The Story of a Baron (The Sisters of the Aristocracy) (20 page)

Chapter 36

A Baron’s Button

Jeffrey glanced sideways, thinking Evangeline had her attention on something other than the pages they were supposed to be reading.

“Are you ... are you finished?” he whispered, wondering why she hadn’t moved to turn the page when more than the usual amount of time had passed since the last turn.

“Hmm,” she murmured, apparently lost in thought.

Following her apparent line of sight, Jeffrey realized Evangeline was staring at the cuff of his sleeve. At the empty buttonhole where there
should
have been a cuff link. Or a button.

He sighed.

The button was in his pocket; it had come loose almost as soon as he’d stepped onto the phaeton to make his way to Rosemount House, and rather than take the chance that it would be lost, he simply jerked it off his cuff and stuffed it into a waistcoat pocket.

Embarrassed, he gently raised his shoulder so his arm slid farther into his coat sleeve. The offending cuff nearly disappeared, but not before Evangeline suddenly straightened and returned her attention to the book.

“I have the button,” Jeffrey claimed, deciding she was probably wondering as to the fate of the carved wooden fastener.

Evangeline turned to stare at his wrist again. “Does your valet know?” she wondered, a hint of concern in her voice. If the poor servant didn’t know his master had the button, he was probably at this moment searching for a replacement in one of the men’s shops in New Bond Street.

Jeffrey frowned. “Well, not yet,” he answered, moving his other hand to pull his coat sleeve down so the cuff was completed hidden. Since he had named one of the characters in the book – Viscount Barrick – after Timmons, Jeffrey was careful not to mention his valet by name.

Evangeline was suddenly off the couch, the book pushed off to one side. Not having expected her to leave his company so suddenly, Jeffrey was slow to stand up. He watched as Evangeline made her way to a basket near the fireplace. She bent down and reached into it, pulling out what he realized had to be a needle and a length of white thread.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he wondered as he watched her thread the needle as if she did it every day.

She probably does
, he realized suddenly, remembering the exquisite stitcheries that graced the vestibule and hall walls.

Evangeline held out a hand. “The button, please,” she said with an air of authority that had Jeffrey rooting around for the wooden circle in his waistcoat pocket. He passed it to her, wondering what she had in mind. “Remove your coat, please,” she said as she threaded the needle through the loop of the button.

Jeffrey remained where he stood, trying to decide if he was going to comply with her request. He dared a glance toward the library doors, wondering if the butler still guarded them. Not seeing the stout man, he considered what he wore beneath his topcoat. His shirt was clean enough – this was the first day he had worn it since his valet laundered it. His waistcoat was in good repair – it had all its buttons, at least. And his cravat was neatly folded. He dared a glance down into the folds, hoping none of them held any remnants of his breakfast. When he was sure it was clean, he undid the topcoat’s buttons and took it off, folding it once before placing it over the top of a nearby chair.

Evangeline was already in front of him, her needle and thread ready to reattach the button to its cuff. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we were ... sitting down?” he asked as she took the first stitch.

She shook her head, already taking the next stitch. Jeffrey watched as her deft fingers maneuvered the needle under the fabric, though the button’s loop, and back under the fabric. She repeated the steps as he watched with rapt attention. Having never seen the art of sewing performed so up close, Jeffrey found himself mesmerized. He studied her long fingers, marveled at their perfectly manicured nails, at their shape and the tiny wrinkles at each knuckle, and before he could move his eyes to her delicate wrists, she was tying off the thread.

“One more moment,” she said before returning to the basket by the fireplace. She returned with a tiny pair of scissors and clipped off the remaining thread. “All done,” she said as she made her way back to the basket.

Jeffrey watched her lower herself to put away the needle and thread. Sewing on his button had taken her but a few minutes, where it probably would have taken his valet far longer. As he studied her handiwork up close, he thought she had done a far better job than Timmons would have. He hurried to join her at the fireplace, reaching down to take a hand and help her to stand.

