Alcott Hall by Emily Rath EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Novel Title: Alcott Hall
- Author: Emily Rath
- Language: English
- Formats: PDF / EPUB
- Status: Available for Download
- Series: None
- Price: Free
- File Size: 2 MB
MADELINE
The carriage rolled to yet another stop, wheels rattling on the
cobblestones. London traffic was always busy this time of day, but
this was getting ridiculous. A trip that should have taken all of fifteen
minutes had now stretched for well over thirty. Something about an
overturned hay cart.
At this point, it would have been faster to simply walk, but Lady Diana
Blaire, Viscountess of Raleigh, would never sanction an act so pedestrian as
walking to one’s destination. As she so often said, walking to a social
function ought to be reserved for prostitutes and Catholics on pilgrimage.
Her daughter Madeline sat across from her, shivering under the weight of
a thick wool blanket. The winter chill was brutal this morning, forcing
Madeline to bury her nose deeper inside her fur muffler. She resented having
to leave the warmth and comfort of her favorite reading nook, especially for a
task as arduous—and ultimately pointless—as taking tea at her aunt’s house.
“Don’t slouch, Madeline.”
Madeline huffed, the warm air moist on her lips inside the muffler.
“Mama, it is just we two here,” she replied. “And it’s freezing—”
“It’s undignified,” her mother snapped. “Besides, you could pull a
muscle. Now sit up straight, before you give me a headache.”
Biting back her retort, Madeline shifted her hips and rolled her shoulders
back until she was in a more dignified seated position. Of all the fights she
felt like picking with her mother today, her posture was low on the list.
The carriage rattled back into motion and both ladies gave little sighs of
relief. The city bustled with life all around them as other carts and carriages
passed by. The sounds of the horses shod hooves were sharp and metallic on
the crisp winter air.
Her mother leaned forward, nestling her hands under her own thick fur
muff. “Now, as I was saying, Aunt Judith wrote this morning just before
breakfast to say she thinks Lord Everton will be at today’s tea. You
remember him, dear? From the Cabot’s party?”
Madeline just nodded, already intuiting the instructions her mother was
about to give her. They were the same every week: corner the gentleman
currently at the top of her mother’s ‘most eligible’ list, two light touches and
three polite questions within the first ten minutes, and don’t forget to smile.
Lord Bryson Everton was the current favorite in the race for Madeline’s
hand. Only, after three years out in society, it was no longer a race so much
as it was a leisurely stroll through the back garden.
“Now, when Lord Everton arrives, you’re to draw his attention to you
straight away,” her mother ordered. “I know Judith has her eye on him for
Mary, but they’re not well suited. And frankly, she shouldn’t even be out
yet,” she said with a wave of her gloved hand. “She’s far too young. A flighty
little frippet if you ask me.”
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