His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) (30 page)

Rosalind
frowned in a confused manner, yet Noah was without words to explain. If they
didn’t leave the warm of the orangery this very minute, he would be kissing her
once again as he lay her across the cushioned bench to make love to her.

Twenty-Five

Noah
woke late after spending a restless night in slumber.
 
Too often he woke, aching with need and had
to try and force his mind to think of someone, or something, other than
Rosalind.
 
She filled his dreams, and
there was no question in his mind about wanting her. But would they suit as
husband and wife?

Yes,
his mind insisted.
 

Noah
pulled on his great coat and took the back stairs to the kitchens and out of
the house. He did not want to speak with anyone yet today and wished to be
alone. In truth, he wished to avoid Lady Jillian and her brother.
 
At the moment he wasn’t sure he could
tolerate the lady who was so shallow and cold in comparison to the passionate
Rosalind.
 
If he saw Broadridge, Noah
wasn’t certain he wouldn’t bloody the gentleman’s nose for what he had done and
said to Rosalind.
 
Unfortunately, on
their return to the house, Rosalind had made him promise not to say anything
about what had happened or to harm Broadridge in anyway. He shouldn’t have made
such a promise because Noah still itched to plant the man a facer.

He
stepped into the woods and drew a deep breath.
 
Rosalind was correct. As much as he may wish to harm Broadridge, it
would only bring undo attention to the situation, Noah would do anything to
avoid harming Rosalind in any manner, and making the remaining guests aware of
what transpired would likely see her nearly as ruined as she had been at the
Filpotts. Noah wanted to spare Rosalind any pain now and in the future.

The
two of them would get on well, and there would be much happiness in the
home.
 
In addition, she was already a
friend to his sister and had a fondness for his step-mother.

He
had to go about this correctly. Less than a week ago, he thought to court Lady
Jillian. Now, within a few days, he was focused on another woman.
 
Yet, Rosalind felt right. It was the only way
he could explain it.
 
She belonged in his
life as if she was a limb he could not live without whereas Lady Jillian had
been a means to an end. Beautiful, rich and the daughter of a duke . . . a
gentleman could not do much better, but being with her left him cold. Rosalind
filled him with heat and longing for the day he could make her his.

“Lord
Felding, I wasn’t expecting to see you on my walk.”

Noah
jerked his head up and looked around. He was on one of the many paths the
servants had carved since the snowfall.
 
He had just emerged from the woods and on his way back to the manor when
the path Lady Jillian walked merged with his. For a person that didn’t like
snow, she was spending a good deal of time out of doors.

“Good
morning, Lady Jillian.” He glanced around, but she was without a companion. He
tried to move toward the house so that they were in the open for anyone to see.
He didn’t want to be accused of compromising anyone, most especially Lady Jillian,
which would force them both into a hellish situation. As her father was a duke,
Noah would be given no options.

Lady
Jillian linked her arm with his and instead of continuing back to the manor,
maneuvered Noah along the path running along the woods.
 
He glanced back. They could still be seen
from the manor as long as they remained on this side of the trees.

“My
brother has informed me that you wish to speak with my father.”

Noah
bit back a groan.
 
Why had he said
anything to Broadridge in the first place?
 
He should have known to be more careful in his plans, move slower, but a
week ago he had anticipated that he would be asking for her hand.

She
blinked up at him a gentle smile on her lips. “What would you like to discuss
with my father?”

“He
did not tell you?” Was she simply being coy? Why else would a gentleman wish to
speak with a lady’s father? “As we have been courting, I assumed you wish to
marry me.”

Good
God, no! He almost blurted out.
 
“It
wasn’t officially a courtship, and a gentleman must get a father’s permission.”

“My
brother has given permission.”

“He
is still not your father.”

“He
acts for my father when he is not present. I see no hindrance to your plan.”

They
stopped and turned to face one another.
 

“I
was mistaken, Lady Jillian.” Noah paused and searched for the correct words. He
didn’t want to hurt her, but he couldn’t let her assumption continue. It was
best to be forthright. “We will not suit.”

Her
fingers dug into his arm. “I believe we will.”

Noah
glanced down at her hand.
 
How could he
have thought she was kind and sweet?
 
How
could he have been so gullible in believing she would make a fine wife? Someone
he could live with?
 
Why would she want
him when she could have anyone she wished? “I disagree. Shall we return to the
manor?”

“Not
just yet.” She moved to stand in front of him.
 
“I have chosen you to marry.”

He
lifted an eyebrow at her audacity.
 
Did
she think it was that simple? “Do you always get what you want?”

A
smile pulled at her lips.
 
“Of course I
do.”

Her
father was a duke, and apparently Lady Jillian had been spoiled her entire
life.
 
It was another reason he did not
wish to pursue her any longer.
 
He
anticipated spoiling his wife, but he also wanted someone who would appreciate
the attention whereas Lady Jillian would expect it.
 
“You will not in this case.”

“Once
I tell father how you kissed me when no one else was around, he may force the
issue.”

Noah
bit back a laugh.
 
“We no longer live in
an age where a kiss is considered compromising a lady.”
 
At least not the kind of kiss he had given
her.

She
frowned up at him. Her icy blue eyes narrowed as if calculating a decision.
“This is because of her, isn’t it?”

