Read Cardiff Siblings 01 - Seven Minutes in Devon for Free Online Page A

didn’t mind the earl overmuch, but she wasn’t
ready to face the cantankerous grump who was his brother today. It
was far too early for such unpleasantness, and no amount of
chocolate could ease the way. “Good morning to you both. Did you
rest well, Lady Morgan?”
    “ Yes, quite,” the blonde
lady murmured with a slight smile, which she then turned in the
general direction of her maid. “Thank you, Janetta.”
    Janetta took a seat beside her, and
then she filled two mugs, gently nudging Lady Morgan’s hand with
one of them.
    “ Thank you.” Taking the
cup, Lady Morgan lifted it to her lips, giving a near-imperceptible
sniff before drinking. “Oh, chocolate! How lovely.” After
swallowing a delicate sip, she sent a conspiratorial smile that
brightened her features across in Emma’s direction. “What book are
you reading today, Miss Hathaway?”
    Emma’s jaw dropped. How could Lady
Morgan possibly know she was reading?
    Janetta chuckled. “I daresay you’ve
surprised your friend, my lady.”
    Emma wanted to sink below the table
and never be seen again, her mortification was so great. She wished
she had somehow learned the art of schooling her features into
perfect placidity. At this very moment, her cheeks were heating
uncontrollably.
    “ You’ve not changed so much
in these last few years that you aren’t constantly absorbed in a
book, have you?” Lady Morgan took another sip and held the dainty
china cup between her hands as though warming herself on it. “I’ll
be highly disappointed if you aren’t exactly as I left
you.”
    Was that a hint of humor?
If so, Emma may not have changed, but Lady Morgan certainly had.
Emma forced her jaw to close. “ Persuasion , today.”
    “ I loved Persuasion . Janetta read
it to me several months ago.”
    The footman placed two plates heaped
with eggs, sausages, bread, and fresh fruit with clotted cream
before the ladies. Ever-so-inconspicuously, Janetta guided Lady
Morgan’s right hand to the silver.
    She grasped a fork and lifted a bite
to her mouth. After she chewed and swallowed, she grinned at Emma
again. “And yesterday? What did you read then?”
    Emma couldn’t contain her
chuckle. “ Mansfield Park last night.”
    “ Only one book? You went an
entire day and read only a single book? I’m shocked, Miss
Hathaway.”
    “ I started Waverley on the journey
over and finished it not long after your arrival.”
    “ That sounds more like the
Miss Hathaway I remember,” Lady Morgan said. She felt for a
strawberry and picked it up, then searched her plate for the
clotted cream to dip it into. Her movements were slow and
meticulous, but also very studied. Not to mention impressive. Any
time Emma had to move about in the dark, she invariably stubbed a
toe on her bed or spilled water down the front of her nightrail.
Lady Morgan didn’t have even the tiniest hint of sight to aid her,
though.
    Heathcote Park’s housekeeper poked her
head around the doorway. “Oh, good. There you are, Miss Drummond,”
she said to Janetta. “One of the footmen suggested I might find you
here.”
    “ What is the problem, Mrs.
Oldham?” The maid dabbed at the corners of her mouth with a napkin
of fine silk.
    “ I was hoping we could
discuss any needs your mistress might have this morning, before the
house is overrun by the rest of His Lordship’s guests.”
    “ Of course.” Janetta left
her napkin beside her plate and pushed back from the table. “That
sounds like an excellent plan. Lady Morgan, will you manage all
right without me for a bit?”
    “ I’m fine. Go.” Lady Morgan
shooed Janetta with her a hand when the maid failed to leave
immediately. “Miss Hathaway will assist me if I need anything.
Won’t you?”
    “ Of course,” Emma said. She
looked over at the hesitant lady’s maid, who might actually be more
of a nurse in this situation, and tried to offer a reassuring
smile. “We’ll do just fine on our own.”
    The maid vacillated for a moment
longer,