His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) (34 page)

Lisette took hold of her arm and pulled her into a small anteroom. Paulette was already inside. Lisette said, “Never mind about Lord Shelley right now. We have to tell you something.”

Yvette looked between both sisters and their worried faces. Something was obviously wrong. “Well, what is it? What is the matter?”

Paulette hesitated, her eyes worried. “I learned something tonight that I found a bit unsettling. At first I wasn’t going to tell you, but Lisette thinks you have a right to know.”

“I have a right to know what?”

Paulette looked quite reluctant, sitting there in her red silk gown, her hand over her midsection. “I’m sure it’s some sort of silly joke. You know how Jeffrey is.”

“It’s about Jeffrey?” Yvette was confused and she didn’t have time for this right now. She must go find William! She wasn’t sure when the Duke of Rathmore was going to make his announcement, but she had a feeling she was fast running out of time.

Lisette prompted, “Tell her already.”

Paulette began slowly, “I learned something about Jeffrey, and I don’t think you’re going to like it.”

A thousand thoughts flooded Yvette’s mind and her heart began to race. What could Jeffrey have said or done that she wouldn’t like? Her first reaction was a gut one. “Is it another woman?”

“No.” Paulette shook her blond head, looking more than a little grim. “But you should definitely ask him about this matter.”

“What matter?” Yvette was quickly losing all patience with her two sisters.

Paulette exchanged a pained glance with Lisette before beginning. “Well, I was talking to Jeffrey’s cousin, James Granger Eddington, a little while ago. And he told me that he and Jeffrey had wagered a bet for a large sum of money on who you would marry.”

Yvette suddenly felt dizzy. “What?”

“Yes.” Paulette’s voice was quite low. “It seems James bet that Jeffrey couldn’t get you to marry him instead of Lord Shelley and Jeffrey bet that he could get you to marry him by Christmas.”

The room spun around her and Yvette’s legs grew weak. She closed her eyes. Surely it was some kind of prank? Clearly her sister was confused and must have misunderstood what Jeffrey’s cousin had said. Jeffrey would never wager on her in such a way! Would he? She touched the diamond ring that adorned the finger on her left hand. He did love her, didn’t he?

“Help her to sit down!” Paulette cried to Lisette.

Yvette was aware that Lisette guided her to a chair and she sat down woodenly, but she still could not speak. She could barely take a breath.

Jeffrey had wagered that he could get her to marry him by Christmas?

Her mind raced wildly, filled with doubts and confusion. Was it all just a bet? Did he really love her?

Jeffrey’s mother had told her that he was in love with her. But Jeffrey had never actually said the words to her. He’d never said that he loved her, but he was quite insistent that she not let Lord Shelley propose to her.

Was that how he planned to win the bet?

Had he any intention of marrying her at all? With his reputation, it wouldn’t be difficult to believe. It was a shock to everyone that Jeffrey wanted not only to marry Yvette, but that he wanted to marry at all! How could a man like him ever settle for one woman? Was he going to beg off at the last minute? How did she know if he had really obtained a special license? Had that been a ruse to get her to say yes? Was that also the reason he wouldn’t bed her? Because he knew he was not going to go through with it and was never planning to actually marry her?

Terrible, terrible doubts and fears now tormented her.

Had Jeffrey only wanted to marry her by Christmas to win a wager?

Yvette didn’t know what to think anymore. She was in love with Jeffrey and thought he was in love with her. Now she didn’t know what to believe. There had to be some logical explanation. Perhaps his cousin was lying. But Paulette must have found a ring of truth to it and seen reason enough to be concerned or she wouldn’t be sitting here now.

She could not have been that big of a fool! Jeffrey would not do that to her. She could not have lost a chance to become a duchess for the humiliation of being merely the instrument of winning a wager?

“Are you all right, Yvette? Can we get you some water or anything?” Lisette gently patted Yvette’s shoulder and glanced at Paulette. “She’s so pale.”

