A Lord Rotheby's Holiday Bundle (113 page)

“
It is time, dear Jane, to
call in reinforcements.” Sophie’s pronouncement came after several
moments of silence while both women forged internal debates. She
winked. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Sophie scurried off the bed and out
the door of the bedchamber, then padded through the silent house in
her bare feet.

Surely it was good that Sophie had an
idea—wasn’t it? Oh, drat, Jane hoped it was good. But the longer it
took for Sophie to return, the more Jane’s stomach churned and
roiled, dreading what could possibly be in the works.

When Sophie finally re-entered the
room, Jane nearly fell from the bed in shock. A fully dressed Neil,
the handsome, youngest Hardwicke brother with his light auburn hair
and rogue’s smile, appeared by her side.

Jane pulled at her robe to be sure she
was fully covered and glared at her friend for giving her no
warning. This was highly inappropriate, and possibly the most
devilishly and deliciously scandalous thing Jane had ever
experienced in her life.

Well, at least the most scandalous
thing she had experienced in her nightgown.

Neil merely grinned the way she
imagined Mr. Cuddlesworth would grin at his prey before pouncing,
which in turn sent a blush over Jane’s face and down her neck. She
pulled her robe up higher.

“
What on earth is the
meaning of this?” she whispered, hoping no one in the house would
hear them and discover that a gentleman was in her chamber...even
if Sophie was there, as well.

“
I was hoping to have that
very question answered, myself,” Neil drawled. He didn’t sound deep
in his cups—at least she didn’t think he did. Not that she had ever
been in the presence of a drunkard before. Oh, double drat, how was
she supposed to know such things? Times like the present made it
abundantly clear how protected a life she’d lived, out in the
country with a vicar for a father.

Jane shook her head as
though to clear her thoughts.
Calm down.
Breathe
. Sophie knew what she was doing.
Didn’t she?

“
We need your assistance,”
Sophie said, facing Neil. “No questions asked.”

He narrowed his gaze, looking at them
each in turn. “Go on. I’m listening, but making no
promises...yet.”

“
Tomorrow afternoon, Jane’s
going to feign illness—”

“
I’m
what
? I’m never ill. Your mother will
never believe that.”

Neil chuckled. “I should have known
Mama was involved in this somehow.”

Sophie glared at Neil then turned the
fullness of her ire on Jane. “She will. Stop interrupting. It’s the
afternoon of your come-out, and you are going to develop a bout of
nerves.” Sophie’s resolve was enough to force even Old Boney
himself into submission at that moment. Jane bit her lip so as not
to argue further.

“
All right. Jane is
faux-ill. What does this have to do with me?” asked Neil. He wasn’t
behaving impatiently—that wasn’t quite the right word for it. Jane
thought he was rather objective and methodical, though, not playing
around at all. She’d never encountered him before without seeing
him make a joke of something or pull a prank. This change in his
deportment was unnerving, to say the least. He acted as though he
carried out covert operations on a recurring basis.

Sophie interrupted Jane’s
musings. “You’re going to help her sneak out of the house—I would
suggest through that window over there—and drive her in a covered
carriage to Bond Street. She needs to meet with someone there and
then return without being seen. By
anyone
.”

“
Why, precisely, am I going
to do something as asinine as this? And who is it she’s
meeting?”

“
No questions. Either you
do it for us, or you leave now.”

Good Lord, Sophie had truly lost her
mind this time. Sneaking out of windows—second floor windows, to be
precise—and traipsing furtively all through London. No man in his
right mind would agree to a plan as idiotic as this, certainly not
without knowing more details.

Theirs was a lost cause, and Neil was
sure to say something to either Peter or Cousin Henrietta. They
were done for.

He stood there, immobile and silent,
for so long that Jane was about to rip her skin free because it
would not stop crawling about and was driving her to distraction.
“All right.”

All
right
? He was going to do it? “You can’t
possibly be serious,” Jane said before she could think better of
it, earning a glare from Sophie.

“
I am. What time will this
clandestine lover’s meeting take place?”

Sophie glanced at some notes she and
Jane had been going over with meeting times and business plans and
fully ignored Jane’s blush. “You should be in the carriage and
leaving by two-thirty at the latest.”

“
I’ll see you at the window
at two-fifteen, then,” he said to Jane and winked. “Anything
else?”

A brisk shake of Sophie’s head gave
him all the answer he needed, and he left them as quietly as he had
come.

“
He’s going to do it?
Truly?” The entire idea that Neil would take part in such a
ludicrous plan baffled her.

“
Truly.”

And that was the end of that
particular conversation.

~ * ~

Now, sitting in the drawing room the
next afternoon with the other women of the house, Jane’s nerves
were taking control. A glance up at the large grandfather clock by
the far window only intensified her unease.

Two o’clock. Almost time. Any minute
now, Sophie and Charlotte would take their leave, and she would
have to feign illness.

Although, with the current state of
her stomach, there may not be nearly as much deceit involved as she
had previously envisioned.

She stole a look at Sophie, who sent
her a forceful frown. Obviously, her friend intended to follow
through with her end of the agreement. But neither had yet seen
Neil this morning, so how could she know whether he would make good
on their arrangement? He might have only said he would do it,
without actually intending to follow through.

Oh, drat, drat, drat.

And then he poked his head around the
doorway. “Good morning, mother. Ladies.” His roguish grin was well
in place as he winked in Jane’s direction, and his eyes twinkled
devilishly.

“
I would hardly consider
this morning,” Charlotte said. “Though, for you, I can see how it
might be.”

