Free Prudence Pursued by Shirley Raye Redmond Page B

previous contempt and indignation she harbored for the man dissolved beneath the warmth of his smile, following his glowing narration.
    Prudence went to bed in a mood of growing depression. As she snuggled beneath the coverlets, she made a mental list of the man’s many shortcomings—for her cousin’s benefit, of course. This occupied her for some restless time. Her last conscious thought before she finally succumbed to slumber was how the list of the man’s faults had proven to be astonishingly long.
    ****
    The next morning, Prudence found herself alone at the breakfast table with Margaret, as Mrs. Leyes had requested a tray in her room. “I enjoyed dinner with the Brownells last night,” Prudence told her cousin. “Lady Eliza is a gracious hostess, and Sir James, as usual, was entertaining.”
    “Yes, he is always entertaining,” Margaret replied in a hollow voice. “Even so, I do not wish to marry him. I’m counting on you to support me in this.”
    Prudence fixed her attention upon a slice of toast, avoiding her cousin’s penetrating gaze. Swallowing, she said, “I did observe Aunt Judith and Lady Brownell with their heads together in the drawing room last evening before we took our leave. I could not help but wonder what they were discussing.”
    “I fear they were scheming—again,” Margaret said, helping herself to the marmalade. “But they will not find me conformable, I promise you!” With a huff, she added, “Mama came to my room last night, again urging me to accept Sir James’s offer. She insisted if I do not, I will most certainly end up like—“
    Margaret stopped abruptly, snapping her mouth shut while concentrating on her breakfast. She avoided her cousin’s wide-eyed stare.
    “She meant me,” Prudence said, putting down her teacup. “Aunt Judith said you would end up like me—a spinster.”
    The two cousins exchanged a poignant glance. Prudence was the first to look away.
    Margaret leaned forward, her cheeks flushed with warmth. “Pru, if you could only discover something unsavory about Sir James, I am certain Mama would not force me to accept his offer.”
    “Pooh! Your mother will not force you to accept any offer, if you do not truly wish it,” Prudence replied. “Aunt Judith is not an ogre. I believe she is convinced you do not know your own mind, Meg. You are not looking upon the proposed match in a reasonable light. You have not given her a good enough reason for not accepting the marriage proposal.”
    “Find a skeleton in Sir James’s closet,” Margaret urged, ignoring her cousin’s lecturing.
    Prudence decided to do so—if there was a skeleton to be discovered at all. She decided to do so not just for her cousin’s benefit, but to satisfy her own curiosity as well. When she accompanied her cousin and aunt to the Pump Room later in the morning, she was relieved to discover her friend Dorothea Greenwood there—alone. While Margaret and Aunt Judith encountered old friends, who’d just come down from London following the end of the Season, Prudence quickly darted away to have a solitary chat with Dorothea.
    “I was hoping I might find you unattended,” Prudence declared, greeting her friend with a warm smile and taking the seat next to her. “I wanted to ask you about…” she hesitated, reluctant to appear as a scandalmonger. “I wanted to ask about your son’s relationship with Sir James.”
    Momentarily surprised, Dorothea paused from sipping the warm mineral water from a small glass she held in one gloved hand. Then with a coy smile, she said, “Prudence, we are old friends. I believe you already know all you wish to know about the relationship between Arthur and Sir James. They are old school friends, as I told you. They have kept in touch through the years. Indeed, Sir James has frequently offered financial support for Arthur’s various charitable endeavors. I think perhaps you want to know about the man’s interest in your cousin