“Thank you,” he whispered. Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed the back of it, leaving his lips on her knuckles far longer than was appropriate.

Evangeline watched as Jeffrey kissed her hand, her breath held until he finally released her. “You’re welcome,” she whispered. At the moment, if the baron had dared a kiss, she would have obliged him, for she was quite sure she was about to kiss him. Again.

“Pardon, my lady, but the Ladies Samantha and Julia are here for luncheon,” Jones’ deep voice said from the library’s threshold.

Jeffrey nearly gave a start at the interruption, sure he was about to kiss Evangeline. Again. “You have guests,” he said before he swallowed. “I should take my leave then,” he said as he bowed and moved to put on his topcoat.

Evangeline regarded the butler, none too pleased at the inconvenient timing. Or, perhaps ... she glanced over at the baron, who was buttoning his topcoat. If he left now, he would have to pass her friends on his way to the front door. “Escort them to the conservatory, please. We’ll be having our luncheon in there,” she said, suppressing the naughty grin she was about to display. She was suddenly disappointed Lord Sommers couldn’t stay for luncheon. What would Samantha and Julia think at that impropriety? She could hear their giggles even before she completed the thought.

“Tomorrow morning, then?” she said to Jeffrey, rather liking the idea of reading every morning for an hour or so with him.

“Eleven o’clock?” he offered. “Here?”

Evangeline nodded. “That will be grand.”

Jeffrey nodded and gave her a bow before taking his leave of the library, realizing too late that he would have to pass her luncheon guests as they were being escorted to the conservatory.

Had Evangeline deliberately planned his departure to coincide with the arrival of the two young ladies?

Jeffrey didn’t have time to consider the question, for Lady Samantha and Lady Julia were suddenly directly in front of him. He bowed, said his greetings and kissed the backs of their hands just as if he’d been the master of the house. And before he made it to the Rosemount House vestibule, he had to smile as he heard them burst into a fit of giggles.

Chapter 37

A Luncheon with the Ladies

Evangeline entered the conservatory a moment after Jones had departed, wanting her guests to be seated before she made her entrance. “Good afternoon, ladies,” she said brightly as she moved to take a seat at one of the white metal chairs that surrounded a matching garden table. Despite the wet, chilly air outside, the conservatory was warm and tropical, its greenery and bright flowers a welcome treat for those who didn’t have a conservatory in their Park Lane homes.

“You’ve obviously been having one,” Samantha said with an arched eyebrow. “And don’t try to tell me your brother has returned, because I know he has not,” she warned, thinking Evangeline would claim the baron was only at Rosemount House to see her brother.

Despite having been prepared for their teasing, Evangeline blushed. “Lord Sommers and I have just been reading the book, is all,” she said with a shrug.

“Sitting side-by-side?” Julia countered, waggling both of her eyebrows. “Like you did in the square?” She had to suppress a cry of surprise when one of her shins sustained a kick to it. She turned to find Samantha’s eyes wide and not very friendly. “In Finsbury Square, was it not?” she amended, suddenly understanding Samantha’s warning. She had to be careful or Evangeline might guess that she and Samantha had been watching the two read whilst in Grosvenor Square.

“We’re quite proper about it,” Evangeline replied, reaching for her glass of white wine. A maid delivered plates of cut fruits and a tray of sliced cheese, giving her a reprieve from her guests’ teasing for a moment. When she saw Julia’s face fall, as if she were disappointed in her claim, Evangeline leaned forward. “Have I said something wrong?” she wondered, glancing back and forth to study her friends’ faces.

“We were hoping you were being naughty,” Samantha said once the maid had left the room.

“But not being ruined,” Julia added quickly, her head shaking from side to side.

Evangeline blinked, her mouth dropping open at their comments. “How could I be naughty without being ruined?” she asked, her brows furrowing.

Samantha shrugged, helping herself to a piece of the fruit. “Kiss without being caught,” she answered before popping the berry into her mouth.

