An Impossible Attraction by Brenda Joyce Read Free Book Online Page B

glanced contemptuously at the three of them. “I don’t recognize any of you, dressed as you are.”
    Alexandra’s heart thundered. “That is very unkind.”
    Lady Lewis lifted a brow. “It’s not as if I said that I am accustomed to seeing you all in rags—and sewing my gowns.”
    Corey choked.
    Olivia took Corey’s hand.
    Alexandra forced a smile. She wanted to explode, but she needed Lady Lewis’s account, at least for now. “No, you didn’t say any such thing, and I apologize. You would never speak so disgracefully. I am certain of that.”
    “My maid will drop off this gown to be cleaned and pressed tomorrow,” Lady Lewis said, then huffed and walked away.
    Alexandra trembled.
    “What a witch!” Corey cried. “Don’t you dare clean and press that gown for her.”
    “Of course I’ll do exactly that.” Alexandra spoke calmly, though she wasn’t calm at all. Her temples were throbbing now. She was already exhausted, and the cruel confrontation had not been helpful. She glanced about, hoping to sit down.
    “Miss Bolton, may I introduce you to my good friend, Squire Landon?” Denney said as he returned to her, smiling and in good spirits. “George, Miss Bolton and her two sisters, Olivia and Corey. And Edgemont, of course, you know.”
    Her father had caught up to them, as well, Alexandra noticed, then managed to smile at Squire Landon and wish him a pleasant evening. As Landon began to ask Denney about a bull he’d recently purchased, she heard a woman whispering behind her.
    “A disgrace…drunk every single night…the gaming…his daughters…”
    Alexandra felt her cheeks burning as she strained to hear exactly what the woman was saying, but the gist was clear. Edgemont was a disgrace, and everyone present knew it.
    Corey was oblivious—peering wide-eyed at everyone and everything. Alexandra glanced at Olivia, who was staring at an oddly familiar blond man. She didn’t think she knew him, yet the feeling remained that she did. She took a deep breath. Maybe the worst was over.
    But then she saw that three older women were staring at her and her sisters now, and she knew that the worst was far from over.
    They were whispering behind their gloved hands, and she felt certain they were discussing her or her sisters or her father. Alexandra trembled and turned her back to them. “Father, do you know those ladies?”
    He glanced toward them and paused. “Actually, although it has been a while, those ladies were all friends of your mother’s. Lady Collins was especially close. God, it seems so long ago! She is looking very well, actually.”
    “She isn’t looking very friendly,” Olivia remarked. “She is shooting daggers at us.”
    “That cannot be. She was very friendly with Elizabeth. Come, let’s say hello.”
    Alexandra said quickly, “We haven’t met our hosts yet.”
    “There are a dozen people ahead of us,” Edgemont insisted. “And Squire Denney is preoccupied with his friend. Lady Collins!” He hurried over.
    Reluctantly—exchanging grim looks with her sisters—Alexandra followed. Lady Collins’s expression was as cold as ice.
    “It is good to see you again,” Edgemont said.
    She inclined her head. “Hello, Edgemont. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
    “I am most surprised to be here myself,” he said cheerfully. “Do you recall my daughters?”
    Alexandra held her head high as Lady Collins said she didn’t believe they’d ever met. Polite handshakes were exchanged. “Enjoy your evening,” Lady Collins said, then left them, making no attempt to hide her desire to get away as quickly as possible.
    Edgemont flushed. “By God, she’s changed.”
    “This is a mistake,” Alexandra said softly. “I am a seamstress now. I sew for half a dozen of these women. They resent my being here.”
    “You have every right! You are Squire Denney’s guest, and Lady Harrington will be thrilled to see you.”
    Alexandra turned to look at her sisters, who seemed distraught and