A Lord Rotheby's Holiday Bundle (130 page)

“
For them?”

“
Yes. For the paid
companions and governesses, and other ladies who live and work for
the members of the
ton
and who are expected to move in those same circles—but who
can’t afford to dress appropriately in order to be accepted as they
ought. I intend to make their gowns for them. As a
charity.”

“
A charity. So I suppose
this will be my good deed, that I’ll be paying for this expense?”
It wouldn’t be a bad use of his money, if it kept Jane happy. But
it could still become quite a bit of money. There were many
governesses, paid companions, and the like in Town.

“
Not at all. There’s the
money I’ve saved from before we married. I intend to use that. And
part of my pin money.”

“
I see.” Perhaps he should
have listened to her when they were discussing her pin money. She
said it was far too much, that she would never be able to spend
even half of it in a year. Leave it to Jane to discover a way to
make good use of it all.

“
So may I?” She bit her lip
in anticipation of his response.

“
Tell me more about the
logistics of this endeavor.”

He could scarcely believe he was even
considering the ridiculous notion. Any other gentleman of his
status would forbid it and be done.

“
The shop will be open two
afternoons a week—only for a few hours. During those times, I’ll
take measurements, perform fittings, discuss fabrics and
designs—the normal needs of my customers. And then I’ll bring the
work home with me, and I’ll sew when I’m not busy with my other
responsibilities.”

She had obviously spent a great deal
of time thinking through all of his objections. Blast it. “And if,
for some reason, you need more capital to keep up with the
demand?”

She squeezed his hand and smiled at
him indulgently. “Oh, you have no need to worry, Peter. Sophie is
certain that she can find other ladies willing to invest in my
charity. It’ll actually be fun, to see who she can convince—and it
will give her something useful to do with her time,
too.”

Fun, indeed. Thank God he loved this
woman.

~ * ~

“
Mother! Mother, Papa said
you should come quickly.”

At Joshua’s shouted demands and
Sarah’s squeal, Jane set the primrose muslin she was working on
aside and headed for the front drawing room. “Coming,” she called
out.

“
Come faster,” Sophie
shouted on a laugh.

Sophie was here? Were Charlotte and
their mother here as well? They’d gone to Somerton Court to spend
Christmas with Alex and Grace, so she couldn’t imagine why they
would have returned already. Christmas was still a few days
away.

Jane moved through the halls of
Hardwicke House at a near-run. Something had to be
wrong.

When Peter’s footmen opened the doors
of the drawing room, Jane nearly fell over from shock. Sophie,
Charlotte, and Mama Hardwicke were all present, along with Alex,
Grace, and their little girl. The party wasn’t complete there,
however. Lord Rotheby was seated under a mound of blankets by the
hearth, surrounded by Neil, Richard, newly home from the wars, and
Lord Sinclaire. Her parents were there, too, seated next to the
dowager, and her brothers and their families were off to the
side.

In the middle of them all, Peter stood
with a basket in his hands and his children by his side, grinning
like an imbecile. “I asked Mama to bring you something for
Christmas.”

“
Oh, this is lovely!” Jane
said. She’d never had so many people all together for Christmas
before.

Peter laughed. “Yes, having our family
together for Christmas is lovely, to be sure…but that isn’t what I
was talking about.”

“
In the basket,” Sarah
squealed. “She’s in the basket!”

Joshua admonished her. “You were
supposed to stay quiet and let Papa do this.”

All of the adults laughed.

Jane stepped forward, inching her way
closer. The blanket covering the basket moved ever so slightly, and
then a tiny mewl sounded.

“
A kitten?” Could it be?
Peter would never willingly allow another animal into the house,
would he?

“
She’s a girl!” Sarah
cried, bouncing on the balls of her feet. The poor little dear
almost couldn’t contain her excitement.

Jane smiled at her. “A girl?” Just
then, a gray and white spotted kitten poked her head up from
beneath the blankets and bellowed at them all. She reached into the
basket and pulled the tiny thing out. Almost immediately, the
kitten started purring. “And what do you think we should call
her?”

“
Since she’s a girl,” Peter
interjected, “perhaps she should be Mrs. Cuddlesworth.”

“
Oh, yes, Mother!” Joshua
and Sarah said in unison.

Jane knelt down to the floor and the
children reached in to pet the sweet dear along with her. “Mrs.
Cuddlesworth, is it? I suppose that’s as fitting as
anything.”

Mrs. Cuddlesworth leapt from her arms
and landed on Sarah, who fell over in a peal of giggles.

Jane caught Peter’s eye. He smiled
down at her and helped her back to her feet, then planted a
delicious kiss on her lips. “Merry Christmas, my love,” he murmured
against her lips. “Is that an acceptable gift?”

