His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) (33 page)

Yvette stood there staring at him, growing quite angry herself. None of this was her fault. She hadn’t intended to disappoint Jeffrey or his father, but she had to do the decent thing and tell William Weatherly to his face that she had no intention of marrying him. “Don’t you dare tell him, Jeffrey!”

He suddenly turned to her, his gaze frosty. “Have you not told him because you don’t really wish to end it?”

Her mouth dropped open. “How can you even think such a thing of me?”

“It only stands to reason.”

“No, it doesn’t!” she exclaimed. “I’m going to tell Lord Shelley that I am marrying you the moment that I see him!”

His expression grew somber and Yvette suddenly felt that there was something terribly wrong.

“I hope that’s true, Yvette. But I swear to you that if you don’t tell him, I will.” With that he left the room.

Yvette felt like screaming in frustration. Jeffrey was behaving like a jealous fool. She stormed out of the room after him.

“Come, Mother, it’s this way.” William Weatherly led his mother through the crowd of people in the front of the Duke of Rathmore’s townhouse. The place was a mass of guests trying to enter the house. Already weary of the evening, William tried to suppress the hacking cough that had consumed him for a week. He simply could not shake this damned cough that had him bedridden and had ruined all his plans!

He held his mother’s arm as he escorted her up the steps and into the great hall. Through the sea of faces, he searched for one face in particular. It had been a week since he had seen Yvette Hamilton and he missed her terribly. The notes he had received from her had been most insistent in declaring that she needed to speak with him as soon as possible. He was very curious to know what she wanted.

William was able to leave his mother in the company of a few of her friends while he went in search of Yvette. He hoped his mother wouldn’t imbibe too freely of the champagne this evening, but he could not stand by her side and watch her all night either. He moved through the crowd, greeting numerous friends, before he finally caught sight of one of Yvette Hamilton’s sisters. It was the one married to the American sea captain, who also stood beside her. She looked quite beautiful in a gown of burgundy trimmed with black lace. The look suited her remarkably well. He called to both of them.

“Mr. and Mrs. Fleming!”

Juliette smiled and stepped toward him. “Why, Lord Shelley! How nice to see you again. I do hope you are feeling better?”

“Yes, I am. Finally.” He took her hand. “It’s quite a crush in here, is it not?”

She laughed lightly. “Yes, it is. But then Lord Rathmore’s Christmas ball is always like this.”

“Good evening, Lord Shelley,” Harrison Fleming, dashing in his formal evening clothes, greeted him.

“Captain Fleming. It’s good to see you again as well.” William looked toward Juliette. “I have yet to see your sister this evening. Do you happen to know where she is?”

An amused smile suddenly played across her face, as if she knew something he did not. “I’m afraid I lost Yvette in the crowd some time ago, Lord Shelley, but I know she is quite anxious to see you. If I see her, I will be sure to tell her that you are looking for her.”

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Fleming. I do appreciate it.” With that, he excused himself and moved through the crowd, trying to make his way to the ballroom. If he knew anything about Yvette, it was that she had many admirers and loved to dance. He would more than likely find his future wife waltzing with a young man who had already lost his heart to her.

Paulette Hamilton Reeves, feeling a bit more weary than usual, had decided to rest in a quiet alcove bedecked with poinsettia plants, while her husband went to find her something to drink. This pregnancy, although still in its early stages, was quite different from her first and she grew tired much more easily. So Paulette sat peacefully and listened to the lovely music the orchestra was playing. She hadn’t the energy for dancing this evening and would probably make an early night of it, but she had never been to the Duke of Rathmore’s Christmas ball before and wished to stay as long as she could. She had never seen such beautiful Christmas décor!

“Miss Hamilton?”

Paulette was startled out of her thoughts by the short, balding man standing in front of her. He held a glass of champagne in his hand and stared at her intently.

