His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) (19 page)

In
truth, he wished to be with Miss Valentine but did not want to leave Penelope
alone until she was settled.

Noah
guided his sister into the parlor where a few other guests had gathered.
 
The chatted quietly amongst themselves, but
Penelope nodded to a sitting area across the room away from everyone else.
 
His sister settled into a chair, and Noah
took the one beside her.

“Are
you still intent on pursuing Lady Jillian?” Penelope whispered.

“No,”
Noah said equally quiet.
 
He did not need
for anyone else to overhear their discussion as it would only lead to gossip
and by the way Lady Jillian was always by his side, no doubt gossip had already
begun.

“Thank
goodness,” Penelope sighed.

Startled
by her response, Noah straightened. “You do not care for her?”

“Not
in the least,” Penelope almost hissed.
 
“Once we are home, I will share with you some of the things I have
overheard.”

He
narrowed his eyes on her. “If it is gossip, I don’t wish to hear it.”

“I
wish it was as simple as that.
 
What I
overheard was the lady speaking herself, and she is not for you.”
 
Penelope leaned in further. “If you had said
you intended to ask for her, I would be insisting on a private word away from
everyone else.”

This
intrigued Noah, but he could wait to ask after they were home. As he had no
intention of offering for Lady Jillian, it wasn’t necessary that he know his
sister’s objections right now.

“However,
there is one particular miss I would not mind you pursuing.”

Noah
pulled back and studied his sister. Was Penelope going to be playing matchmaker
now? She had tried during her first two Seasons to no avail, and he was able to
put her off. However, now he was curious as there was only a handful of
available women who were guests unless Penelope was thinking of someone from
the last season.

She
arched a brow and laughed lightly. “Do you really not know who I refer to?”

Noah
shook his head not sure if he wanted to even ask.

Penelope
rolled her eyes. “Men are so dense.” She leaned in. “Rosalind,” she whispered.

He
narrowed his eyes. Had his interest shown somehow? If so, had others noticed?
Was that why Lady Jillian was so possessive? “She is a family friend.”

His
sister snorted. “I am not a fool.”
 
She
glanced about the room before looking at her brother again.
 
“I suggest this would be a good time to take
a walk while Lady Jillian is occupied with her breakfast.”

Penelope
was practically pushing him after Miss Valentine not that he needed any
encouragement.
 
“I shouldn’t leave you
alone.”

“I
am recovered and nothing is going to happen to me in a room full of other
guests.”

Noah
still didn’t rise.

“Go
on,” she ordered. “I promise not to leave this room, or even this chair, until
you return.”

He
knew she would be fine without him, and Noah had been overly concerned when he
first insisted she have a chaperone.
 
However, it turned out to be the best decision and not because Penelope
actually needed anyone.

Demetrius
entered the room and glanced around.

Noah
stood and motioned him over.

“Have
you seen Rosalind,” Demetrius inquired.

“She
is taking a stroll outside,” Penelope answered.

“I
should go be with her,” Demetrius began to turn.

“Please
don’t,” Penelope begged. “If you are concerned, Noah was just saying he wanted
fresh air and since I cannot be out, I would enjoy your company.”

His
sister was manipulating the situation so he could spend time with Miss
Valentine.
 
“If you don’t mind” Noah
added.

“Of
course not,” Demetrius agreed.

“It
has been ages since we talked,” Penelope said as soon as Demetrius was seated.
“You must tell me about the courts.”

Noah
stalked away hoping that was all his sister decided to discuss with his friend
and prayed she didn’t bring Demetrius in on her matchmaking scheme.

* * *

Rosalind
stepped outside and took a deep breath.
 
It
was good to be out of the manor.
 
Too
many hours inside put her on edge especially when surrounded by people she did
not know in a strange house.
 
She
wandered down one of the paths that had been cleared though she couldn’t go
very far unless she stepped into the snow.
 
It was deep enough to come to her calf and as much as Rosalind wished to
walk further, she did not relish the idea of snow falling inside of her
boots.
 

“It
isn’t as cold as I thought it would be.”

Rosalind
turned to find Lord Felding striding toward her. What was he doing out here?
“Does Penelope need me?”

He
chuckled.
 
“No, your brother is keeping
her company, and I thought to join you on your walk.”

Rosalind’s
heart hitched. Why would Felding wish to walk with her? She glanced past him,
but nobody else had come out of the house.
 
Why wasn’t he walking, visiting, or sitting with Lady Jillian? He was
supposed to be courting her.

Felding
paused beside Rosalind but did not offer his arm.
 
So, he just wished to join her not escort
her? If she were Lady Jillian, he would offer his arm.
 
But, he was courting Lady Jillian not her.

They
turned at the small bend in the path. Felding had his hands linked behind his
back, and Rosalind shoved hers inside pockets.
 
“I wish we received snow like this at home,” Rosalind said
wistfully.
 
What else could she discuss
with Felding besides the weather? It was a bit unsettling that he joined her,
and she certainly wasn’t prepared to speak with him on any subject. As a child,
she never had any problems talking to him, but the infatuation that came upon
her at the age of fifteen left her self-conscious and reluctant to speak unless
they were involved in a game such as yesterday.
 

“As
do I,” he agreed.

She
glanced up at Felding from beneath her lashes. “The twins are old enough to
play outside now. Hopefully we will have snow after I return.”

