Page 49 of The Seduction of an English Scoundrel

Caroline bit her lip to suppress a smile. “Actually, it did. He said there will be supper before the dancing. He suggested you eat an apple to hold you. The Austrian chef at Southwick is divine, an absolute genius in the kitchen. Sedgecroft said we must come with an appetite.”

Jane stared grumpily at her reflection in the mirror. Supper and dancing. An apple. And another round of resisting Sedgecroft. The memory of the arrogant blue-eyed Adonis kissing her made her feel breathless, unsteady on her feet. He was relentless in his pursuit of pleasure, and her own sense of guilty doom would ruin what could have been an enchanted evening. Why couldn’t her parents have pursued Grayson as a son-in-law in the first place?

“What if I don’t wish to go?” she said to no one in particular. “I’m sure no one will find my absence remarkable under the circumstances.”

At that precise moment footsteps rang outside in the hall, and Lady Belshire popped her head into the room. Her silver-brown hair was elegantly upswept and studded with diamond pins. The gold taffeta gown that displayed her youthful figure sparkled like stardust in the false twilight.

“Not ready yet, darling? Goodness, why are the three of you whispering in the dark? It makes me think of naughty little mice in a nursery.”

“Miranda and I are ready, Mama,” Caroline said.

“Well, do hurry, Jane,” Lady Belshire said breathlessly, adjusting her fichu. “Sedgecroft just arrived, dressed to the teeth. I must admit he cuts a fine figure. I daresay the pair of you will cause a stir.”

“Lovely,” Jane muttered. “Just what I need, to cause another stir.”

Lady Belshire gave a deep sigh of despair, looking like a crestfallen elfin queen at her eldest’s mutinous remark. Of course Jane’s morose spirits had absolutely nothing to do with the adorable marquess, whom Athena had obviously misjudged. The sad truth was that Jane would not forget her beloved Nigel in only a few days, and the best her family could do was distract her and prove that her young life was not over.

“When you talk in such an inappropriate manner, I could murder Nigel for what he has done. But you must remember the Belshire name, my dear.” Her ladyship took a deep breath, pleased at how she had decided to handle this. “And now you have Sedgecroft on your side.”

“Sedgecroft,” Jane said, subsiding on the bed with a groan.

“A young lady could not ask for a better champion,” Lady Belshire added, forgetting that she herself had thought him an irresponsible rake only a short time ago. But then what did it matter if he applied all that . . . overwhelming maleness to helping her daughter out of this disgrace? “In fact,” she thought aloud, “I shudder to think what he will do when he finds Nigel.”

“Don’t we all,” Miranda said under her breath as her mother disappeared from the doorway.

Chapter 13

By that evening the papers had posed a provocative twist to the Boscastle wedding scandal: Had Sir N jilted Lady J, or had he been threatened off by the dominant branch of the family? Had a certain marquess been waiting in the wings to make a move? Or had this handsome plotter set the stage to begin with?

It posed a mystery as to when this drama had actually started. Or how it would all end. Why were Lady J’s parents so outwardly accepting of this affair? Had Sir N vanished from the face of the earth entirely? And, the most provocative question of all, Was another marriage between these two illustrious families in the offing?

Within hours the ton could talk of nothing else. Conversation stopped at Southwick House when the crowd spotted Grayson and Jane together, although she wasn’t convinced it was her audacity to appear in public repeatedly after her failed wedding as much as Sedgecroft’s popularity that created a reaction.

The ladies definitely had their eye on her attractive escort. His lean elegance and unhurried stride as they crossed the reception hall turned heads and had fans fluttering all over the place.

Grayson had a different perspective on the furor their appearance caused.

Yes, he noticed that people were watching them. Especially the men, and the barely veiled desire in their eyes confirmed his fear that Lady Jane Jilt would be targeted as an easy female.

But the heated looks sent her way died out the moment Grayson turned his crushing glare upon the men who dared to demean her. Then there were averted glances, whispered questions, shrugs of resignation. No one had the courage to challenge Sedgecroft, neither in word nor action. His easygoing temperament had earned him few enemies, but his loyalty to those he loved was well known.

He’d seen the papers naturally. He was not at all bothered by the speculation that he was courting Jane as a potential bride. As Lady Belshire had predicted, this seemed to be raising Jane’s social value, and Grayson was glad to be of service. In fact, he’d instructed his secretary to neither deny nor confirm when questions were asked.

An enigmatic smile would suffice.

Weary of his status as a scoundrel, Grayson did not care if the ton believed he was considering Jane as his wife. They were a plausible match. What did it matter if anyone thought he was behind the wedding scandal?

Let them label him the devil.

In fact, if he’d met Jane a few months earlier, he . . . he what? A thoughtful frown overshadowed his face. They probably had attended several affairs at the same time before.

Yet their paths had never crossed. Why not? In the mists of memory he saw Nigel huddled around her, protecting her from rogues like Grayson so that he could hurt her later himself. Which reminded him that he had received word from Heath only two hours ago about Nigel’s disappearance and needed a private moment to deliver it to Jane. He hated to spoil a pleasant evening, but she had a right to know the truth about his cousin.

“The damn idiot,” he muttered.

Jane glanced up at him, her face startled. “What did you say?”

“Nothing. Have a good time.”