Lady Star (11 page)

Dawning lit in Star’s eyes and mind. No doubt
Miles was up to some devilry with Dilly for she was a pretty little
thing, and he was an outrageous flirt. Over the years, she could
not help but notice that about him. She knew him well and though he
meant no harm, she also knew to someone like Dilly, he could be
intimidating.

 Exchanging a knowing glance with
Georgie, she patted Dilly’s shoulder and said, “Dilly, I do promise
that as soon as we can, we shall bring in the additional help you
need. You are perfectly correct. ‘Tis time Vern looked about for a
valet to handle such things.”

Satisfied, Dilly sniffed and allowed a quick
curtsy before she headed toward the kitchen and Cook.

Chapter
Nine

“I WON’T HAVE Miles and Vern teasing that
child. Why, it is the outside of enough. We can’t afford the
servants we have, let alone another,” Star said in a hushed aside
to Georgina and chewed her bottom lip.

“Now Star, Vern is not the sort to dally with
a vulnerable girl like Dilly and Miles, well,” she smiled, “Is
Miles. He can’t help himself, can he?”

“Indeed. Yet lately, he seems to think
I
might be open to his dalliance,” Star frowned.

“Well, as to that,” Georgie smiled wickedly,
“Miles is infatuated with you. I say infatuated because in my
opinion that is all that it is and I don’t want your head turned by
him.”

“Take a damper!” Star fidgeted with her
fingers. “
Miles, indeed
. That is like my saying that Vern
has a tendre for you—Miles and I would never suit.”

Georgie frowned. “I don’t know if it is quite
the same thing. Vern wants to marry me because he likes me and
thinks he would be comfortable with me as his wife and because the
joining of our two estates would get him out of financial trouble.
Miles wants to
marry you
because he openly adores you and
thinks that he might be in love. He isn’t, but he thinks he
is.”

“I quite agree. Miles adores every maid in
town. He can’t help himself. He loves women. When we were young he
once told me that he thinks each and every one of us, tall, thin,
fat, skinny, all hold a mystery he needs to unfold. Can you
imagine?” She laughed out loud as they reached the top step and
turned at the landing toward her brother’s room.

“Star, don’t go raking them down until you
have calmed yourself,” Georgie cautioned.

“Do I not look calm?”

“You look like you are about to toss them
into the gallows and throw away the key,” Georgie giggled.

“You know Georgie…things are dire. There is
something I haven’t told you,” Star started to say, thought better
of it and bit her lip. Her brother had been hobnobbing with common
thieves—a pack of criminals, giving them information he should not
have been. The horror of it had her on edge. How could she tell
Georgie such a thing? She was irritated with him. She knew he had
done it, foolishly yes, but because he had been desperate.

She walked into her brother’s room and saw
Sir Edward, profoundly dashing in his buckskin riding jacket,
sitting beside her brother’s bed and in close conversation with
him. Why, oh why did Sir Edward have such a whirlwind effect on
her? It was as though the air had been wrenched from her lungs and
withheld just out of reach. The sensation left her giddy.

“Star!” Vern exclaimed on a merry note. “You
are back and in time to hear the good news.” Vern’s smile widened
as he found Georgie stepping into the now overcrowded bedroom.
“Hallo, Georgie, come and give an ailing man a kiss.”

“Hallo, brat,” Georgie said and blew him a
sisterly kiss.

He eyed her and said softly, “I shall have to
teach you to do better than that.”

“Oh, you don’t have to teach me, dearest. I
fancy I rather know the knack of it better than you realize…but
there is always the when and the who to be considered before I
display my talents.” Tongue in cheek she started to turn away, but
for the beseeching tone of his voice which called after her.

 “Georgie, ah Georgie, you drive a man
wild. You…you know I mean to have you, don’t you?”

Star, in spite of the present company,
snorted and for her transgression, received a brotherly glare. Star
rolled her eyes at him.

“Do you, Vern dear?” Georgie countered. “What
a very odd thing to say to someone who has been a sister to you
most of her life.”

“Oh do stop your bantering you two and let
Vern tell us what he means,” Star said after she had made the
perfunctory round of greeting the others in the room.

