Free Ruin Me Please by Nichole Matthews Page B

wish you would stop blathering and pay attention , ” Po ppy said pertly .
    “Poppy,” Freya admonished . “Do be nice . ”
    Interrupting , Chloe continued, “I’ve got it! ”  She looked triumphant as she held u p her hand .  “Lord Harborough, y ou danced with him twice at the Bedgeberry ball.”  She clapped her hands exc i t edly. 
    Poppy glanced at her with amusement.
    “I do love saying that.   Bedgeberry Ball, Bedgeberry Ball, Bedgeberry Ball.”  She clutched at her side laughing hysterically .
    “Do be quiet Chloe , ” Poppy snorted.  “You just like hearing yourself talk .  B edgeberry, Bedgeberry, Bedgeberry , m y arse ,” s he cu rsed and then chuckled.
    “Poppy , I’m appalled , ” Freya scold ed , snickering behind her hand.  “Such horrendous language.”
    “ The only reason I danced with Lord Harborough a second time was because he gave me no opportunity to de cline his invi tation to dance without appearing unforgivably rude.”  Po p py’s lips pursed. 
    “Do tell us , ” Chloe said with a delighted Georgie snuggled in her lap.  
    “Hawksley, ” Poppy murmured.
    “Hawksley?”  Freya asked.
    “You have never met him.  A t least I do n’ t think you have, ” Poppy said.
    “ Are you speaking of t he duke?”  Chloe looked stunned
    Her eyes alight, “ Yes.  He is the new Duke of Hawksley, Declan Trenowyth.”  She sighed once again.   “And he is absolute perfection. ”
    “How old is he?”  Chloe asked.
    “I don’t know.”   Poppy raised her brow.  “Perhaps of an age with Parker ?”
    “I had no idea there were any young dukes left in England.”  Freya shook her head.
    Looking at Chloe she con tinued , “He has a wounded spirit. I could tell immediately when I looked at him . ” Poppy sighed.
    Chloe and Freya turned to each other with raised brows . “Oh dear , do tell us and do not even think about leaving out even the tiniest of details.”
    “He was in mourning when we came out .”  Poppy chewed on her lip.  “He is a friend of Parker’s.”  She paused thoughtfully . “I barely know him .   He came upon me in my garden.”  She took a deep breath.  “He even quoted Shakespeare.”
    Chloe looked at Freya.  “Poppy, we know how you love to take care of everyone.”
    Poppy flopped back on her bed.  “He is everything you could possibly imagine and more .   He is like the hero in a Shakespearean drama . ”   Turning on her stomach, she propped up her chin with her hands.  “First his father died.  Then his brother suddenly died of a fever.  His Mother passed years before. ”  She turned her head towards her friends.   “ He is all alone . ”
    “You don’t marry a man because he has no family left,” Chloe scoffed.
    “I didn’t say that was the only reason.”  A faraway look appeared in her eyes.  “You’ve not had the privilege of meeting him yet.”
    “ I’ve heard of him,” Freya exclaimed.  “ Declan Trenowyth hasn’t been seen i n society for a couple of years,” Freya reminded.
    “That doesn’t mean that I can not try to reintroduce him back into society. ” Poppy grinned.  “He did come to Rosebriar, didn’t he?”
    Chlo e leaned back against the wall.  “That is true, but that still doesn’t mean he wants you to save him.”
    “Ridiculous, who would n’t want to be saved ?”
    Chloe and Freya laughed, l ooking at each other with a conspiratorial glance; they both got up and pounced on Poppy ’ s bed.  “Well, I hope he has sufficiently prepared himself for this visit because once you have set your mind to something,” Freya sh ook her head , “he doesn’t stand a chance. ”
    “Speaking of Lord Harborough…”  Freya began, wiggling her eyebrows suggest i vely .

 
CHAPTER SIX
     
     
    She’s beautiful, and therefore to be wooed;
    She is woman, and therefore to be won.
     
    Henry VI
    *William Shakespeare
     
    A fter tapping lightly at the door of the B illiards room, D