The First Proposal - Chasity Bowlin Page 0,28
may be truer than I ever imagined.”
Agnes glanced over her shoulder at the door. “Don’t be so certain. I’m not supposed to say nothing, but the mistress has been taking money from the household accounts to buy her pretty gowns and decorations. Before he left to go to the West Indies, Mr. Fennelworth told her she had to live on only what he left for her and no more! She’s already gone through it, you see. She’d do anything to not have to pay another governess. Anything, miss. And that maid of hers is always spying on everyone for her—I know I shouldn’t say such things! But it’s a shame to see a person treat their own sister they way you’ve been treated by her!”
Percy knew she shouldn’t let the girl say anything more. “Agnes, you must be careful what you say.”
“Go to that ball tomorrow night, miss… go and let him answer to all that he’s been accused of. I reckon if she managed to keep you apart from him, it won’t be the first time she’s done such a thing, will it?”
No. Percy thought. It wouldn’t be the first. Every time any man had even so much as smiled at her in her life, Daphne had always been there, ready to swoop in and claim their attentions for herself. It was one of the reasons Percy had retreated to the library and her father’s world of books. It had been the easiest way to avoid further hurt and disappointment. In short, she’d been a coward. But the idea of losing Algernon and the promise of something truly magical—she couldn’t hide from that. “I will, Agnes. Thank you. You’ve been very kind and I do appreciate it.”
CHAPTER TEN
Algernon entered the home of his sister and brother-in-law. For once, he followed protocol and allowed the butler to announce him. It was a ball, after all, and there were other people present. The opportunity to annoy Burke had to be forfeit lest he risk sparking his sister’s ire. And he needed her help. At present, he had three different betrothal rings in his pocket and not a clue which one Persephone might prefer. It was fast. Impossibly fast. They’d known one another for a matter of days, and yet he couldn’t forget what both Aurora and Burke had said to him—that it would simply feel right. And it did. He wanted Persephone as his wife. He wanted to have all the time in the world for them to know one another, to learn all the quirks and foibles of one another’s personalities and to have a chance to build a life together. But for that to happen, he would have to get her out of her sister’s wicked clutches.
Daphne Fennelworth was the very devil. Surely for her children to be so wretched, it must have come from somewhere. He’d done quite a bit of digging into the Fennelworths and it seemed their fortunes had taken a downward turn. Yet, Mrs. Fennelworth continued to spend as if their coffers were bottomless. It was little wonder then that she’d all but indentured her own sister to care for her misbegotten brood given that every decent agency in London was refusing to send her anymore prospective governesses. Those that had consented to continue doing business with her would charge a king’s ransom and a well deserved one at that.
Algernon couldn’t shake the terrible sense of misgiving that, if presented an opportunity to do so, Daphne Fennelworth would sabotage any chance Persephone had at happiness. It was nothing more than pettiness and spite and it had already gone on for far too long.
Queuing with the other guests to be presented to the hosts, a ridiculous formality that he detested, Algernon scanned the growing throng of people. There was no sign of Persephone yet. As he neared his sister, he began to worry. It was very nearly time for the dancing to begin.
“Algernon,” Olivia said, “Stop gaping about. She will be here.”
He sighed. “Are you certain? That horrid sister of hers isn’t set on sabotaging the evening?”
Olivia glanced about the room. This late in the season, it was quite a crowd already. It would be a crush before the night was done. “Do you honestly think Mrs. Fennelworth would miss an opportunity to attend a ball hosted by a viscount, regardless of the circumstances?”
And that was the crux of it. Daphne Fennelworth was a perverse woman who would in fact cut off her nose to spite