Page 51 of Sir Andrew and the Authoress

“What year do you mark, my lady?” Lyness asked.

His brother immediately shook his head, disapproval in his tone as he said, “You never ask that of a lady in company, Lyness.”

“What company? It is only us and her family.” Lyness didn’t seem the least repentant.

They would not let the subject drop, Josephine well knew, until they were satisfied. She forced herself to smile. “I shall turn twenty.”

“We usually have a special dinner.” Isabelle volunteered the information with a gleeful expression. At nearly fifteen, she was old enough to behave more circumspectly. But with Lyness and Lord Hartwell at the table, she’d lost some of her good sense. “And Father always presents a gift. Did he send something for her, Simon?”

“He did.” Simon’s grin broadened. “I thought we might have a small party. Of course, most of our friends are still in London, but we have a few neighbors present who would be delighted to receive an invitation.”

A party. Invitations. And Hartwell in residence intent on courting her. It all sounded rather awful at that moment. As much as she enjoyed hostessing dinners and parties with her mother, celebrating her birthday on such a scale without her parents present felt wrong. And foolish. “I would rather not worry about it,” Josephine said, trying not to plead with her brother.

Simon was shaking his head, ready to insist. Lyness and Hartwell appeared equally enthusiastic about the idea, and her sisters were casting excited glances at one another. Grandmama had gone silent, though Josephine looked to her in hopes of finding an ally.

“I have an idea.” Andrew’s sudden statement brought the rest of the conversation to a stop. And, without meaning too, Josephine looked to the man at her right hand with hope. Even if he had been a principal tormenter in her past, he had been a friend of late. Understanding and even kind.

He met her gaze steadily, and the reassurance in his dark brown eyes soothed her frantic thoughts.

“Why don’t I host a small gathering at my estate? Nothing grand. Perhaps a picnic on the grounds.” He kept her gaze as he spoke, raising his eyebrows as he sought her approval of the scheme. It was a good plan. It took away the hosting duties from the family, and a picnic was informal enough that she needn’t feel her parents’ absence too keenly. Nor would a picnic allow Simon to make a spectacle of her.

Josephine gave the barest nod of approval, and Andrew turned to the others with a wide smile in place.

“It has been ages since I have hosted anything at Bytham. We can get there in two hours by carriage at an easy pace—the roads are well-maintained. I’ll go ahead to make preparations, and Josephine may invite whomever she wishes.”

The tightness in her chest eased. “That sounds like the perfect way to spend a birthday. I do enjoy picnics.” She looked to Simon, who appeared to mull the idea over. “Come, Simon. Father won’t mind if we visit Bytham Castle.” They would doubtless bring several of the guards, making the venture safe.

She drew her sisters in to the idea. “You may both come, of course. Since it will be a small, informal gathering of friends, so long as your governess accompanies you, there is nothing wrong with the two of you joining us.”

“Really? May we, Grandmama?” Rosalind, only thirteen years old and far from being out in Society, pled with wide eyes and hands pressed together as if in supplication.

“I suppose that would not cause too much of a social uproar,” Grandmama said with dry amusement. “Will there be a provision for children at this picnic of yours, Sir Andrew?”

“Absolutely, Your Grace. And will you join us, too?” he asked with a differential tone.

“I think so. A little sunshine would be lovely. If the weather holds.” She gestured for the servants to bring forward the last course of the evening. “I think we must agree to the picnic, Farleigh.”

Simon smirked and nodded his ascent, and Josephine wanted to melt into a puddle of relief. She gave Andrew a grateful smile, then sat forward again. Her gaze collided with Lord Hartwell’s.

He stared at her, his brow furrowed and a contemplative tilt to his head. His blue eyes flicked from her to Andrew at her side, then he raised his eyebrows at her and his expression smoothed over, relaxed and pleasant once more. He raised his cup to her. “I look forward to marking the anniversary of your birth, my lady.”

“Thank you, Lord Hartwell.” She lifted her own cup and sipped delicately from it.

She would have to find a way to thank Andrew for his picnic idea later. Despite the odd change in their relationship, he had shown himself a friend. Though contenting herself with that alone made her heart twist miserably, Josephine had to admit herself grateful for that much.

Somehow, she had to overcome her growing feelings for her brother’s best friend. Perhaps he didn’t care for her as she had begun to care for him. He might always see her as the little girl who argued with him over ridiculous things. And she had to content herself with that and nothing more.

CHAPTER 17

A picnic at Bytham. What had he been thinking?

The morning after he proposed the idea, Andrew set off for his estate. Riding Honey, and leaving his protesting valet behind, Andrew could be there in far less time than it would take a carriage. And he would need every minute of that saved time to get things in order for Josephine’s picnic.

He’d wanted to do something for her. Especially when he’d watched her squirm beneath Simon’s ideas for her birthday. Josephine had always been the consummate hostess, thanks to her mother’s tutelage, but she never had enjoyed being the center of attention. Despite her position in Society, her public nature remained quiet.

As Honey took him through Clairvoir Vale and into the surrounding hills, the sun-dappled road shadowed and cool, Andrew questioned his sanity multiple times.

What had the others thought when he proposed the idea? The dowager duchess had taken his measure with a twinkle in her eye. After their strange conversation on the stairs, he couldn’t help wondering if she might suspect something of his growing feelings for Josephine.