Free Once Upon A Wedding Night by Sophie Jordan Page A

poor judgment. An evening with local gentry might be just the thing to chase Nick back to London.
    Pasting a smile on her face, Meredith entered the drawing room, black skirts
swirling around her ankles. The three gentlemen rose to their feet and bowed.
Baron Stubblefield's daughter, achingly pretty in pink muslin, lounged on the
chaise like an empress. She gave Meredith a brittle smile that failed to reach
her eyes. Only nineteen, Miss Felicia Stubblefield reigned as the diamond of Attingham. Even so, Meredith found it hard to like the girl whose cold blue stare always slithered over her with such disdain. Struggling against feelings of inadequacy, Meredith raised her chin and complimented Mr. Browne on his morning's sermon.
    Felicia glanced to the door. Her tapping foot clearly indicated her impatience. Meredith could guess the cause of it, and her suspicions were confirmed when Felicia finally broke down and asked, "Is Lord Brookshire not joining us? Miss Eleanor said he would dine with us this evening."
    Meredith did not miss the way the girl glared accusingly at her aunt. "Lord Brookshire is a man full grown and not accountable to anyone but himself."
    "Have no fear, Miss Felicia, no man would miss out on such lovely dinner companions," Sir Hiram inserted, the elegant sweep of his hand indicating all three ladies present.
    "Quite right, Rawlins," Baron Stubblefield chortled, patting the considerable bulge of his belly to add, "And Lady Brookshire's cook is the finest in these parts. No gentleman would miss an invitation to dine at Oak Run."
    They all laughed. Except Mr. Browne, who took a small sip of tea through pinched, disapproving lips. The vicar's sermon had been longer than usual and given to more ceremony today. Meredith suspected he had taken great pains, expecting Lord Brookshire to be in attendance. The vicar's immediate questioning of her following the service on the issue of Lord Brookshire's whereabouts only confirmed her suspicion.
    They visited for another half hour before Nels announced dinner. Meredith and her aunt exchanged uneasy glances as their small party filed into the dining room. It appeared Lord Brookshire would not join them. Meredith's hands fisted at her sides and she felt an embarrassed flush creep up her face.
    The head of the table stood conspicuously vacant. The empty seat seemed to glare at all of them, reminding everyone of the slight implied by his absence. Doing her best to ignore the empty seat, Meredith steered conversation away from the mention of Lord Brookshire. Even so, Mr. Browne and Felicia's eyes constantly drifted to the unused place setting, then back to her, clearly holding her responsible for the empty chair.
    Then, before the first course was served, he arrived. "Forgive me," he offered with a casual smile. "I lost track of the hour."
    Meredith felt the tension inside her snap. "Perhaps you need a timepiece, my lord?"
    Her aunt gaped from across the table, letting Meredith know, in case she had any doubts, that she had been unpardonably rude. Nick, however, appeared unruffled as he seated himself at the head of the table. His eyes danced with amusement, but he only responded with a light shrug.
    Aunt Eleanor quickly performed the introductions. In record time Felicia engaged Nick in conversation to the exclusion of everyone else. Meredith leaned as far to her left as she dared without falling out of her chair, trying to catch their words, finally giving up when she realized Sir Hiram was repeating himself due to her inattention.
    "Might I inquire as to your future plans, my lady, now that Lord Brookshire has taken control of Oak Run?"
    Meredith fidgeted, twisting her linen napkin in her lap. The news of her approaching motherhood had not yet spread, and she dreaded the revelation, fearing the reaction from those who knew of her estranged marriage. Gossip was inescapable.
    Sir Hiram especially knew her relationship with Edmund had been less than devoted. Edmund's