He
grinned. “They will have a grand time I am sure.”

“Lord
Felding, Miss Valentine, I didn’t realize you were out here.”

Rosalind
glanced up and toward the voice calling to them. “Lady Jillian and her brother
were walking toward them from the opposite direction. That was why Felding had
joined her. He knew Lady Jillian was out with her brother and hoped to come
across them.
 
Though it hurt that he
would use her in such a way, no doubt had it been Penelope outside
he
would have done the same.
 
He probably thought of her no differently than he would one of this
sisters.
 
Rosalind forced a smile and
tried to bury the disappointment.

The
brother and sister paused before them.
 
“I thought you did not like the cold or snow.” Felding directed his
comment to Lady Jillian.

Rosalind
glanced at him. The smile he had revealed earlier when discussing the twins was
replaced with one that could only be described as polite.
 
Had she been wrong? Was Felding not trying to
find an opportunity to spend time with Lady Jillian?

She
laughed. “Broadridge insisted I join him outside and said I would enjoy
myself.”

Broadridge?
Did she not call her brother by his name? Or, did she only address him by his title
when with others outside of the family?

“I
dare say he is correct.
 
It is a lovely
day and not too cold.”
 
She stepped
forward and linked her arm with Lord Felding’s.
 
Rosalind stepped quickly back before she was forced to the side and into
the snow.

 
Felding’s jaw tightened and a muscle ticked
in his cheek. Did Rosalind have it so completely wrong? Was Felding no longer
interested in Lady Jillian?
 
The
expression in his eyes was anything but joyful.

“Allow
me, Miss Valentine.” Broadridge offered his arm.

She
eyed it for a moment and then slipped her gloved hand into the crook of his
elbow.
 
“My sister may not enjoy being
outside in the winter, but I do,” he said.

“As
do I, Lord Broadridge.”
 
Rosalind smiled
up at him hoping the confusion of this situation and her thoughts did not show
on her face.
 

Lady
Jillian turned and led Felding down the path the way they had just come, and
Broadridge escorted Rosalind after them.

“Did
you play in the snow much as a child?” Broadridge asked her.

“When
we were given the opportunity,” Rosalind responded. “Did you, my lord?”

“Not
often.” His chuckle made the skin crinkle around his eyes.
 
Lord Broadridge was a handsome gentleman and
didn’t appear as stuffy as he had the day before when he didn’t wish to even
hold a ladder let alone climb it.
 
Not
that it mattered what she thought of him or what Broadridge thought of her. He
was simply offering an escort because his sister was now with Felding. Any
other gentleman would have done the same.

“What
games to you suppose Lady Meadows has planned for this evening?” Broadridge
asked.

“I
am not sure. What were the entertainments last night?”

“Cards
and cribbage,” he answered.

Disappointment
shot through her. She always enjoyed a good game of Whist.
 
But, she could play at another time not that
she was given much opportunity now that she was living in the Sandlin
household.
 
The twins were a bit young to
understand the complicated game.
 
“I
suppose it could be any number of games,” Rosalind finally said.

“As
long as it isn’t charades,” he grumbled. “I’ve never been very good at that
one.”

Rosalind
chuckled.
 
“What game would you like to
play?”

He
paused and looked down at her studying her face.
 
“Move-All.”
 
A slow smile formed, and his gaze lowered to her lips.

Was
Lord Broadridge flirting with her?
 
She
hadn’t played Move-All in years, and it had been with her siblings.
 
Someone always ended up sitting on another’s
lap as they scrambled for a seat. It was one matter to land on a brother’s lap
but an entirely different one when it was an eligible bachelor.
 
“I haven’t played that game since I was a
child.”
 
She turned her head and focused
on the backs of Lord Felding and Lady Jillian.
 
She suspected Lady Jillian would participate in the game only so much as
to how to maneuver herself onto Felding’s lap. Not that Rosalind could blame
her. She would be tempted to try herself.

“Musical
Magic is enjoyable,” Rosalind offered. It could be fun to be able to sit back,
observe and play either quietly or loudly, and the person who had been chosen
tried to figure out what they were supposed to do based on what the other
guests had decided.
 

“I
have not played that game in some time.” He placed a gloved hand over the one
she rested on his arm.
 
“Though I doubt
that you would enjoy playing the piano the entire time...”

“I
wouldn’t mind,” Rosalind shrugged.

“But
it would keep you from my company,” he said in a low tone.

Goodness!
He was flirting with her.
 
Why didn’t her
heart race and pulse increase the way it did when Felding simply looked at her?
She glanced up. His light blue eyes studied her, and only a faint smile
remained on his lips.

“If
there is a dance, you must promise me a waltz.”

Rosalind
could only stare at him.
 
This was very
odd, and why wasn’t she flattered?
 
“Of course,”
she mumbled and turned to look ahead. They were at the back of the house by the
doors they entered the day before. Through the windows she could see the guests
gathered in the parlor sitting in small groups conversing.
 
She was about to ask if he wished to return
inside when something solid hit her in the back with enough force she had to
take a step forward so as not to fall.

Broadridge
slipped a hand around her waist to hold her steady. “Are you alright, Miss
Valentine?”

She
straightened and pulled away from him and turned around. “I am fine, but what
was that?”