Chapter 17
Celeste didn’t care about the nearby voices or the fact her nocturnal wandering would be a cause for even greater shame. Alone and determined, she trod the path towards the river. She’d barely been alone outdoors other than in her own garden her entire life. This was a rare freedom, and a welcome retreat from the heat and hostility indoors. The moment her aunt had been waylaid she’d taken advantage of her opportunity. What did it matter if she were discovered cavorting n***d with a footman on the grassy slope? Her reputation couldn’t be in worse tatters. There might even be some satisfaction in having something for which to be honestly condemned.
Goodness, though, wasn’t that Lady Busselton’s husky purr? The sight of that evil woman disappearing into the gardens with Lord Pere
