Read Online An Escapade and an Engagement by Annie Burrows - Free Book Online Page B

had summoned her to her
room.
    ‘That girl appears to have acted upon you like a tonic,’ she’d
said, the moment Lady Jayne had taken a seat. ‘I had thought just at first she
looked a little…common…’ Lady Penrose had arched an enquiring brow.
    ‘That is one thing I hope to help her with while she is in
Town,’ she had said, seizing her opportunity. ‘I had hoped, if I might supervise
her purchase of a new wardrobe and just give her a nudge—you know, about what is
truly stylish…’
    Lady Penrose had continued to look at her in silence, that
eyebrow raised, until Lady Jayne had admitted, ‘Well, no, she is not from a
terribly good family. But I do like her.’ And by that time it had been the
truth.
    ‘There is nothing wrong with having a few friends from lower
levels of Society, provided one does not let them become too encroaching,’ Lady
Penrose had said with a pointed look.
    Lady Jayne had nodded her understanding. Any friendship with a
person of Milly’s class would be allowed to go so far, but no further.
    ‘I have not been able to help noticing,’ she had then said,
with a troubled air, ‘that you have not been very happy while you have been
staying with me. It was one of the reasons why I decided we should accept Miss
Beresford’s invitation to attend her come-out, even though she is not from one
of the families your grandfather approved. I had wondered, when you expressed an
interest in attending, if you and she had struck up
a friendship?’
    Lady Jayne had only gone to that wretched ball because Harry
had let her know he could be there, and they had arranged an assignation in the
library, but she couldn’t very well admit that.
    When Lady Penrose saw that she had no intention of making any
response to her tentative enquiry, she continued, ‘I have rarely seen you smile,
and certainly never heard you laugh, until Miss Brigstock came upon the scene.’
She smiled. ‘For that alone I am inclined to like her.’
    ‘I hate having to deceive Lady Penrose,’ Lady Jayne said now to
Lord Ledbury with feeling. ‘I wish it was not necessary.’
    ‘Yet Milly tells me you have invited her to go shopping again
tomorrow?’
    ‘And then to Gunter’s for ices.’ Her face brightened
considerably. ‘She will enjoy that, will she not?’
    ‘She will,’ he said, wondering what was making her look so
cheerful. He would not have thought that a sheltered Society beauty like her
could have anything in common with an army brat. Was she really so lonely that
she could look forward to going shopping and having ices with a girl like Milly?
If what she said about disliking deceiving Lady Penrose was true, then he could
only believe she was so lonely that even Milly’s company seemed appealing,
or…
    Hang it. How could he have forgotten the reason she’d agreed to
meet Milly in the first place? Lieutenant Kendell. He’d promised that if she
took Milly shopping he would reward her with a sight of her lovelorn
lieutenant.
    His mood, which had not been all that good to begin with,
plummeted still further as he saw that, in spite of knowing Lady Jayne was not
at all the kind of girl he could ever seriously consider marrying, it was still
galling to know her face would never light up at the prospect of spending time
with him.
    Even if she hadn’t already been in love with someone else,
she’d already let him know, in no uncertain terms, that he held no appeal for
her whatsoever. That he was, in short, a cross old
stick.
    He turned from her abruptly, using the excuse of placing his
empty glass down on the stone coping to conceal any of the feelings that, heaven
forbid, might be revealed in his expression. Nor did he particularly want to
watch her light up when he told her what steps he had already taken in
accordance with the promise he’d made her.
    ‘I have taken a box at Drury Lane. I shall be inviting you to
join a party I shall get up next Tuesday. Be sure to attend.’
    Lady Jayne glowered at him. The