of having a little adventure. And this time he could ensure the
adventure was harmless.
‘I realized that you would be the perfect person to teach Milly
a little about genteel behaviour and style. For you are not so high in the
instep that you would look down your nose at Milly and make her feel
uncomfortable.’
She’d given her heart to a low-ranking, impoverished soldier,
hadn’t she? And she had no qualms about engaging in a spot of deception when it
suited her purposes.
‘And I cannot do the thing myself, much as I would wish it,
because—well, you must see how it is. Were I still just Major Cathcart nobody
would pay any attention. But now I am Lord Ledbury. If I were to escort her to a
modiste everyone would think she is my mistress.’
Worst of all, if he relaxed the stance he had taken towards her
Milly herself might start to think she was making some headway with him. And he
could not encourage her to think she meant any more to him than—well, than Fred
did. They had all become very close, living as they had done this past year.
They’d become more like friends than master and servants. But you couldn’t be
just friends with a woman. Not, at any rate, a woman who said she was in love
with you.
‘She…she isn’t your mistress?’
‘If she was, I would be the one to take her shopping, wouldn’t
I?’
‘Oh,’ she replied, a little perplexed. It sounded so very odd
for a man to go to such lengths to see to a woman’s welfare. Not to let anyone
think she was his mistress, which was the natural
conclusion to draw. Unless… Suddenly his reference to them having more in common
than she might guess, his interrogation of her opinion of marriages between
persons of unequal rank, and the way he’d sung Milly’s praises all began to make
sense.
Lord Ledbury was in love! With a girl of lowly station. No
wonder he had looked so kindly on her own situation. No wonder he had jumped to
all the wrong conclusions, too. His head must be so full of doomed love affairs
between persons of different ranks that he could see them everywhere.
‘Say no more,’ she said, gently laying her hand upon his arm.
Her heart went out to him. No wonder he looked rather cross most of the time. He
was the living image of all the tortured, romantic heroes she had ever read
about in the books Josie had smuggled in to her.
‘Not surprising you can’t take to reading,’ she had said, ‘if
all you have is that rubbishy stuff meant for little children. This is what
young ladies of your age enjoy.’
‘Life can be so unfair,’ Lady Jayne said to Lord Ledbury
softly, completely forgiving him for every harsh word he had uttered, every
criticism he had levelled at her. When a man was in the throes of a painful,
thwarted love affair, it was bound to make him a little short-tempered.
‘Of course you do not want anyone to say unpleasant things
about your…friend. I shall be only too pleased to meet her, and help her in any
way I can.’
In fact it would be quite wonderful to be the one giving advice
to someone else, instead of constantly being on the receiving end of it. Even if
it was only on matters of fashion and etiquette.
‘Somehow,’ he said with a smile, ‘I never doubted it.’
Was that a third compliment? She positively glowed with
pleasure.
But then his expression turned hard and businesslike once
more.
‘I have already told you that I am in Town primarily to find a
bride,’ he said. ‘And, since our families would definitely approve of a match
between us, I propose to make it seem as though I am
trying to fix my interest with you. And you would do well to make it appear as
though you reciprocate that interest,’ he said quite sternly, ‘if you want to
continue seeing Lieutenant Kendell. Though I warn you, I will not allow this
covert operation to interfere with my primary objective. Which is to find a
woman who is worthy of holding the title of Countess of Lavenham. Is that
clear?’
She turned to look
adventure was harmless.
‘I realized that you would be the perfect person to teach Milly
a little about genteel behaviour and style. For you are not so high in the
instep that you would look down your nose at Milly and make her feel
uncomfortable.’
She’d given her heart to a low-ranking, impoverished soldier,
hadn’t she? And she had no qualms about engaging in a spot of deception when it
suited her purposes.
‘And I cannot do the thing myself, much as I would wish it,
because—well, you must see how it is. Were I still just Major Cathcart nobody
would pay any attention. But now I am Lord Ledbury. If I were to escort her to a
modiste everyone would think she is my mistress.’
Worst of all, if he relaxed the stance he had taken towards her
Milly herself might start to think she was making some headway with him. And he
could not encourage her to think she meant any more to him than—well, than Fred
did. They had all become very close, living as they had done this past year.
They’d become more like friends than master and servants. But you couldn’t be
just friends with a woman. Not, at any rate, a woman who said she was in love
with you.
‘She…she isn’t your mistress?’
‘If she was, I would be the one to take her shopping, wouldn’t
I?’
‘Oh,’ she replied, a little perplexed. It sounded so very odd
for a man to go to such lengths to see to a woman’s welfare. Not to let anyone
think she was his mistress, which was the natural
conclusion to draw. Unless… Suddenly his reference to them having more in common
than she might guess, his interrogation of her opinion of marriages between
persons of unequal rank, and the way he’d sung Milly’s praises all began to make
sense.
Lord Ledbury was in love! With a girl of lowly station. No
wonder he had looked so kindly on her own situation. No wonder he had jumped to
all the wrong conclusions, too. His head must be so full of doomed love affairs
between persons of different ranks that he could see them everywhere.
‘Say no more,’ she said, gently laying her hand upon his arm.
Her heart went out to him. No wonder he looked rather cross most of the time. He
was the living image of all the tortured, romantic heroes she had ever read
about in the books Josie had smuggled in to her.
‘Not surprising you can’t take to reading,’ she had said, ‘if
all you have is that rubbishy stuff meant for little children. This is what
young ladies of your age enjoy.’
‘Life can be so unfair,’ Lady Jayne said to Lord Ledbury
softly, completely forgiving him for every harsh word he had uttered, every
criticism he had levelled at her. When a man was in the throes of a painful,
thwarted love affair, it was bound to make him a little short-tempered.
‘Of course you do not want anyone to say unpleasant things
about your…friend. I shall be only too pleased to meet her, and help her in any
way I can.’
In fact it would be quite wonderful to be the one giving advice
to someone else, instead of constantly being on the receiving end of it. Even if
it was only on matters of fashion and etiquette.
‘Somehow,’ he said with a smile, ‘I never doubted it.’
Was that a third compliment? She positively glowed with
pleasure.
But then his expression turned hard and businesslike once
more.
‘I have already told you that I am in Town primarily to find a
bride,’ he said. ‘And, since our families would definitely approve of a match
between us, I propose to make it seem as though I am
trying to fix my interest with you. And you would do well to make it appear as
though you reciprocate that interest,’ he said quite sternly, ‘if you want to
continue seeing Lieutenant Kendell. Though I warn you, I will not allow this
covert operation to interfere with my primary objective. Which is to find a
woman who is worthy of holding the title of Countess of Lavenham. Is that
clear?’
She turned to look
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