His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) (18 page)

Penelope
pushed the covers back and rose from the bed. After she had put on her wrap,
she made her way to the table.
 

“Should
you be out of bed?”

“I
am recovered,” Penelope assured her.
 
“The doctor was correct that this illness goes as quickly as it
arrives.”
 
She drew a chair up to the
table and sat opposite of where Rosalind stood. “Sit. I am famished.”

As
the two ate, Rosalind explained in more detail the events of the day and how
her fall from the tree had come about.
 
Despite her personal feelings with regard to the lack of assistance from
Lord Broadridge and Lady Jillian, she was very careful not to say anything
disparaging about the two.

“Lord
Broadridge expects Lord Felding to ask permission to officially court Lady
Jillian after the first of the year,” Rosalind finally said.

Penelope
frowned. “It is a good thing I am leaving bed tomorrow.”
 
She pursed her lips and leaned back into the
chair.
 
“I need to spend time with Lady
Jillian and have a word with my brother before he makes a colossal mistake.”

“I
know you don’t care for her,” Rosalind said.
 
“Perhaps after you get to know her better, you will feel differently.”

“I
highly doubt the possibility,” Penelope insisted before lifting the glass of
wine.

After
they were finished eating, Rosalind insisted that Penelope return to bed before
she took another chill and piled the used plates back onto the tray. When a
scratch came at the door, she assumed it was a maid to gather their dishes.
Instead she found her brother in the hall.

“Demetrius,
is something amiss?”

“I
wanted to check on you. Lady Meadows indicated you were not feeling your best.”

“I
am simply tired,” she assured him.

He
narrowed his eyes on her. “I think it is more.”

What
could he possibly know or think.
 
“I am
fine.”

“Walk
with me,” he suggested.

Rosalind
glanced back to Penelope.

“We
can’t talk here, and I think it is time for a discussion,” he insisted.

Her
heart in her throat, Rosalind stepped into the hall and closed the door.
 
“What would you like to discuss?”
 

He
glanced down the hall and then in the opposite direction. “Come with me.”
 
He grasped her hand and led her to a set of
stairs leading down to the second floor. At the landing, they turned away from
the parlor and toward a section of the house she had not visited not even when
they were on a scavenger hunt. At the turn at the end of the hall, they entered
a gallery. Along the gold papered walls were portraits of ancestors dating back
over a hundred years.
 
Demetrius led her
to a set of chairs along the center wall and sat.

“What
is bothering you?”

She
straightened and looked at him. “Nothing,” she insisted.

Demetrius
narrowed his eyes. “I know you too well, Rosey,” he insisted. “Something has
upset you, and I want to know what.”
 
He
reached across, grasped her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

It
was all she could do not to blurt out her feelings for Felding, but her brother
would think her ten times a fool if she confessed. “I don’t belong here,
Demetrius.”

“Neither
do I,” he chuckled. “But they don’t know that.
 
They accept us for what they see, and it should be kept that way.”

“Exactly,”
she agreed and leaned forward. “You are a barrister, and I am so proud of you.”
Her shoulders slumped. “But I am a nurse maid. A servant.”

“You
are also my sister.” His eyes bore into hers.

“That
doesn’t mean I belong.”

Demetrius
leaned back and studied her. “There is something else bothering you.” It wasn’t
a question but a statement.

“Nothing
that won’t be solved once I return to the Sandlin nursery.”

Demetrius
snorted.
 
“That all depends on if Felding
marries Lady Jillian or not doesn’t it.”

Her
eyes widened, and her mouth popped open.
 
How did he know?

“I’ve
been watching you, Rosey.” He leaned forward again. “I’ve also seen how Felding
looks at you, and he no longer holds Lady Jillian in high regard.”

Hope
surged, but she quickly squelched it.
 
“I
am no longer sixteen and believing myself in love,” she defended.
 
She had been foolish to ever have made such a
confession to Demetrius so long ago. At least he hadn’t laughed at her but
assured her she would change her mind one day. She hadn’t. “Besides, it doesn’t
matter, and it is best forgotten.”
 
She
straightened her skirts. “I will not wish for the impossible.” She turned to
look at Demetrius. “Because we both know it is impossible.”

He
smiled sadly at her.
 
“Unfortunately, I
do.”
 
He took a deep breath and sighed.
“I just hope Felding retains his good sense and does not marry Lady Jillian.
She will make his life miserable.”

A
small smile pulled at her lips. “In that I agree completely.”

Fifteen

Noah
chose not to hunt this morning and remained in bed.
 
It had been a late night, and he had indulged
in too much brandy after the ladies had retired.
 

What
to do about Lady Jillian?
 
Last night she
had insisted on partnering him in Whist. Thank goodness they weren’t playing
with real money, or he would be broke. Noah didn’t mind losing at a game of
cards, but some of the cards she played made no sense. He wondered if she even
understood the game.
 
When they weren’t
playing cards, she was constantly at his side and if he didn’t know any better,
he would think they were attached.
 
Meadows and their closest male friends eyed him with a mixture of
speculation and humor.
 
Noah was sure
they wished to question him about his intentions, but Broadridge had remained
with them until the night came to an end.
 

It
has been a long tedious evening made worse by the absence of Miss
Valentine.
 
Why had she remained away?
Was she simply tired or was she suffering from her fall?
 