Sir Edward had jumped to his feet when she
and Georgie had come into the room, giving her the full view of his
tall, dashing self and it was hard, so hard not to stare at him.
What the deuce was wrong with her? Something certainly was.

“Right, so what it means is that you two
needn’t sit home tonight for lack of escort. You have three!” Vern
grinned from ear to ear. He looked at Georgie, “Sad as I am that I
shall not have you on my arm Georgie, I am pleased as a generous
man can be that you won’t miss this ball.”

Star looked at Miles who was standing erect
and proud. Jules looked hopefully her way and Sir Edward, she could
clearly see, appeared completely amused.

* * *

Sir Edward had watched Star enter her
brother’s room and the vision of her lively beauty hit him soundly.
He discovered he was momentarily bereft of speech as he watched her
with her white gold hair all windblown and making a perfect frame
around her heart-shaped beautiful face and thought that she was
stunning.

Jules was completely right; she did take the
breath away. Why had he not immediately seen this—or had he and
resisted?

Evidently a bit of a drama was taking place
and he found it intriguing. Vern seemed to want Miss Madison and
from where he stood, the lovely Miss Madison seemed to have eyes
for his friend, Jules. In addition to this, both Miles and Jules
wanted Star and this was he thought something Shakespeare would
have had a very excellent time describing.

However, somehow he was being drawn into the
romantic comedy, much against his will. He had meant to keep
himself aloof and then what must the pretty Miss Star do but turn
her dark eyes on him. Deep inside of him he felt a stirring, a
flutter he did not recognize, for it had never happened before.

“What can you mean?” Star asked her brother
and turned to look at the gentlemen grinning all around her.

Vern laughed and Edward made up his mind,
whereas, at first he had thought otherwise, he now believed this
young lord was just that, young. He was obviously in financial
straits and needed immediate guidance.

He had immediately deducted that something
had gone wrong with the young lords’ attempts to set his house in
order. He was at first curious, but now after meeting the lad, he
thought he might take matters in hand. Why he should, he couldn’t
fathom.

Yet, he could see the young lord had both
heart and good intentions and although he told himself none of this
was his business and that it shouldn’t matter to him, for it was
all a bloody nuisance, he still had quite made up his mind to
help.

Miles stole Jules’s thunder at that moment by
stepping up immediately and taking Star’s hand and Edward found
himself narrowing his eyes as inexplicably he found himself
irritated and felt the frown descend over his face.

“I am honored to be one of your three escorts
tonight,” Miles said with heart felt resonance.

Jules, evidently not to be outdone, came
forward and nearly wrenched Star’s hand from Mile’s grasp. He
clicked his heels and Edward nearly choked with laughter. Jules
glared at Miles, stared hard at Edward, and then brought his pale
blue eyes back to Star’s face and said with great earnest, “And I
am as well—honored that is, to be your escort.”

Sir Edward inclined his head and felt a
mischievous tingle as he said, “With the pleasure of Miss Madison’s
and your company, how could a gentleman be otherwise.”

Star’s eyes glittered at him and he watched
her as she turned away from Jules, and answered some remark Miles
had made to her.

Georgie said in an aside to him, “Neatly put
Sir Edward, but not, I think, very sincere.”

Sir Edward arched a brow at her and gave her
a warm smile, saying quite openly as he glanced toward Star, “Oh,
but dear lovely lady, sincere enough when I think of
you
on
my arm.”

She eyed him dubiously and laughed right out
loud.

* * *

Was that jealousy coursing through her veins?
Jealous of her dearest friend, Georgie? How could that be? Ashamed.
She should be so ashamed.
She was ashamed
and yet, jealously
overrode all other considerations and filled her with unmanageable
emotion.

What did it matter if Sir Edward preferred
Georgie to her? He did seem to prefer Georgie’s company over her
own. He scarcely even glanced her way. Well, she had always known
she wasn’t his style…yes, but neither was Georgie.

Star could see from the corner of her eyes
that his smile seemed more than genuine as it rested on her
friend’s countenance. She immediately looked away.

She tried to concentrate on what Miles was
saying, yet she couldn’t help but strain to hear what Georgie and
Sir Edward were speaking about.

