Embracing Ashberry Read Online Free Page B

attached herself to Ellie’s next youngest brother,
John. Clearly, the marquess had gone outside the expectations of
etiquette that Charlotte assumed he would follow, for the countess
was the guest of the highest rank present and he should have quite
properly escorted her into dinner. The realization made her stomach
lurch wildly and for a moment she wondered if she ought to pull
away and correct him—and knew immediately it was impossible. After
all, he was a marquess and she a simple baron’s daughter, hardly
his equal. Questioning him would likely only cause a scene as the
inevitable set-down followed.
    Not that she could have found her voice, especially
once he spoke.
    His voice was a low murmur, gentle but undeniably
warm and masculine. He leaned over so that she could easily hear
him. “I am honored, Miss Whitney, to have your arm.” He guided her
behind the others, careful not to seem as if he was detaining her.
“I hope you enjoy sharing dinner with me. I believe we are seated
near one another.”
    Ellie blushed. With a blank mind and a frozen
throat, she couldn’t have responded if the king himself had been
beside her. Instead, she managed a brief nod of acknowledgement and
concentrated on her mother’s back in front of her, passing at that
moment into the dining room.
     

 
    TWO
     
    Ashberry saw the flush of her cheeks and
ears. He was disappointed that she hadn't replied, but convinced
himself he was satisfied with her inability to pretend an
indifference to him was enough, at least for the moment. In fact,
he chuckled to himself as he pulled out her chair. She was
purposely avoiding his gaze and not just fumbling in her
shyness.
    Edward sat on Ellie's left while the
marquess took the seat at the head of the table. Charlotte was
seated across from Ellie, making their end of the table a cozy
quartet. Between the four and Ellie's parents were the other two
Whitney brothers as well as Ashberry's two youngest brothers. The
countess presided at the opposite end of the table in the
commanding position, as Charlotte chattered easily about how they
had decided on an informal seating arrangement that had little to
do with rank.
    Edward listened assiduously to her innocent
comments even as he leaned to his sister and murmured softly, "Are
you up to this?"
    Ellie's fond glance was unmistakable. Edward
had been the first one to her side, the one who had carried her
into the house, the one she now trusted with every fiber of her
body and soul. "Everything will be fine," she reassured him with a
confidence she did not honestly feel. "But it's nice to have you
here in case." Edward nodded and turned his attention to Charlotte,
across the table.
    Ellie briefly turned her attention to her
mother at the other end of the long dining room. To Ellie she
appeared slightly worried, but her brow cleared at Ellie's
encouragement.
    Ashberry was fascinated by the smile, though
it had lasted barely a second and had been directed away from him.
Ella Whitney smiled with her whole face, her eyes brightened, her
cheeks lifted and even her teeth sparkled. He hardly noticed the
food before him and had to force himself not to stare at her.
Seeking a diversion from the girl, he started a conversation with
Edward about the Manchester coalmines that the Whitneys owned.
    While Lord Whitney was in constant
consultation in the House of Lords concerning the horrors
developing in France, his son was concentrating on the more mundane
side of a successful family in the peerage: its finances. Ashberry
had already learned a great deal from young Whitney about the
intricacies of the mining industry. Like Ashberry, Edward Whitney
didn't shy away from industry simply because of his promised title;
if anything, the young man had seen firsthand in Europe the
necessity of protecting it by underwriting the largest possible
fortune.
    Tonight, however, even coal couldn't keep
this girl from his thoughts, for she sat between him and the
recalcitrant Edward, who