Page 28 of A Sham Engagement

She kept hold of his hand, closing her other hand over it as well, her eyes sparkling with what looked like unshed tears. “Well, you could knock me down with a feather.”

Jack laughed. “I won’t try. And now I must leave you, as I have other errands to run.”

Mrs. Sharpe gave his hand a squeeze before she released it. “And let me wish you all the happiness you deserve, milord. I’m right happy for you, that I am. And for your little nipper. He deserves a mother of his own to care for him.” She paused, a hand going up to wipe her eyes. “I’m hoping she won’t object to you already having a little lad, that is?”

Jack met her eyes as realization washed over him. He smiled. “No, somehow I don’t think she will mind.” Elenora wasn’t that sort of girl.

Chapter Eleven

Two days later, days in which neither Elenora nor Petunia had done anything more than take a well-chaperoned walk in the park, a disturbing missive arrived. The whole family was at breakfast when Robert, one of Aunt Penelope’s footmen, discreetly entered bearing a letter on a silver tray. She took the letter and read the name on it. “My goodness, it’s for you, Fanny.”

Papa, who’d just helped himself to a second plateful of kedgeree, came back to the table. “Not for me? Most odd. Who would be want to write a letter to Fanny?”

Aunt Penelope passed the letter to Mama, who broke the seal and unfolded it. Everyone watched her in expectation as she read. Her face, which had at first been curious, underwent several odd changes before finishing in an expression even Elenora had no difficulty in reading. Utmost horror.

Papa abandoned his kedgeree and leaned forwards, hand outstretched in an unsuccessful effort to seize Mama’s. “What is it, Fanny dear? You’re frightening the girls.”

Mama’s hand had flown to her mouth, and all she seemed capable of doing was passing the letter to Papa. He scanned it quickly. “Good heavens.”

“What is it?” Aunt Penelope demanded. “Don’t keep us in suspense, Nicholas.”

“Girls,” Papa said with terrible solemnity. “Your sisters have contracted the measles.”

“The measles!” Mama squawked in corroboration. “Both of them. This is dreadful. Whatever shall we do? Elenora is in the midst of her season and freshly engaged. She needs to attend everything she’s invited to. Oh, Nicholas, this is a catastrophe beyond all imagining, just when I thought everything was running smoothly.” Then, as what could have been an afterthought. “My poor darling girls.”

“I thought we’d all had the measles?” Elenora said. “I remember it well, although I was quite small at the time.” Might they all have to return to Penworthy? How fortuitous, although she felt sorry for her sisters being the cause of it.

Papa shrugged. “I thought so too. How can Madeline and Phoebe have caught it again? I thought you could only have it once?”

Mama shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re both wrong. The older children all had the measles when they were small children, but Madeline and Phoebe were not yet born, so they didn’t catch it. What are we to do? I must go to my sick children. I can’t stay here in Town. But Elenora must. It would not at all be the done thing to abandon her fiancé at this moment in time. Not when so freshly engaged. And she’s been invited for tea at Lord Broxbourne’s house this afternoon to meet his mama. I shall have to send a note of apology that she won’t be able to come without me as her chaperone. Lady Amberley will think me so rude.”

“Mama,” Elenora said, with some asperity because she was already a little fed up with Mama’s outburst. “I don’t think it will matter one whit if I miss tea this afternoon and return to Penworthy with you to take care of my little sisters. I’m sure Lord Broxbourne will think highly of me for doing so. He must understand that my sisters come first.” Which wasn’t entirely true. Well, not true at all. But they were a very welcome excuse to depart for the countryside.

Mama shook her head in a mixture of shock and determination. “Nonsense. You can’t do it. He’s a man, and he won’t understand. You have no idea how men think, Elenora, and I can assure you that they like to be the most important person in the hearts of their betrothed. He will not like to be pushed into second place.” Her gaze fell on Augusta and Frances, who appeared to have shrunk down into themselves, perhaps in the hope of not attracting her attention. “I’ll take Augusta and Frances with me. They are quite old enough to help nurse their sisters. Both of them have already had the measles, so will be immune to the infection. I gather you can only have it once.”

A thought seemed to strike her. “And if you were to return as well, and then come back to Town, you might carry the infection back to Lord Broxbourne, afterwards, all unwittingly, and he might never have had it. That would be disastrous.” She shivered, glanced round and her gaze fell on her sister-in-law. “No. You must stay, Elenora. Penelope must be the one to chaperone you about Town with Petunia. That will be for the best. There is the ball at Belmont house tomorrow that you simply must attend. Broxbourne is bound to be there and you will need to stand up at least twice with him. Penelope and I have already accepted, so my mind is made up.”

Aunt Penelope’s eyes lit up, and Elenora’s heart dropped into her boots. “It would be nothing but a pleasure, Fanny. I will enjoy every moment of it. And so will Petunia.”

Petunia fixed a smile onto her face. Ever since the engagement had been announced, she’d been distinctly frosty with Elenora. So much so Elenora had noticed, which was unusual.

“What about Papa?” Augusta, whose face couldn’t hide her annoyance at being sent home to nurse her two little sisters, said. “Is he coming with us or staying in London?”

Mama looked to Papa, who harumphed a few times but said nothing.

“Well?” Mama asked, her eyes flashing. “Are you coming back to your sick daughters?”

Another harumph. Poor Papa. He was probably wondering what the right reply to this was. Did Mama want him to return forthwith to attend to the two youngest members of the family, or did his duty lie in remaining in London with Elenora, where, admittedly, he would have unfettered access to the gambling tables, which wouldn’t be a good thing with his newfound lack of debt.

Elenora glanced from him to Mama, then back again. “Why don’t you go with Mama? Now I’m officially engaged, Aunt Penelope will be quite adequate to chaperone me. It isn’t as if she needs to choose me a suitor, as that is already taken care of. I will be quite all right here with her and Petunia.” And might not have to go to too many social events. The thought of spending more time in her uncle’s old library, free of Mama’s interference, was intoxicating.

Papa looked at Mama.

Grim faced, she nodded. “That’s settled then. I shall rely on Penelope to chaperone you, Elenora, and you must pay strict attention to her advice. Now, Nicholas, you will need to organize our transport home straightaway. Speed is of the essence. And girls, you need to pack.”

Elenora, a trifle despondent that she was the only member of the family remaining in London, abandoned her breakfast and went upstairs to help Augusta and Frances with their packing.

“It’s so unfair,” Augusta said, throwing her clothes into her trunk with a haphazard abandon that would have shocked Elenora’s maid. “Not only have you inherited Papa’s blonde hair and blue eyes, but, just because you were born before me, you get to come out first and go to balls and no doubt be invited to lots of soirées and maybe even a masquerade or two. And at your very first ball you catch yourself an earl’s heir when you weren’t even looking for one.” She threw in her nightgown from the bed, in a tangle. “And now I have to go back to boring old Penworthy and look after Madeline and Phoebe who’ve had the cheek to catch measles just when Mama has finally taken us up to Town. I think they must have caught the measles on purpose.”