“I’m so sorry, Yvette, I didn’t mean to upset you with this.” With regret written all over her face, Paulette looked on the verge of tears. “Lisette and I thought you should ask Jeffrey about it.”

“It can’t be true,” Lisette said, with a shake of her head. “There must be some misunderstanding. Jeffrey would never wager on you!”

“Not about something as important as marriage!” Paulette agreed.

Yvette stared at her sisters mutely. She took a deep breath.

“Please say something, Yvette,” Lisette begged.

“You’re right. There must be some mistake,” she finally murmured. Once again, she stared at the diamond ring on her finger.

“That’s what we thought too.” Paulette nodded her head emphatically. “You must speak to him and clear up this matter.”

Yvette rose to her feet, trembling. Torn between a growing anger and a deep hurt, she held her head high. “There had better be some mistake, or Jeffrey Eddington is going to be very sorry he ever met me!”

With that declaration, Yvette stalked from the room intent on locating her fiancé, leaving her two sisters standing there open-mouthed.

Jeffrey finally caught a glimpse of Lord Shelley’s fair-haired head on the other side of the ballroom. Yvette was not with him and he doubted she had been able to talk to him yet, judging from the contented expression on his face. Lord Shelley stood chatting with the Earl of Babey, a glass of champagne in hand.

Jeffrey knew he had to find Yvette right away and tell her about that ridiculous bet he made with his cousin months ago. James had consumed more than enough liquor for one evening and heaven only knew to whom he had been shooting off his mouth. If Yvette had even caught one whiff about his wager to marry her, she would be utterly devastated. Where was she? He hadn’t seen her since their little encounter when she’d first arrived.

Then he saw her, heading away from him. He hurried in pursuit, catching up to her at the end of the hallway. “Yvette!”

She turned to stare at him, her expression furious. He knew at that moment she understood all about the wager with his cousin and he felt like the biggest fool.

“Yvette, I’d like to speak to you in private.”

Giving him a hard stare, her blue eyes glittering, she said, “I’m sure you would.”

With a sinking heart, he guided her to the small room they had been in earlier. After he slid the double doors closed, he faced her, the beautiful woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

“I’m so upset,” she began, her voice tremulous, “I don’t even know what to say to you.”

“Yvette, whatever you have heard, you have to hear my side of the story first,” he said.

“Yes, I would have preferred to hear it from you rather than my sisters.” Yvette crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“So you have heard about the wager with my cousin, James?” A knot tightened in Jeffrey’s stomach. It was such an unfortunate set of circumstances. He’d forgotten all about the foolish bet weeks ago, when he’d fallen in love with Yvette. However, he knew it didn’t look good and it was quite clear that she did not find it the least bit amusing. He had the hope, however farfetched, that she might see some humor in it. But in fact, it was the opposite. Her face was too pale and she looked stricken.

She whispered low, “Then it is true? You did wager on me? About . . . marrying me?”

He gave her one of his best smiles, hoping to soften the words. “Yes, but it’s not at all what you think—”

“Don’t think you can smile your way out of this, Jeffrey Eddington!” Her anger was suddenly palpable. “How dare you do this to me?”

“Yvette, I’m trying to explain to you—”

“What can you possibly say to make it better? You wagered an outrageous sum of money on marrying me before Christmas, on winning me away from Lord Shelley! And you did it. You won. Your skills of seduction are unmatched. Unparalleled, in fact! I fell for them completely. Congratulations! You don’t have to bother with me anymore. You are free.”

She slid the diamond ring from her finger, tears in her eyes, and handed it to him.

“Oh, Yvette, no . . . no. I won’t take the ring back.” Jeffrey’s heart pounded like thunder in his chest. Oh God, she believed the worst of him. Refusing to take the ring from her trembling hand, he shook his head. “You don’t mean that. It’s not at all what it sounds like. I didn’t seduce you to win a bet, I swear. Perhaps I did try to seduce you a little in the beginning, yes, but only because I wanted to keep you away from Lord Shelley. I knew you didn’t really love him and you would be making a terrible mistake in marrying him. But, Yvette, I do want to marry you. You’re the only woman I have
ever wanted
to marry. I know it looks bad, but please believe me that it was never my intention to hurt you.”