She claimed to have not been injured nor was
she limping, but was she trying to hide pain? She had taken a hard fall, and
the snow may have been softer than his body. Though his intention had been to
catch her, it just didn’t work out as he intended.

Noah
almost stopped and checked on Rosalind on his way to his chamber last evening
and even had the ready excuse to see if his sister was feeling better, but the
hour was so late by the time he climbed the stairs that Noah feared waking
Penelope or Rosalind.
 
Instead, he had
gone onto his room, shut the door, and opened the bottle of brandy he had won.
 

Lady
Jillian’s possessiveness of him was about to drive him to Bedlam.
 
He should have never kissed her because
apparently she assumed they were now courting.
 
She had staked her claim, and Noah didn’t like it one bit.
 
But how should he go about discouraging Lady
Jillian without hurting her feelings? Certainly, she hadn’t come to care for
him in such a short time.

Noah
slowly dressed for the day trying to decide how best he could go about
discouraging Lady Jillian or at the very least avoiding her from being in his
pocket for the remainder of the visit.
 
There were only three days left but if Lady Jillian insisted on being
with him constantly, this holiday would feel like a year.
 

On
his way to the breakfast room, Noah stopped by Penelope’s chamber. He wanted to
see how she was feeling today and also to make sure that Miss Valentine wasn’t
going to hide away in the room.
 
He
knocked several times but when there was no answer, Noah slowly opened the door
hoping he didn’t find Miss Valentine in a state of undress again. Not that he
would mind seeing her as such, Noah simply didn’t wish to embarrass the young
woman.
 

The
room was empty, and the bed had already been made up.
 
Apparently his sister felt well enough to
return to the house party, and Noah’s mood lightened immediately.
 
He could insist on remaining at his sister’s
side to assure himself of her health.
 
By
Penelope’s side would also be Miss Valentine, and he could converse without
anyone remarking upon it.
 
Hopefully,
Lady Jillian would grow bored with his attention to Penelope and find someone
else to entertain her.
 

In
fact, he might just question his sister with regard to Lady Jillian and Miss
Valentine as long as she swore never to reveal his thoughts.

He
grumbled under his breath. If he said anything to Penelope, Noah might as well
be having the discussion with Phoebe, Patience, and Phillipa.
 
None of them ever kept a secret from the
other, and he certainly didn’t want them speculating on any relationship
between him and Miss Valentine when he wasn’t even sure if one would develop.

Noah
paused at the entrance to the breakfast room and studied those who had
gathered. Thankfully, Lady Jillian was not present, and Penelope and Miss
Valentine were already seated. He filled his plate with a variety of breakfast
foods and found a seat beside his sister.

“How
are you feeling?” He studied Penelope to make sure she was feeling well enough
to be up and about.

She
smiled brightly at him. “I feel as if I was never ill to begin with.”

Her
color was normal, and Penelope didn’t appear to be in any distress. Noah put
his concern aside though he would watch so she didn’t tire herself.

Noah
wished to ask Miss Valentine how she was this morning, but she sat on the other
side of Penelope, and it was rude to talk over his sister.
 
If they were in their own home, with his
sisters, Noah would have made the enquiry but would not here.

Movement
at the entry to the breakfast room drew his attention. Lady Jillian stood in
the center and glanced from one occupant to the other. When she finally saw
him, she smiled brightly.
 
Noah simply
nodded and began eating as quickly as politely possible.
 

His
sister placed her utensils at the side of her plate as did Miss Valentine. The
two were already finished with their meal, and Noah hoped the two would linger
until he was done so that he wasn’t left alone with Lady Jillian.
 
Why hadn’t he taken the seat beside Miss
Valentine?
 
There would have been no empty
seat beside him, unlike now. If someone didn’t sit there, he didn’t doubt Lady
Jillian would.

His
sister and Miss Valentine sipped tea and talked quietly while Noah continued to
eat covertly watching Lady Jillian fill her plate.
 
He glanced away when she began to turn and
held his breath.
 
As he feared, she
approached the empty chair beside him.
 
Noah stood and held it out for her before the footman could pull away
from the wall. It was only the polite thing to do.
 

“Thank
you,” she smiled sweetly at him.
 
Noah
didn’t notice the lips as much as he did her eyes.
 
There was a confidence about Lady Jillian as
if she was assured of her place in his life.
 

Noah
returned to his seat and directed his attention back to the food on his plate.
He should inquire after her health or at least greet her, but Noah feared any
attention he showed would only encourage her further.
 
He took a quick sip of his coffee; his
appetite was now gone.
 
Penelope and Miss
Valentine both moved to leave the table. Before a footman could come forward,
Noah was pulling their chairs out and offered his arm to his sister.

“Are
you leaving so soon, Lord Felding?” Lady Jillian inquired with a frown.

“I
wish to spend time with my sister,” he answered and stepped back to allow Miss
Valentine to pass and then escorted Penelope from the room.
 

Miss
Valentine stopped and turned to them. “If you don’t mind, Penelope, I think I
will walk outside. I would enjoy the fresh air.” She glanced at Noah. “However,
if Lord Felding wishes to be somewhere else, I can stay by your side.”

“Go
on, Rosalind,” Penelope insisted. “I know how you love to be out of doors.” She
glanced out the window beside the door and sighed. “I just wish I could join
you.”

“Not
after being ill,” Noah warned.

“I
said I wished not that I would,” Penelope retorted.

Noah
turned to Miss Valentine.
 
“Enjoy your walk.”