“Forgive me for disturbing you,” the gentleman said, looking a little embarrassed. “My name is James Granger Eddington and you look so much like Yvette Hamilton that for a moment I thought you were her, but I see now that I was mistaken. You are one of the Hamilton sisters though, are you not?”

Paulette nodded in understanding. It was not the first time that evening that she had been mistaken for Yvette. People often confused the two of them, especially people who didn’t know them very well.

“Yes, Yvette is my sister. I am Paulette Hamilton Reeves, Countess of Cashelmore. And you must be Jeffrey Eddington’s cousin.”

Paulette had heard about Jeffrey’s cousin, the one who would inherit his father’s title and estate, but had never met him. Seeing him now she had to admit they looked nothing alike. She never would have imagined that this man was related to Jeffrey!

“I am quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Cashelmore. And may I say once again, that you and your sister, aside from looking remarkably alike, are both very beautiful.”

“Why thank you, Mr. Eddington. That’s very kind of you to say.”

“And I see that you are acquainted with my cousin Jeffrey as well.” His bushy eyebrows furrowed.

“Oh yes, my sisters and I all adore Jeffrey.” Paulette smiled at him.

“Yes, I believe that I’ve heard that.” He looked somewhat displeased. “Are you enjoying the ball, Lady Cashelmore?”

“Yes, my husband and I are having a wonderful time. Everything is so beautiful.”

“I’m glad to hear it. My uncle does know how to throw a party, does he not?” He glanced around as if looking for something. “Have you happened to have seen my cousin this evening?”

“No, I haven’t. But I am certain Jeffrey is here somewhere. It is his father’s house, after all.” Paulette did not know why she felt the urge to point that out when the man clearly knew whose house he was in. But something in the man’s manner put her off. He had obviously been drinking. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she wondered what was taking Declan so long to return to her.

James Granger Eddington laughed a little at her remark, nodding his head. “It’s funny, you see. I was looking to find Jeffrey because we had a little wager regarding your sister. And I believe he has lost and he now owes me a great deal of money.”

“My sister?” Paulette echoed in surprise. What on earth was the man talking about?

He grinned rather smugly. “Yes, you see, I’ve heard that your sister is about to be engaged to Lord Shelley.”

“Well . . .” Paulette hesitated, unsure what to say next. She supposed it was not her place to inform this man that Yvette was actually going to marry his cousin.

“Jeffrey and I had a wager about that engagement.”

“You did?” Now very curious, Paulette eyed him carefully. She truly did not like James Granger Eddington, but now she had an uneasy feeling that she should listen to his story.

“It’s quite amusing actually. I bet him that Yvette Hamilton would be engaged to Lord Shelley by Christmas and he bet me that Yvette would be engaged to him by then. And well, now it’s almost Christmas and I believe my cousin owes me one thousand pounds!” He held up his glass of champagne and took a sip.

Paulette was stunned. What on earth was going on? Had Jeffrey only wanted to marry Yvette to win a bet? That simply couldn’t be! Nothing James Granger Eddington said made sense at all!

“Please sit down, Mr. Eddington.” Paulette motioned to the empty side of the velvet settee upon which she sat. “I must admit that I’m curious to know more about this bet you made with Jeffrey regarding my sister.”

“Please, Father, just hold off announcing my engagement until the end of the evening.” Jeffrey had finally managed to get his father alone. “All I’m asking of you is not to do it until later tonight.”

Maxwell Eddington looked confused and not a little disappointed. “I don’t see why. It’s such perfect timing. I wanted to share your good news when I shared mine.”

Jeffrey hesitated, hating to dash his father’s plans. It was something he rarely did. “Please, you have to trust me on this. Could you just wait until I tell you it is okay?”

Crestfallen, the gray-haired duke reluctantly agreed. “But that means I have to wait to share my news as well.”

“No, no, not at all. Go ahead and announce your marriage to Mother. That’s fine. You just can’t tell anyone that I’m marrying Yvette Hamilton until later.”

