A Mistaken Identity by Lana Williams EPUB & PDF – eBook Details Online
- Status: Available for Free Download
- Author: Lana Williams
- Language: English
- Genre: Victorian Historical Romance
- Format: PDF / EPUB
- Size: 2 MB
- Price: Free
Six Weeks Later…
Joseph Harris, Viscount Garland, entered the small shop on Bond
Street and paused to study his mother as she perused the glass case where a
selection of ribbons, parasols, and embroideries was displayed.
He was well aware that he was the only man in the place, mainly
because of the glances the other ladies shopping cast his way. They clearly
wished he would leave. How ridiculous that he’d had to resort to paying his
parents’ footman to send word when his mother stepped out for an
afternoon of shopping just so he’d have the chance to speak with her alone.
His father left him no choice. The Earl of Caldwell’s religious fervor
meant any conversation with him was fraught with strife. Joseph refused to
speak with him unless necessary.
If possible, Joseph would’ve cut off all ties with him. For the most part,
his younger siblings had already done so. His sister had married the first
man who’d showed interest, now lived in the country, and was expecting
her first child. One of his brothers had also married and the youngest was
studying to become a solicitor. That was a particular sore spot with their
father, who’d wanted Isaac to become a clergyman. All of them, including
Joseph, had left home as soon as they were of age and had the means to do
so.
But his mother remained.
Joseph knew there was little he could do to protect her, especially when
she refused to leave her husband. That meant Joseph did what he could to
see her. If his father went out, which was rare, Joseph stopped by. If his
mother went shopping, Joseph tried to join her.
Thank goodness the footman was willing to alert him with a message
when either of those occasions occurred.
“Good afternoon, Mother,” he said quietly as he joined her at the
counter.
Her grey gown with bell-shaped sleeves, only a hint of a bustle, and an
old-fashioned black bonnet were much simpler than the ruffled and trimmed
gowns most women wore these days. One could easily mistake her attire for
mourning. He wondered if the choice was deliberate on her part. Did she
mourn for a different life than the one she had?
“Joseph.” She glanced at him, her hazel eyes so like his own wide with
surprise. She looked behind him, her brow furrowing with worry. How he
hated that look. “You’re alone?”
He wasn’t certain why she bothered to ask. It wasn’t as if he
accompanied his father anywhere, let alone shopping. “Yes.”
The taut lines on her narrow face eased, and she drew a relieved breath.
“We haven’t seen you for some time. I hope you are well.”
That was because his father had remained home, and she hadn’t left the
house. But he didn’t bother mentioning those reasons as they would fall on
deaf ears. “I am. Are you?”
She was thinner than he’d like, lending her a fragile air. Yet he knew she
was stronger than she looked, much like a reed bending in a strong gale,
only to recover once the storm was over.
“I am.” She glanced at the glass case.
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