“Do anything without being caught,” Julia countered, following Samantha’s lead with the fruit. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Unless you
want
to be caught!” She gasped after swallowing.

Before Julia could accuse Evangeline of anything untoward, Evangeline raised a hand and held it palm side out. “And who says I want to be naughty with the baron?” she asked. “Or
caught
?” she added with a mock look of horror on her face.

Samantha had moved on to the cheese plate and regarded a slice before she pulled it apart between her fingers. “Are you denying that you find Jeffrey Althorpe utterly handsome and worthy of your affection?”

“Sam!” Evangeline said, having to keep her voice down since their soups hadn’t yet been brought out. A footman might enter at any moment and share their gossip with everyone else whose rooms were on the third floor. “Of course, I find him ... handsome,” she agreed, not quite sure how much to admit. “I’m not yet sure about the affection, however,” she admitted with a shake of her head.
Lust
, perhaps, she had to admit to herself.

“Oh,” Julia replied, her disappointment apparent when her ‘oh’ sounded as if all the air had gone out of her.

“Attraction, then,” Samantha stated before helping herself to another slice of cheese.

Evangeline glanced at her friends one after the other and back again, not quite sure how much to admit. “Oh, of course, he’s attractive.”

“But are you attracted to him?” Samantha pressed.

Swallowing hard, and not because she’d eaten anything, Evangeline finally shrugged and said, “Yes, I suppose.”

Samantha and Julia squealed at the same time, the exact same time the footman arrived with the soup, which he nearly spilled upon hearing the high-pitched squealing.

Suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, Evangeline regarded her friends with a smile. “You two are incorrigible,” she remarked as the footman set the soups before each young lady. She turned her attention to the footman. “Thank you, Simmons,” she said. “We’ll be ready for dessert whenever Cook has it ready,” she added with a teasing grin. Which just made Samantha and Julia giggle again.

Raising a spoonful of soup to her lips, Evangeline wondered if the three of them would continue such luncheons once they were all married. The thought had her pausing, her spoon held in mid-air, as she realized she had never before thought of the three of them married.

If only it could be so, she thought with a sigh. If only.

Chapter 38

A Ride to Nowhere

“What are you thinking?” Julia wondered as she approached the Harrington town coach, a footman holding the door for her whilst she held up her skirts to take the steps.

“About Lord Sommers?” Samantha asked, her teasing grin making it clear to her best friend that she really meant Lady Evangeline.

Julia gave a smirk. “He is rather handsome, which makes me wonder why I haven’t noticed him before,” she commented, taking a seat in the coach. Samantha settled in next to her, the two facing the direction of travel. Although Julia wasn’t always allowed to take the town coach on her occasional visits to Rosemount House – Harrington House was only a few blocks south in Park Lane, and she could have easily walked – she had done so today so she could collect Lady Samantha from her uncle’s house just a few more blocks down Park Lane.

“He is, but ...” Samantha paused and let out a sigh. “He’s only a baron,” she said with a teasing grin, making it evident that she would have no qualms about considering a baron for a husband. Given her tenuous place in the
ton
– her uncle was an earl and her mother had been the daughter of an earl, but her father had never been a titled gentleman – Samantha never thought to marry above her station. Given Matthew Fitzsimmons’ advanced age, it was likely his son, Charles Fitzsimmons, Viscount Reardon, would inherit the earldom. Once that happened, and if she wasn’t yet married, Samantha wondered what might happen to her. She and Reardon were cordial with one another, but Samantha had no reason to expect him to house her, let alone provide an allowance to pay for her gowns and such. She would be at the mercy of whatever plans her uncle might have made with respect to his estate.

Julia nodded, understanding her friend’s comment about Lord Sommers being a baron. “I would like to believe I’ll be open to advances from men of any title, but I often wonder if my mother would allow me to marry a man who was less than an earl’s son.”

Samantha smiled. “I cannot imagine a match less than a marquess for you,” she countered playfully.