Blinking back tears, she remained immobile, staring up at him with her big blue eyes.

Jeffrey stepped toward her, longing to take her in his arms. He gently reached out and took hold of her shoulders, grateful that she didn’t resist him. Drawing her into his embrace, he breathed deeply of her sweet gardenia scent and held her tight against his chest. He whispered, “You have every right to be angry with me. But I only had the best intentions, I swear to you. My cousin is an idiot and when he made the wager I only agreed because I wanted to protect you. I think I loved you—”

The double doors to the room suddenly slid open and Lord Shelley entered, looking positively thunderous upon seeing the two of them together. For a moment Jeffrey wanted to gloat that old Shelley found Yvette in his embrace. But he fought the urge to do so for now was not the time, nor did he know if in fact he had anything to gloat about.

Slowly he and Yvette disengaged, even though he was reluctant to let her go. She still clutched the diamond ring in her hand.

“I thought I saw you both come in here. Alone.” Lord Shelley’s usually calm face was a mask of fury. He scowled at them in complete disdain. “Yvette, I have been looking for you all evening, and this is where I find you? In the arms of Lord Eddington?”

The man uttered Jeffrey’s name as if he were a contagious disease. If it had been any other time Jeffrey would have made a biting retort in response, but now . . . now he was too upset with himself and too frightened of losing Yvette, to think of anything but the beautiful woman in front of him, who looked completely devastated. And it was entirely his fault.

“Shelley,” Jeffrey began in her defense. He did not care for the manner in which William Weatherly spoke to Yvette. “I can explain everything—”

Yvette placed a hand on Jeffrey’s arm to silence him, giving a brief shake of her blond head. “No, let me, Jeffrey,” she whispered to him, before facing Lord Shelley.

“William, I am very sorry. And as for Jeffrey and me . . .” Yvette looked guiltily between the two men. “I have been desperate to speak to you about this for days.” She turned back to Jeffrey, her expression full of anguish. “If you would please excuse us, Jeffrey? I would like a word with Lord Shelley in private.”

Not knowing what Yvette planned to do, Jeffrey was loath to leave the room. After learning of his senseless wager, would the lure of becoming a duchess be too strong for her to resist? Was Yvette going to apologize and beg Lord Shelley’s forgiveness in the hope of garnering that sought after proposal after all? Or was she going to tell him that she wished to marry Jeffrey instead?

With his heart in his throat, he nodded reluctantly, giving Yvette one last lingering look before leaving her alone with Lord Shelley.

Rendered speechless by what he had just seen, William Weatherly stared at the beautiful woman he intended to marry. Dressed in a stunning emerald green gown that flattered her petite figure and her silky blond hair arranged fashionably around her face, she looked as gorgeous and alluring as always. Oh, how he wished to kiss those enticing lips of hers! Yet there was a sadness about her he had not seen before. Judging from her expression, she had most definitely been crying. His initial anger at finding her alone with Eddington now faded to worry. If Eddington had caused her unhappiness, he would kill the man. It had taken all William’s self-control not to have taken a swing at Eddington before he left the room.

He was not sure what he had just witnessed between the two of them. A lover’s embrace? Surely not! Yvette had declared time and again that Eddington was like an older brother to her. Perhaps she had been upset by something else entirely and Jeffrey was merely comforting her. Either way, William did not like the situation.

Yvette stood quite still, gazing at him, looking unsure what to do.

“Yvette, my dear,” he began broaching the subject that had been a thorn in his side for weeks. “Your so called ‘friendship’ with Lord Eddington . . . well, I must say, it is highly unusual and I don’t care for his familiarity with you. If you are going to be my wife, you simply cannot continue to be on such intimate terms with him. I just cannot allow—”