His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) (4 page)

“How do you and my brother know Mr.
Valentine?” she asked quietly.

Was Valentine the reason Lady Jillian
was no longer interested in being in his company?
 
Noah shouldn’t be surprised.
 
His sisters did claim Valentine to be
devilishly handsome not that Noah noticed. “I’ve known him since
childhood.
 
His family home borders my
estate.”

She nodded but continued to study
Valentine and her brother as she walked back toward the manor.

“He also attended school with your
brother, myself, Lord Meadows, and many of the gentlemen who are here.”

Lady Jillian tilted her head. “What does
he do?”

“He is a barrister in the criminal
courts.”

A frown knit her brow.
 
Was she disappointed that Valentine wasn’t of
a rank?
 
Lady Jillian was the daughter of
a duke and would be expected to marry within the
haute ton
and Valentine fell far short of such a connection.

Three

Rosalind scanned those who were walking
in the garden or standing on the veranda in discussion.
 

“There he is,” Lady Meadows pointed out.

Rosalind looked to where she
gestured.
 
Demetrius was standing with a
blond man whom she did not recognize.
 
Actually, Rosalind knew nobody who was present other than Lady Penelope
and Lord Felding.
 
Everyone else was a
stranger to her except for her brother of course.

“All of the other gentlemen who are
attending have brought a wife or a sister,” Lady Meadows explained. “As your
brother is here, and did not bring anyone with him, I insist you attend as a
guest and not as Penelope’s companion.”

Lady Penelope nodded eagerly as her dark
curls bounced against the back of her neck.

Rosalind turned back to her hostess. “I
couldn’t.”

“But you must,” Lady Meadows cried and
grasped her hand. “If you do not, my numbers will not be even.”
 

They wouldn’t have been even before
Rosalind thought to herself.
 

“Now I can have an even amount of
gentlemen and ladies about the table for dinner and at other gatherings.”

Rosalind wanted to argue that she was
not a lady, but her brother wasn’t a gentleman either.
 
Apparently, Lady Meadows meant the title to
be used in the loosest of terms.

“You can still play the part of my
companion to make Noah happy,” Lady Penelope insisted. “I assume we will spend
much time in each other’s company regardless of your role, but it isn’t
necessary that I have someone watching over me here.”
 
She gestured around to those gathered.
 
“The gentlemen who did not bring a wife
brought a sister and since all of the men are friends, they wouldn’t dare
behave inappropriately toward an unattached female.”

Not if one wanted keep a friendship at
least, Rosalind added to herself.
 
She
really had no need to be at this gathering as Lady Penelope’s companion or
chaperone. Nor should she be attending as a guest. Her brother had earned that
right by the friends he had made and by becoming a barrister. She had nothing
to recommend herself or explain her presence at such a gathering.

On the other hand, when would she get
another opportunity to live as if she were part of society? She would also be
in the same vicinity as Lord Felding.
 
He
may be courting another, but Rosalind welcomed any time she could be in the
same room as Felding.

Was it selfish to accept an invitation
to be a guest so she could experience what others did, to share dinners with
Felding, and to pretend just for a bit that she was better than she was?

Would she hurt all the more when she
returned to her small room off the nursery in the Sandlin home when it was over?

Felding turned toward them at that
moment, and her heart hitched.
 
She would
take these days and enjoy them to the fullest knowing that for just a brief
moment in time others accepted her in their world.

Rosalind glanced to the woman on his arm
and pain sliced through her heart. It was precisely what she feared, assuming
the woman was Lady Jillian. She was probably one of the most beautiful women
Rosalind had ever seen.
 
Felding would
not even notice Rosalind as long as Lady Jillian was about.
 

Lady Meadows led Rosalind and Lady
Penelope toward Demetrius and the blond gentleman. Her brother’s deep blue eyes
lit with surprise upon seeing her

“Rosey, I didn’t expect to see you
here,” he said with a pleased smile before turning toward the gentleman standing
with him.
 
“Marquess Broadridge, allow me
to introduce my sister, Miss Rosalind Valentine.”
 

Broadridge turned and executed a slight
bow. A blond curl dropped onto his forehead, and his light green eyes danced
with charm.
 
“It is an honor, Miss
Valentine.”

Rosalind dropped to a quick
curtsey.
 
What was she doing here?
 
One such as she did not socialize with a
marquess. Her brother might, but she did not. This was going to be a very
uncomfortable party.
 

Broadridge next turned and bowed to her
friend. “Lady Penelope, it is a pleasure to see you again.”

Lady Penelope gave a quick curtsey and
smiled at the gentleman she was clearly already acquainted with.

“If you will excuse me,” Lady Meadows
announced, “I must return inside.”

Rosaline watched Lady Meadows retreating
back wishing she could follow and then find her room in which to hide.

“I thought you were with the Sandlin
household,” her brother said.

