Secret Brides [3] Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage by Valerie Bowman Page A

door and James glanced up. Themis did too.
    Locke entered and bowed to James. “My lord, two callers have arrived.”
    James clenched his jaw. Callers? Who? He must keep Kate’s presence in the house a secret. Where was she? He must speak with Mrs. Hartsmeade about ensuring that Kate would not be seen when visitors arrived.
    “The Marchioness of Colton and the Countess of Ashbourne are here,” Locke’s deep voice intoned.
    James let his shoulders relax. Lily and Annie? Nothing to worry about. “Tell them I’ll be there shortly.”
    The butler cleared his throat. “They are not here to see you, my lord.”
    James looked twice, his brow furrowed. “Not here to see me?”
    “No. They are here to see her grace.”
    James leaned back and folded his arms over his chest. “They are, are they?”
    Locke gave a curt nod. “Yes, they insist upon it.”
    James shook his head. Lily and Annie were incorrigible. Only they would have the nerve to call upon a prisoner in a house where she wasn’t even supposed to be. “By all means, show them to one of the salons and notify her grace.”
    *   *   *
    Kate made her way to the blue salon, her palms sweaty and her heart racing. She stood outside the door and took a deep breath. She was about to meet with peeresses, ladies of the social class with whom she should have been rubbing elbows for years. Instead, the only peeress she’d ever met was her husband’s mother, and that lady had detested Kate on sight. Oh, and Lady Bettina. And a more awful woman Kate had never known. Kate pushed her hands down her skirts in an attempt to dry her palms and quell her nerves. Hopefully the Marchioness of Colton and the Countess of Ashbourne were not as awful and high-handed as her mother-in-law had always been or as haughty and cold as Lady Bettina.
    James had told her that these two ladies were close friends of his, and they knew Kate was staying with him. Apparently, he trusted them completely. But could she? Were they only here to stare at her? Would they take jibes at her? Ask her why she insisted upon putting their friend’s home and life in danger?
    Very well. There was no help for it. If these two were going to ridicule her, she might as well step inside and get it over with.
    She reached out a trembling hand, pushed open the door handle, and stepped inside. Two young women sat on the settee in the middle of the room, chatting to each other and laughing. As soon as Kate stepped inside, they both immediately stopped talking and looked up at her.
    “Why, your grace,” the older of the two—who was a breathtaking beauty—said, plunking her hands on her hips. “There you are.”
    Kate blinked. She wasn’t sure how to react. The lady’s voice had been friendly enough, but Kate still wasn’t sure if these two were allies or foes.
    “Come sit,” the lady continued. “It’s insufferably rude of Medford not to be here to introduce us and surprising, to be sure, because usually the man is so prompt. He didn’t earn the moniker Lord Perfect for nothing.” The beauty winked at Kate, and this time there was no mistaking. Whoever she was, she was friendly indeed. “But come and we shall introduce ourselves and have a much better time chatting together than we’d have with a stuffy old viscount around.”
    She stood and held out her hands to Kate, and Kate made her way forward. “Officially, I am the Marchioness of Colton,” the lady said. “But you must call me Lily.” Another wink and Kate expelled her breath. Oh, how wonderful. They would not stand on ceremony. There would be no “your graces” here.
    “And this is my sister, the Countess of Ashbourne,” Lily continued.
    The younger woman stood, reached out, and squeezed Kate’s hand too in a terribly friendly gesture. “Just call me Annie, please,” she said. Annie was nearly as pretty as her sister with dark brown hair and soft brown eyes. Both ladies were so the opposite of what Kate had expected, she wanted to