BooksBarbecue
Back An Independent Woman Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Table of Contents
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Chapter Eight
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Chapter Twenty-One
  26. Chapter Twenty-Two
  27. Chapter Twenty-Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-Four
  29. Chapter Twenty-Five
  30. Chapter Twenty-Six
  31. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-One
  36. Chapter Thirty-Two
  37. Chapter Thirty-Three
  38. Chapter Thirty-Four
  39. Chapter Thirty-Five
  40. Chapter Thirty-Six
  41. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  42. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  43. A word about the author...
  44. Thank you for purchasing this publication of The Wild Rose Press, Inc.

Hugh came to his senses. He could not leave his sister and her friend stranded longer in the barouche. Reluctant, yearning to chase after Philomena, he jumped into the carriage, setting the horses to a fast pace. Ignoring his sister’s excited chatter, he turned his head as he drove, struggling to catch a glimpse of Philomena. He caught a brief glimpse as she ran in the shadow of the trees, too far away to reach.

Hugh took the ladies straight home, too full of hope to talk. Lucy was speechless in her admiration for his valour in the face of the riot, but unfortunately, Selena was not. “Hugh,” she cried, as she alighted, “I declare I do not know whether you are a hero or simply as great a hooligan as the rest. I know that you have some sympathy with the demands of the Chartists, but I did not know you were one of them.”

It was useless to argue the rights and wrongs of the case with such a featherbrain as his sister, so Hugh contented himself with a warning that should Selena carry tales to the Dowager, he would immediately cancel the ball and ban his sister from attending any of the next week’s routs.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Philomena fled back to her lodgings, shaking. He is here. She had believed she was learning to forget Hugh, but when she saw him in the park, so tall and commanding above the crowd, she longed to throw herself into his arms.

Life with Hugh is just a hopeless dream. Philomena tried to remain calm. She had found work as a dressmaker, using the remains of the Dowager’s money to buy materials. She was slowly making a name, working at the trade she knew so well. For London dressmakers, the Season meant a flurry of activity. In a whirl of cutting patterns, making up calico models and redesigning gowns to hide a debutante’s thick waist, clumsy ankle or thin shoulders, Philomena hoped her broken and battered heart would heal. She had no time to mope.

She rented two rooms, using the last of her money to furnish one suitable for receiving customers. The room was elegant enough for a Duchess and the Duchesses liked Philomena. She was not afraid to voice an opinion, but her manner was so gentle and tactful that she caused no offence. She had a talent for persuading young girls and their formidable mothers to avoid the showy but often almost-unwearable patterns displayed in the popular La Belle Assemblée magazine.

The debutantes prized Philomena’s finished garments as a result. Several awkward young ladies attending Queen Charlotte’s Ball would benefit from the new dressmaker’s careful cutting and stitching, which would allow them to make their curtsey with the minimum danger of toppling ignominiously to the floor before Her Royal Highness.