Captivated by a Lady's Charm (Lords of Honor Book 2) by Christi Caldwell Page B

who hopped to her feet. The young woman rushed over and collected Rose in her arms. Prudence curled her toes into the soles of her slippers. Well, drat, this indicated trouble indeed. Waiting until the child and nursemaid were gone, she hastily lowered her arm to her lap. “I was merely thinking.” She shifted under the scrutiny of the remaining Tidemores.
    That should indeed silence her brother. He always said the last thing he cared to know about was what wickedly troublesome thoughts were turning through his sisters’ heads. Except Sin picked up his white napkin and brushed it over his lips. “Thinking,” he repeated as he set it down.
    Oh, blast. He’d choose this moment to be the inquiring older brother? Prudence feigned her winningest smile. “Indeed, thinking .”
    Her sister-in-law caught her eye. The fiery-haired woman blinked slowly and then she must have seen something revealing in Prudence’s smile for she placed a hand on her husband’s. “I daresay it is hardly your responsibility to be the keeper of your sister’s thoughts.”
    Ah, God love Juliet for never having been afraid to go toe-to-toe with the obstinate Sin.
    “You have an odd look about you.” And damn her brother for being in one of his uncharacteristically stodgy, bothersome moods.
    “Jonathan,” their mother and Juliet spoke in chiding unison.
    “Do hush.” Juliet turned her gaze to Prudence and then held her stare. “I am certain if Prudence had something she wished to say, or something she wished to speak about, she would know she could confide in us, in the absolute strictest of confidence.” She gave her a meaningful look; the knowing kind that indicated she’d noted her silence and likely suspected her woolgathering had to do with a gentleman.
    Prudence swallowed hard. She really wished, now more than ever, that she’d been a better charge to that woman who’d had the unenviable task of governess to her once-miserable, now hopefully improved, self.
    “It is likely the scare we had this morning in Hyde Park,” Poppy intoned. She popped a piece of sausage into her mouth and chewed, as though not every member of the Tidemore clan now stared attentively at her.
    “What scare?” their mother squawked. She looked to Sin, clearly expecting an earlish answer from the son who’d not even been present. “What scare?” she repeated when Poppy and Prudence said nothing.
    “What scare?” Oh, bloody wonderful. Now Sin was parroting back their mother. These were dark days, indeed, if Sin was echoing the propriety-bound older woman.
    “It is nothing,” Prudence said calmly to her mother. She gave a shudder praying that when she finally found love and had a family of her own that she’d not be the stodgy, overprotective sort.
    “It is nothing? Or it was nothing?” Penelope piped in. “Because they are entirely different things. One suggests that particular something might still be happening. The other indicates it was in the—” At the glowers trained on her, her words trailed off. “What?” she asked defensively. “I’m merely pointing out that if something happened—”
    “What happened?” their mother cried. Horror wreathed the unwrinkled planes of her face.
    “I was nearly trampled by a horse.” Poppy happily buttered a piece of toast. She spoke with the same casualness of one remarking upon the weather.
    Sin propped his elbows on the edge of the table. “Trampled by a horse?” Concern laced those four words.
    She released a slow, relieved breath. That had always been the manner of brother he was; exasperated with his sisters’ scrapes and schemes, but ultimately he’d lay down his own life for their happiness. Poppy had the good sense to realize as much and it appeared her sister had sense enough to not mention—
    “But Lord St. Cyr is rather impressive upon his mount and stopped just before I was trampled.”
    A whole stream of frustrated curses ran through Prudence’s head at her garrulous sister’s