“Oh, please no,” Julia countered, thinking the higher rank would require far more decorum than she was willing to exhibit. No, a title of ‘countess’ would be just fine.

“So, is Lord Sommers good enough for our Evangeline?” Samantha wondered, getting back to the matter at hand.

Julia took a breath and sighed. “I find myself hoping so. Do you think he’ll propose marriage?”

Shrugging, Samantha considered the situation. “They’ve been seen in public, although apparently not by anyone who thought it scandalous, or we would have heard something by now. Which means he doesn’t
have
to ask for her hand, out of a sense of honor or anything,” she added carefully.

“But,
we
saw them,” Julia argued. “Couldn’t we insist he do the honorable thing?” she wondered, thinking they could force the baron to propose by sending the man a note claiming he had been spotted in the company of an unmarried lady.

Samantha snorted. “Be careful, Julia. You sound as if you want to create a scandal where none exists,” she warned with an arched eyebrow.

“Well, if it gets Evangeline an offer of marriage ...”

“And Lord Everly hasn’t yet returned from his trip,” Samantha continued, interrupting her friend. “Any honorable gentleman would ask permission of her protector before courting a woman.”

Julia didn’t bring up the obvious – what if Lord Sommers wasn’t an honorable man? What if he was merely spending time with Evangeline in the guise of reading the book in the hopes of stealing a kiss or two? What if he had already compromised Evangeline?

Perhaps the two had already done scandalous things with one another!

The thought had her hoping that were the case – for Evangeline to finally have a suitor would mean hope for the two of them. “We’ll be next, you know,” Julia said suddenly, turning to regard Samantha with a look that suggested she was either panicked or relieved.

“Whatever do you mean?” Samantha asked, her brows furrowing.

“To marry,” Julia replied, as if it were obvious. “Our godfather takes an interest in these matters, you must know, even if our own fathers – uncles –,” she corrected herself, “Don’t seem to.”

Samantha straightened in the squabs. “I don’t think my uncle has taken an interest because I haven’t exactly given him a reason to,” she argued with a shake of her head. She never discussed possible suitors in the presence of her uncle, nor did she mention anyone she had danced with at balls if she happened to attend when Lord and Lady Chamberlain did not. “And your father won’t because he doesn’t want to have to come up with your dowry.” This last was said with a huge grin and a chuckle, but Julia merely shook her head, knowing her friend was teasing.

“It’s not funny, Sam,” she said with a look of annoyance.

“I apologize,” Samantha offered. “Even though I know I speak the truth.”

Julia shrugged, still thinking of their mutual friend. “Do you think Evangeline wants to wed Lord Sommers?” she wondered, returning to the subject at hand. “She kept referring to the book they were reading, as if that were the only reason they were spending time together. Can that be all there is to it?”

Samantha cocked her head to one side and regarded Julia for a moment before she replied, “Maybe. But I do believe she wants to wed the man. They’re well suited. He’s a friend of Everly’s. And he’s certainly tall enough for her,” she added mischievously.

Julia resisted the urge to snort. “So, if it looks as if our Evangeline needs a bit of help in the scandal department? In order to ensure a proposal? What will we do?” she asked, her expression suggesting she was already plotting scenarios that could force a gentleman to propose.

“Nothing!” Samantha replied, her eyes widening. After a pause, she added, “Or, at least, very little.” She quieted as she thought about her own scenarios to ensure Lady Evangeline received an offer of marriage.

Giggling, Julia finally turned her attention to the coach window. “Oh, dear,” she murmured suddenly. “We’re not moving.”

It was Samantha’s turn to giggle. “That’s because you never told the driver where to take us,” she whispered. Reaching up with her parasol, Samantha knocked on the trap door above. When the driver opened the door and peered down, she said, “Back to Fitzsimmons Manor, please.”

The driver nodded and closed the door.

In a moment, the Harrington coach pulled away from the Rosemount House drive, its occupants deep in thought about courting, scandalous liaisons, and possibly randy barons.