“
Early to bed, early to
rise and all that,” he said in response, waving his hand airily.
“You know how I enjoy watching the sunrise.”

“
True, but most of us are
just waking when we see it. You often have yet to go to
bed.”

Cousin Henrietta quickly
changed the subject, clearly having no desire to hear her adult
children bicker any more than necessary—even if she did have a
smile in her eyes that was struggling to work itself down into her
mouth despite fierce resistance. “Neil, where are you off to this
afternoon? You are dressed far more...well,
far more
than you would be to stay at
home.”

“
Tattersall’s, Mama. But
only after a stop at White’s. I intend to win some money off of
Toby Shelton and purchase a new horse with it.”

“
Oh.” His mother was unable
to stop the frown from forming. “Well, do have a good time, then.
And be responsible, please.”

He waved and was out the front door
without any further ado.

Jane tried not to snicker at Cousin
Henrietta’s continued mutterings which amounted to something
similar to: “The day that boy ever learns to be responsible will be
the day I drive a chariot in Rome.”

Several minutes had ticked off the
grandfather clock. Sophie stood and said, “Well, ladies? Shall we
be off to visit with the Marlborough sisters?” She carefully set
her embroidery work (which had noticeably not been altered the
entire day, even though she clearly had made herself look rather
busy with it) on the table next to her and straightened her lovely
pink afternoon gown.

Charlotte rushed to do the same, with
Char exclaiming, “Oh, I am so excited. It’s been an age since I saw
Theodora, I must say.”

“
You saw her only a week
ago, silly,” Sophie said. “That hardly signifies as
an age
.”

“
Has it only been a week?
Oh dear, it felt like far longer than that.”

During their exchange, Jane remained
seated—and Cousin Henrietta finally took note. “Are you not going
with the girls, Jane?” The two Hardwicke sisters turned to her in
shock (or in feigned shock, as the case may be) to discover what
was going on.

Jane’s stomach churned on the lie she
was about to tell. “I don’t think I ought to go, ma’am. I’m feeling
a bit faint. Perhaps it would be better if I go take a lie-down for
a bit. I would hate to be ill tonight and unable to attend my own
ball.” She hoped her face reflected the green she was feeling at
the prospect of escaping through her second-floor
window.

“
Oh, dear. You do look a
bit off-color. Ought we to send for a doctor?” Cousin Henrietta
rushed over to feel her forehead with the back of her hand. “No
fever,” she muttered under her breath.

“
Mama, I believe Jane is
just feeling a bit nervous about the ball,” Sophie said
matter-of-factly. “It’s rather overwhelming for her, you know. Why,
the entire Season is so very different from what she was accustomed
to in Whitstable. I think a lie-down is precisely what she needs to
be in top form for the evening.”

“
Yes, that’s likely all it
is,” Jane agreed. “Just a bit of rest will do the trick.” Please
let her accept that answer and drop the subject.

“
Oh, but the Marlborough
sisters will miss you dreadfully,” Charlotte said. “We will assure
them there’s no reason for concern, of course.”

“
Do you need help getting
up to your chamber, dear?” asked the dowager.

“
No,” Jane responded a bit
too quickly.
Breathe. It will be all
right.
“No, I can manage on my own, thank
you. I’ll just have Meg wake me in time to prepare for the evening,
if that’s all right with you.”

“
Of course, dear. And just
ring your bell if you need anything before then. Meg will take care
of anything.”

Jane walked up the stairs as slowly as
she could manage, until she was positive no one was watching her.
She darted into her room and informed Meg she was not to be woken
for a minimum of three hours (and prayed that would give her enough
time to return to Hardwicke House without being caught), then shut
herself into the room and looked at the clock.

Two-thirteen. Only moments to
spare.

Before she had regained her breath and
slowed her pulse from racing upstairs, a light tapping sounded at
the window. When she pulled back the curtains, Neil stood before
her on the tiny balcony ledge, a mischievous sparkle in his
eyes.

Jane unlatched the window pane and
pushed it up.

“
Your chariot awaits, my
lady,” he said.

“
You’re rather prompt. But
how did...how did you...?” Then she looked down at the ladder he
had found God-only-knew where, perched against the side of the
house. It ran down the length of the mansion and stopped directly
next to an enclosed carriage. Or, to be more precise, next to the
horses pulling the enclosed carriage. “Oh, my.” She closed her eyes
for a moment and tried to remember to breathe.

Neil winked at her. “Come along, sweet
Jane. We haven’t got all day, now, have we? Lucky for us, your
suite is on the back side of the house, so we should be able to get
away without being seen. Unless you’ve changed your mind, of
course.”

“
I won’t be changing my
mind.”

“
Not even with the horses?”
he asked with a chuckle.

She merely glared and gathered her
reticule.

He held the window up while she
climbed out, trying not to rip her gown as she hoisted her legs
through the open frame, but also trying not to reveal too much of
her stocking-clad leg to him. This was all highly irregular, and
far more inappropriate than anything she had ever in her life
imagined.

And maybe just the tiniest bit
exciting.

The balcony was so small that in order
for them both to stand upon it, they were almost touching each
other.

“
Will you be able to climb
down on your own, or should I carry you?”

Her cheeks must have flamed at the
thought of him carrying her. But to climb herself, she would have
to look down at the horses the entire way so as not to lose her
footing.

No, she was a grown woman. She could
do this. “I can climb. Go on, get going.”

Within seconds, he had leapt over the
ledge and scurried to the ground. When she looked down at him
again, he gestured for her to come along then held the wobbly
contraption steady for her.