Her mind was a whirlwind of jumbled thoughts. Her heart had done a flip-flop when she first saw his note, but now she wasn’t sure he was calling on them merely as a social call. She hoped there was a way to convince the baron not to abandon her if that was his interesting news.
She walked back to the parlor and straight to the pianoforte. Playing always helped her think. As her fingers flew across the keys, she tried to convince herself that Lord Fletcher wasn’t going to leave them. How could she have such strong feelings for him when she’d known him for less than two weeks? It was baffling that he could affect her so much in such a short amount of time, but there was no denying the fact that she liked him very much indeed.
Mia came bounding into the parlor before Audrey had a chance to think through things more clearly.
“My favorite gloves are ruined!” she cried, interrupting Audrey’s playing. Her younger sister had always been prone to dramatics, and today was no different.
Audrey stopped playing and turned toward her sister. “What happened to them, dearest?”
“I don’t know.” Tears streamed down Mia’s face as she held out the ruined glove.
“When was the last time you wore them?”
“In Hyde Park. Oh no! One of the ducks must have bitten straight through the fabric when I was feeding them.”
Audrey stood up and embraced Mia. “Give it to me, and let’s see if I can mend it.” When Audrey looked at the glove, she knew it would take a miracle to repair it. The fabric was frayed, and no amount of stitching would be able to fix it and make it wearable again.
“Can you mend it?”
“I’ll certainly try. Don’t worry.”
That seemed to mollify Mia for the moment.
Grace soon joined them. “Mia, why are you crying?”
“My gloves are ruined!” Mia said. “Audrey said she could fix it.”
“Dearest, I said I would try to mend it,” Audrey said.
Grace looked at the glove in Audrey’s hands and wisely kept any opinion of whether it could be repaired to herself. There was no sense in inflaming the situation with the truth.
Audrey needed to take Mia’s mind off her ruined glove before she spiraled into full-blown hysterics. “Sisters, I have some news. Lord Fletcher will be joining us for tea today.”
That had the desired effect, as both Mia and Grace were excited to see the baron again.
“It’s been nearly a week since he last visited,” Grace said, looking at her. “I’ve missed seeing him and hearing his stories about New York.”
Audrey knew Grace was hinting that perhaps shemight be missing the baron more than anyone, and she wouldn’t be wrong. It was exactly the situation she was grappling with when Mia interrupted her. “Grace, would you be a dear and play for us?”
“Of course, if that’s what you’d like. I’ve been working on a new piece. Shall I play that one? Although I must warn you, I haven’t mastered it yet.”
Audrey led Mia to the seating area. “I’m sure whatever you play will be wonderful. Come, Mia. Let’s sit and enjoy our little concert.”
Audrey settled on the sofa with her sister. As she listened to Grace’s playing, she both looked forward to and dreaded hearing the baron’s interesting news.
222
“Are you ready, Fletcher?” Devon asked while they waited in the hall outside the Parliament meeting room.
Parliament had started early today, which was fine with Jacob. He didn’t want his nerves to get the best of him while he waited. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” he answered. “Might as well get this over with so we can sit and listen to your friend’s speech.”
He followed Lord Devon into the room where Parliament was seated and was escorted to the Lord Chancellor. Although Jacob was aware that every eye in the room was watching him, he did exactly as Devon had advised him to do: keep his interaction brief and respectful.
“Lord Chancellor, may I present to you, Lord Fletcher,” Lord Devon said.
“I’m very pleased to meet you, Lord Chancellor,”Jacob said, extending his hand.
After the Lord Chancellor shook his hand, Jacob was amazed at the relatively simple process needed to be introduced in the House of Lords and become a recognized member of Parliament. Once the formalities were over, he took his seat next to Lord Devon in the gallery. He noticed that a number of lords ignored him completely, but there were an equal number who offered their congratulations. They must be their fellow Whigs.
