“Of course. Please follow me so I may take your measurements. It will take several weeks for them to be ready. Will that suffice?”
“Yes. That’s not a problem,” Jacob said, following theclerk to an area used for measurements. After an hour of measuring and discussing what he wanted, Jacob finally left the shop. It was past five, and his growling stomach reminded him he’d missed luncheon, but he felt he deserved it. A few hunger pains could never make up for his rakish behavior earlier.
By the time he arrived home, all he wanted to do was retreat to his study, but the sisters were in the drawing room when he entered the foyer, and Mia shouted out to him.
“Lord Fletcher, we missed you at luncheon. Will you be joining us for dinner?” she asked.
He walked to the doorway but purposely did not look at Miss Parker. He concentrated his gaze on the youngest Parker sister. “Not tonight, Miss Mia. I have a lot of work to catch up on. Could you inform Mrs. Culbert that I’ll take a dinner tray in my study?”
The look of disappointment on Mia’s face sent a dagger through his heart. He hated to disappoint her, but there was no way he could face Miss Parker this evening. His embarrassment was too great. He needed time to think about his next steps in hopefully repairing any harm he had caused her.
“Of course,” Mia said.
“Good evening, ladies,” he said, striding off to his study.
“That was strange, don’t you think, Audrey?” Mia asked.
“Not at all, dearest. I’m sure he’s quite busy withParliamentary business these days,” Audrey said, keeping her voice neutral.
Jacob heard Miss Parker’s answer before he entered his study and closed the door behind him. She sounded calm, but was that posturing for her sister? He headed for the sideboard to pour himself a good stiff brandy and downed it in one gulp before pouring another. He knew he should be writing to Henry, letting him know how things were going, but what could he say?
I’ve made a right mess of things. What do you advise?
He’d been so sure this morning that he wanted to stay in London, but now he wasn’t so confident. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life avoiding Miss Parker—she was his ward and he owed her his protection.
What a conundrum.
An errant thought entered his mind while he sipped his brandy.
What if Miss Parker had enjoyed the kiss as much as he did and wanted more?
Perhaps in the carriage on the way to the Devon dinner party could be his chance to speak with her alone about what had happened without the fear of one of her sisters overhearing their conversation. Would she welcome the conversation? He had no idea and could only hope she could forgive him for his lapse in judgment.
He spent a long evening contemplating the best way to approach the conversation, but when he headed up to his bedchamber, he’d come no closer to finding the perfect words to say to her.
222
Audrey sighed as shesat at her vanity table the next evening, getting ready for the Devons’ dinner.
“There you go. You look like an angel,” Grace said, putting the last pin in Audrey’s hair.
“Thank you, Grace. What would I do without you?”
“You’ll never have to find out, dear sister. Now, are you ready to put on your dress?”
Audrey nodded.
Grace slipped the aqua-and-cream silk gown over her head and laced up the dress before taking a step back. There were tears in her eyes. “Oh, Audrey, Mama would be so proud, seeing you wear her dress. You look stunning.”
Audrey lovingly smoothed down the front of the dress and caressed the sheer sleeves. “I’ve always loved this dress. It was Mama’s favorite.”
“Now for the finishing touch,” Grace said, clasping the pearls around her neck. “You’re going to be the most beautiful woman at dinner tonight.”
Audrey gave her sister a sad smile. The only one she wanted thinking she was beautiful was Jacob. He’d been avoiding her since their kiss in the garden, but there would be no avoiding her this evening.
Would he finally talk to her about their shared experience? It had been her first kiss, and it had been magical.
“I have something for you,” Grace said, producing two small red roses. “For your hair. It’s the best I can do,since Papa sold all the other jewelry, including the hair clips. Do you like them?”