Miles had twice to recall her attention to
him.

It was most annoying for she wanted to hear
what Sir Edward was saying to her friend.
Faith.
He was
flirting with Georgie…
outrageously flirting
!

Miles and Jules began a light banter between
them about who would be the first to dance with Star, and as they
kept calling on her, there was nothing for it—she had to give them
her attention.

However, as the banter of these two soon
began to take on argumentative proportions, her eyebrows went up
and she tried to bring them to task, “Gentlemen…do stop,
honestly…”

It was at this juncture that Sir Edward
suddenly was front and center between the two men. His hands were
up and his expression was severe as he said, “This grows wearisome
for me and for the ladies. I am persuaded for Vern here, who is
beginning to look more than a little fatigued. Settle it that
neither one of you shall have Miss Berkley’s hand for the first
waltz.” He turned to her and smiled softly. “Because, the first
waltz with Miss Berkley is promised to me.”

Jules and Miles took to blustering over this,
while Star felt the blush rush to her head. Star gave up trying to
stop Jules and Miles from arguing and heard Georgie say to Sir
Edward, “Well done, sir.”

“I thought so, Miss Madison,” Sir Edward said
glibly and grinned.

“Yes indeed, but
do call me Georgie
.
If you are to be one of our escorts tonight, we can dispense with
formalities.”

“Indeed,” Star agreed as she turned toward
them. She suddenly realized, they were going to the ball tonight
and grabbed her friend’s hands and exclaimed, “Georgie…we are going
to the ball—we have so much to do.” She turned to her brother. “Are
you sure it is acceptable…to have
gentlemen
escort us?”

“Well, Sir Edward thinks it is acceptable, so
I bow to his knowledge of such matters. After all, as he says, one
gentleman,
certainly not
. Two, he says…still questionable,
but three,
quite above board
. After all, I certainly can ask
my friends to stand in lieu of me. Very respectable,” Vern said.
“Now, out with you, all of you, except Georgie.”

Star glanced at both her friend and her
brother. It wasn’t the thing to allow Georgie to stay alone with
him in his room.

Jules frowned over the matter and surprised
Star by sticking in, “I say…I don’t think…no, I don’t at all think
Miss Madison should remain here alone with you.”

Georgie put up her hand with a laugh and
said, “Good afternoon, Vern. I do hope you feel better very
soon.”

“Indeed,” Star added, “You are a naughty boy
for it is most improper of you to try and keep Georgie here with
you, besides Vern, you really do look fatigued. You must rest.”

Miles made one last attempt to get his way
and said, “Vern, I am your oldest and dearest friend. I don’t see
why it wouldn’t be perfectly respectable for me to escort your
sister and her friend to the ball. We don’t need these two to tag
along. After all, only the worst of the sticklers might
object.”

“That is just it, I don’t want
anyone
to object. This makes it certain they can’t,” Vern offered
wearily.

Miles sighed and grumbled, “Still think I
don’t need Jules or Sir Edward here…” He glanced at Sir Edward and
said, “No offense intended.”

“None taken, lad,” Sir Edward said swallowing
a laugh.

Star giggled and felt her naughty streak rise
up. “You know, he is right Vern. Miles is all the escort we
need.”

Jules started to bluster again and Sir Edward
glanced her way and a slow smile curved his sensuous lips as their
gazes locked.

“Oh, but Star,” Georgie stuck in with her
usual good sense. “Only think how it will add to our consequence to
walk into Sefton’s tonight with three distinguished escorts—two of
which are notable London beaus.” She made a dramatic show of
sighing. “Why, it will drive Marigold mad with envy!”

Star laughed and clapped her hands. “So very,
very true, you naughty girl.” She turned and with a flirtatious
smile, dismissed their guests, “Till tonight, then.”

They waited until they were certain the three
gentlemen had left the house before she and Georgie left Vern to
his rest and glided over the distance to Star’s room. There they
clasped one another and fell into whoops of laughter, landed on
Star’s bed and sighed at length over their sudden good fortune.
They exchanged glances and Star said, “Can you see her face?
Marigold will be green, she will turn green! This will teach her to
sneer at us!”