrying someone else when she thought she was close to loving another had been unbearable. The thought of not being with Lord Bromley didn’t bother her now. The only conclusion she could come to was that she was never in love with him.
    “I’m a bit surprised to hear you say that.”
    Sera turned to look at her. “Why?”
    Aubrey shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. I guess I just assumed you were already in love with him.”
    “No. Truly, I never was. I enjoyed his company and his friendship, but there was nothing more between us. I had thought there would be, but there wasn’t.”
    “I see,” Aubrey said quietly.
    “Is something the matter?” Sera’s brows scrunched in concern.
    Aubrey shook off her worry. “No.” Sera looked at her with doubt. “Okay, maybe something. I just wonder if I’ll ever find love.” Glancing up, she looked horrified. “I am so sorry, Sera. How could I be so inconsiderate? Here I am wondering if I’ll ever find love, and you are engaged to a man you hardly know. I’m sorry.”
    The pain in Aubrey’s