She nodded. It was the best
gift he could have ever given her—
his
love
.

About the Author

Catherine Gayle has been an avid reader of
romance novels (and almost anything else she can legally get her
hands on) for as long as she can remember. Her mother might say it
started in the womb. When she is not writing or reading, she can
often be found buried beneath her sleeping cat or chasing the
Nephew Monster.

Catherine would love to hear from her
readers. You can send her an email at
[email protected].

A Summons From the
Castle

Regency Christmas Summons
Collection 3

© 2011 Catherine Gayle, Suzie Grant,
Christi Caldwell

In CATHERINE
GAYLE’s
An Unintended
Journey
, Abby Goddard’s life is going
along just swimmingly, apart from the disappearance of her life’s
love—Wesley Cavendish, a man well above her station. Just before
Christmas, Grandmama dies after revealing the identity of Abby’s
grandfather. The Duke of Danby, no less. Now the entire family will
travel to Yorkshire to confront Danby, hoping to gain a dowry for
Abby. But then Wesley reemerges, sparking a hope Abby thought long
destroyed. * Shall the prodigal son’s sole inheritance be an
unsightly gash? Wesley Cavendish aspires to the political realm,
despite his father’s near-murderous opposition…not to mention his
opposition to Abby Goddard. But since Father died, will the new
Earl of Fordingham rescind Father’s disgraceful allegations?
Fordingham thwarts Wesley at every turn, threatening marriage to a
prominent Tory family—which precludes Abby—to put an end to
Wesley’s Whig involvement…unless Wesley can find a
loophole.

~ * ~

In SUZIE GRANT’s
Caribbean Jewel
,
blackmailed by a British Naval Commander, Captain
Randall Whitton, a smuggler with a penchant for gold is rescued by
Jewel Derington, a feisty plantation owner and the very woman who
betrayed him in the jungles of Barbados. Escaping danger has never
been so thrilling. Together they are drawn into a political game of
winner takes all from which only his grandfather, the Duke of
Danby, can rescue them.

 * Fascinated by the glitter of his
Caribbean Jewel, Randall's lust for gold soon fades. His quest to
tame this fiery treasure catapults them both into an adventure
where the stakes are higher and the prize greater than either of
them have ever dared dream.

~ * ~

In CHRISTI
CALDWELL’s
A Scandal for
Christmas
,
for
Lady Alexandra being the source of a cold, calculated wager is bad
enough....but when it is waged by Nathaniel Michael Winters, 5th
Earl of Pembroke, the man she's in love with, it results in a
broken heart, the scandal of the season, and a summons from her
grandfather--the Duke of Danby. To escape Society's gossip, she
hurries to her meeting with the duke , determined to put memories
of the earl far behind.  Except the duke has other plans for
Alexandra....plans which include the 5th Earl of
Pembroke!

Pariah

An Old Maids’ Club
novel

After selling his major’s
commission in the Dragoons, Lord Roman Vanderbilt wants nothing
more than a sedate life in the country, acting as steward over his
brother’s estate. If seventeen years in the military had not been
enough, the vast casualties suffered by his men at Waterloo
certainly made his decision clear. But leave it to Miss Bethanne
Shelton, the generally shunned, enticingly pixie-ish caregiver to
both the village’s senile old biddy and a rambunctious young boy,
to forcefully remove all hopes of a quiet life from his mind. Timid
and yet brave, secretive and yet loving, Bethanne presents Roman
with a series of contradictions he can only hope to solve before he
loses her.

Look for
Pariah
at Christmas,
2011.

Shelved

An Old Maids’ Club
novel

Miss Josephine Faulkner refuses to
come in second to anyone—not even to a husband. Oh, sure, Duncan
Ramsey, the Earl of Leith, has been owner of her heart since she
was a girl, chasing after him and her older brother when they tried
to leave her behind. And while it is true she once gave herself to
Duncan completely, when she was only offered marriage in return
(and therefore, second class status within the relationship), she
told him in no uncertain terms where he could put his blasted
chivalry. Now he needs an heir to prevent his ne’er-do-well cousin
from one day inheriting his father’s marquessate, but having sulked
over the mistakes he’s made with Jo for over a decade, he can’t
imagine anyone else being suited for the job. Somehow he must
convince her that a life at his side will be more worthwhile than a
life of stubborn independence.

Look for
Shelved
in 2012.

Other titles available from

Catherine Gayle

LORD ROTHEBY’S INFLUENCE
SERIES

Twice a Rake

Saving Grace

THE OLD MAIDS’ CLUB
TRILOGY

Wallflower

WANTON WIVES

Available individually and as an
anthology

Of Love and Lust

One Lonely Night

A Perfect Pearl

Leg-Shackled

Uninhibited