His Lady Mistress

Elizabeth Rolls27garden maze. And in any other damsel such behaviour wouldbe condemned as shameless.Another giggle reminded Verity of the precarious natureof her situation. She surged to her feet, stuffing mending aswell as her stockings and slippers into the basket and suppressinga curse as she pricked her finger on the needle.Which path were they on? She had to pick one that wouldn’tbring her face to face with Celia and her swain. She shivered.If they caught her here, it would be one more hiding placecrossed off her diminishing list.Frowning, she listened. They weren’t far away. She waited,poised for flight. The voices drew nearer. She tensed, thensaw a flash of jonquil muslin through a thin patch in thehedge. Realising that she had about five seconds to escapeshe swept up the basket and fled, bare feet flying across theturf. She reached the opening on the opposite side of the pondand whipped out of sight.‘Whatever was that?’Celia’s surprised question froze Verity. Drat. They’d heardher. She fought to steady her breathing.‘A bird? A rabbit?’ suggested Lord Blakehurst. ‘Didn’t yousay your brother would be here?’Verity just managed to choke back a snort of laughter atthe faintly questioning note in his voice, not to mention thesuspicion. Heavens! What a slowtop to fall for that trick! Thator he didn’t know Godfrey very well. Godfrey Faringdonmeet his own sister in the middle of a maze, in order to playgooseberry? Not this side of Judgement Day. Obviously LordBlakehurst, petted darling of society, the quarry of everymama with a marriageable daughter, had been neatly cozened.Unable to resist temptation, she peered around the hedge.If Lord Blakehurst didn’t take care, he would find himselfleg-shackled to—Her heart nearly stopped and she jerked herself back, shaking.It couldn’t be. Could it? Unable to believe what she had