He
knew she spoke of Rosalind, but Noah wasn’t going to admit to anything. “Whom
do you speak of?”

The
corners of her mouth tilted, and she slightly shook her head.
 
“Miss Valentine, as you very well know.
 
She is the one you want.”

“I’ve
known Miss Valentine for many years, and she has nothing to do with my decision
to not court you.”
 
There was some truth
in the statement. Even if Rosalind was not here, Noah would have misgivings
over his pursuit of Lady Jillian now that he had come to know her better and
especially after the uninspired, cold kiss they shared.

Lady
Jillian tilted her head and studied him. “How well do you know her?” Her eyes
narrowed and she leaned in.
 
“Do you know
her family secrets?”

No,
though he suspected there were a few. “There are none,” he insisted.

Lady
Jillian chuckled.
 
“Oh, yes there are.”
She linked her arm with his and pulled Noah along the path. “I will share them
with you and then you can decide if you really wish to pursue Miss Valentine.
She is not who she says she is.”

Though
Noah wished to be away from Lady Jillian, he wanted to hear what supposed
secrets she
thought
she knew. He
needed to be prepared in the event Lady Jillian was going to set about trying
to ruin Rosalind.

Lady
Jillian’s eyes gleamed in anticipation.
 
“My father had a cousin from his mother’s side, so she was really of no
consequence, who had made a poor choice.”

Noah
narrowed his eyes. What did this have to do with Rosalind and her family?

“She
foolishly fell in love with a stable hand and thought to marry him.”

“I
don’t understand what your family history has to do with the Valentines.”

“I
am getting to that.” She patted his arm in a condescending matter.
 
“My father’s cousin ran off with this man
which resulted in her being cut off from the entire family.”

Noah
gritted his teeth wishing Lady Jillian would hurry on with her story while
fearing where it would lead.

“The
two of them settled in St. Giles because it was all they could afford, and he
found a position with the mews in Covent Garden.”
 

Noah
kept a vague look of interest on his face even though his pulse increased.
 
Once when Demetrius was deep in his cups, he
had admitted his father was never a missionary but never elaborated on this
comment, and Noah didn’t ask. Thankfully, it was only said to him.

“From
what I understand, the stable hand had assumed that once the family realized
that my father’s cousin was in love, they would make their situation easier,
but that was not the case.”

It
rarely was Noah thought to himself.

“The
man became difficult to live with, drank heavily, and kept his wife with child
so she would not leave him.”

A
sickness tightened within Noah’s stomach.
 
The Valentine children were born barely a year apart.

“The
two of them had three children, and my father’s cousin was expecting her fourth
when her husband, drunk one evening, stepped in front of a hackney and was killed.”

Noah
stopped and looked at Lady Jillian. Perhaps she wasn’t speaking of the
Valentines since there were ten children in all.

“My
father’s cousin had ten children in all, which means the remaining six’s
parentage is somewhat questionable.”

Noah’s
throat tightened.
 
Did Rosalind even know
who her father was?

“One
day Vicar Grant was visiting a parish priest in St. Giles when a young boy
tried to lift his purse. Instead of calling the authorities as he should have,
the Vicar made the lad take him to his house so he could have a word with the
parents.”
 
She chuckled. “I am assuming
Vicar Grant is still as naïve as he was then.”

Noah
watched her with narrowed eyes. Though no names were mentioned, he suspected
the pickpocket was Demetrius.

“Vicar
Grant was aghast to find ten children, one barely a month old and screaming,
living in filth.”
 
Lady Jillian glanced
up at him with disgust.
 
“Apparently the
mother, my father’s cousin,” she reminded him, “had died shortly after the
infant’s arrival and was buried in some pauper’s grave.
 
A lady who lived in the building helped feed
the newborn, but nobody else would see to the others. They were all too poor,
of course, so the boys took to thieving.”

At
the mention of ten children, Noah knew for certain she was speaking of the
Valentine children.

“They
were no more than animals, yet when Vicar Grant discovered the letters the
mother was writing to my father and others in the family, he thought to gather
the children up and deliver them to father.” She cringed and turned to Noah.
“At the time, Vicar Grant was assigned to our parish”.

“What
did His Grace do?” Noah asked quietly.

“He
arranged for Vicar Grant to find a new post and insisted he keep the children
since he was the one who plucked them out of St. Giles without inquiring if
anyone wanted the brats.”
 
She linked her
arm with Noah’s, and they continued to stroll.
 
“I am not sure how the agreement came about as it has never been
discussed with me, but my father has since been supporting the family. He
arranged for the boys to be educated so long as nobody ever learns who their
mother was and Vicar Grant never tells of their connection to my family.”

She
turned onto a path leading into the woods. Noah was not about to move out of
sight of the manor, and he resisted her pull and continued along the tree
line.
 

“Vicar
Grant and his wife were unable to have children of their own, so my father
thought it a perfect solution and helped him create the story of where they
came from, even giving them new names.”
 

Noah’s
mind reeled from this information. “New names?”
 
Had Rosalind not always been Rosalind.

Lady
Jillian stopped again. “Of course.
 
The
children who were old enough to speak didn’t even know what their surname
was.”
 
She continued on the path slowly
meandering away from the house.
 
“We know
the three oldest, and possibly the fourth, had the surname of Jones, but it is
anyone’s guess who fathered the remaining children.”