“Lady Sandlin insisted I attend with
Lady Penelope when Lord Felding—”

“—
My
sister
believed,” Lady Penelope interrupted, “that Miss Valentine would enjoy this
outing and insisted she accompany me when Noah made the suggestion.”

Rosalind looked at Lady Penelope.
 
Why had Lady Penelope made it sound as if she
were a guest and not a hired servant?

“I am glad you have joined the party. It
has been far too long since we have visited,” Demetrius smiled down at her.

“If you would come down from London more
than twice a year, it would not be an issue,” she teased back.
 

“The courts are far too busy to get away
more often than I can,” he insisted.

Rosalind arched an eyebrow. “As you have
managed to attend a hunt this week, I am assuming there has been a sudden
decline in crime.”

“A man does need a holiday on occasion,”
Demetrius defended.

Rosalind turned to Lady Penelope. “I
think the reason he doesn’t return home as often does not have as much to do
with the courts as it does Aunt Mary’s questions about his bachelor
state.”
 
She finished with a grin and
focused on her brother.

Lady Penelope giggled. “I believe Noah
avoided mother for the very same reason for a number of years.” She looked past
Rosalind’s shoulder, and her eyes crinkled as her smile broadened. “However, I
believe that may soon all change.”

Rosalind turned to see who Lady Penelope
was looking at though she knew very well it was Felding and apparently, Lady
Jillian. They were walking toward the group.

“It appears Felding has taken an
interest in my sister,” Broadridge murmured.

Lady Jillian was Broadridge’s
sister?
 
As Lady Jillian was the daughter
of the Duke of Eldridge, was Broadridge a future duke? Goodness, she really
should not be at this gathering.

Rosalind glanced over at her brother.
Demetrius seemed very comfortable speaking with Broadridge as if he were born
to this status. Would she ever be as at ease?

No, she answered in her mind. When this
week was gone, she would return to the Sandlin household and go about her
duties.
 

Felding and Lady Jillian stopped beside
them, and he introduced Rosalind to the young woman. She was even more
beautiful up close.
 

“Valentine?” Lady Jillian questioned.

“She is my sister, Lady Jillian,”
Demetrius answered before Rosalind could say anything.

Lady Jillian simply nodded, a cold,
forced smile on her lips. Had her brother done or said something to offend Lady
Jillian?

“Shall we return inside?” Lady Penelope
asked. “I would like to get settled before supper.”

“Of course,” Rosalind answered grateful
for the escape. Unless Lady Penelope decided to return downstairs and join the
others, Rosalind intended to remain in her room until it was necessary to
leave.

The two of them stepped inside and were
greeted by Lady Meadows once again. “I hope you don’t mind, but many of the
guests are sharing a room due to the number who have gathered.”

“Not at all,” Lady Penelope answered.

“I’ve put the two of you together. As
you are friends, I thought it a perfect solution, so you would not be sharing a
room with someone you didn’t know.”

Rosalind stilled. She couldn’t share a
room with Lady Penelope. It wasn’t right. “Lady Meadows,” Rosalind began, “I am
Lady Penelope’s companion. Isn’t it more appropriate that I stay with the maids
or other servants?”

Lady Meadows laughed. “Miss Valentine,
despite what Felding may think, you are a guest in my home. I insist on treating
you as one.”

Rosalind slid a glance to Lady Penelope.
Would she be upset by this arrangement?

“We are going to have a grand time,”
Lady Penelope smiled while linking her arm with Rosalind and practically
pulling her up the stairs toward their chambers.

Rosalind bit back a sigh. At least she
would be able to watch over Lady Penelope more easily now that they were
sleeping in the same room.

* * *

Noah watched his sister and Miss
Valentine walk toward the house.
 
The
sunlight reflected off the deep red within Miss Valentine’s hair. It truly had
transformed from a brighter red in childhood to a lovely auburn matured by
time.

“I wasn’t aware you had a sister, Mr.
Valentine,” Lady Jillian was saying as Noah returned his attention to those he
still stood with.

“Actually, I have five brothers and four
sisters,” Demetrius answered.

Lady Jillian paled and her hand
tightened on Noah’s arm, but her expression revealed no actual discomfort.
 
“Goodness, such a large family.” She looked
at Broadridge. “It is only my brother and I.”

“I wouldn’t have minded having a brother
as I was growing up,” Broadridge added.

“Or a sister,” Lady Jillian sighed.

As the pair was ten years apart, they
might as well have been only children. By the time Lady Jillian was out of
leading strings, her brother would have been sent off to school.
 
Though his sisters had been an irritation
more times than he could count, Noah was grateful for each one of them.
 
“I only have four sisters,” he said.
“However, Valentine House was close enough that I visited there often and had
plenty of companionship.”
 
He smiled at
the memories and a warmth spread through him.
 
His childhood was much improved when Vicar Grant and his wife took up
residence in the vicarage with their ten nieces and nephews. “They were the
brothers I didn’t have at home.”