His father looked at him curiously. “Why on earth not?”

Jeffrey gave a heavy sigh. “Because Yvette still has to inform Lord Shelley that she is not marrying him after all.”

“Oh, I see now.” Maxwell Eddington winked at his son conspiratorially. “I didn’t know the way of things. I always believed that Yvette Hamilton was a little heartbreaker. You stole her away from old Shelley, eh?”

“I wouldn’t put it quite that way, but yes, in a manner of speaking. So will you wait?”

“I will wait only until midnight. Will that give her enough time?”

“Yes, I think so. Thank you, Father.”

“Then we shall all meet in the gallery at midnight for the announcement,” Maxwell Eddington declared. “And don’t be late!” He patted Jeffrey on the shoulder before returning to his guests.

Jeffrey was flooded with relief. Now he just had to find Yvette. He felt dreadful about how he’d left things with her. She was right, of course. Yvette should be the one to tell Lord Shelley, not him. He had reacted jealously and now he felt like an ass.

As he walked to the ballroom, he ran into his cousin, James Granger Eddington.

“Jeffrey! I’ve been looking for you, old boy!” James called to him.

The last person he wished to speak to this evening was his cousin, who sounded as if he’d been drinking. Jeffrey had much more pressing matters to deal with. Pretending as if he hadn’t heard him, Jeffrey continued to make his way through the crowded ballroom. But James followed him.

“Did you forget about our little wager regarding Yvette Hamilton?” James whispered furtively. “I certainly didn’t! You’ve lost, Cousin! And you owe me money!”

Jeffrey came to an abrupt halt. He turned around and stared at his cousin in bewilderment. Good God! He’d completely forgotten about the idiotic bet he’d made with James. He had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut that this evening might not end well at all.

32

Lords a’Leaping

“We are so pleased to meet you again, Lord Shelley!” Lady Cecilia Hamilton fairly glowed with happiness and pride, as she stood beside her husband. She had stopped William Weatherly on his way to the ballroom. “It’s good to see you looking well again.”

“Thank you. It’s nice seeing you both as well.” William answered her somewhat distractedly. His eyes were busily scanning the crowd for Yvette’s pretty face.

“Your mother seems to be looking remarkably well this evening too,” Cecilia Hamilton continued, eager to maintain any type of conversation with him.

“Yes, she’s feeling much better, as am I,” William said.

“Glad to hear it,” Lord Randall Hamilton said. “We were a bit worried about you that night at the theater.”

“Thank you for your concern.” William paused before asking, “Do you know where Yvette is?”

Cecilia Hamilton looked confused. “Haven’t you seen her yet tonight?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid.” William shook his head in frustration. It was the damnedest thing. He still had not laid eyes on Yvette Hamilton all evening. “I think we may be walking in circles around each other.”

Cecilia Hamilton laughed rather shrilly. “You must be! I just saw her not two minutes ago in the hallway. And I must say my niece is looking exceptionally lovely. Would my husband and I be presuming too much if I were to inquire if you will be asking a certain question to my niece this evening?”

William smiled kindly at her. “You are not being at all presumptuous, Lady Hamilton. As you know, my illness has preempted my plans for your niece. I am hoping to rectify the matter as soon as possible. Hopefully this evening.”

“Oh, that is the most wonderful news!” Her thin smile beamed with delight.

“Yes, well if you will excuse me, I would like to find Yvette somewhere in this crush,” he said. With a smile, he left her aunt and uncle and went in search of Yvette Hamilton in the ballroom.

Yvette stepped through the crowded hallway after leaving the ballroom, her frustration growing. She still couldn’t find Lord Shelley anywhere. Where was he?

“Yvette!” Lisette called to her, with a wave of her hand. “Come here!” Her sister motioned for her to follow her.

She left the hallway and caught up with Lisette. “What is it? Have you seen Lord Shelley? I still haven’t been able to talk to him.”