Read Online Wallflower (Old Maids' Club, Book 1) by Catherine Gayle - Free Book Online Page B

at
the Scantlebury ball. I simply must discover all your
secrets.”
    Miss Jennings flushed prettily and
launched herself into conversation, needing no more encouragement
than Jo’s effusive flattery to loosen her tongue. Tabitha found it
difficult to pay attention. Far more of her focus was devoted to
watching Toby from across the foyer while devising a plan to bring
him into their circle.
    At the moment, he was
surrounded by the usual suspects: Lord Leith; two of Jo’s brothers,
Christopher and Graham; and two other gentlemen whom Tabitha could
not quite make out due to the great distance and crush of bodies
separating them. She supposed she could just walk over to them and
step into their group. After all, the lion’s share of these men
were family. It wouldn’t be quite as unseemly in this situation as
it would if they were a group of gentlemen to whom she weren’t in
some way related.
    Before Tabitha could make up her mind
one way or another, Miss Jennings’s voice pulled at her. “No, this
is all still quite lavish and unfamiliar to me. In all honesty, it
is on the whole rather uncomfortable. Father worked until his
cousin passed away. He was an innkeeper, actually.”
    “ How intriguing,” Tabitha
said, leaning in. Her attention had been fully captured. “Did you
live in the inn as a child? I would have loved to grow up in an
inn. All those people coming and going all the time.” The thought
of sitting off in the corner of the main room and catching snippets
of their conversations threatened to distract her from the task at
hand.
    “ No we lived in a cottage
nearby, though Mother and I were in and out often, helping in the
kitchens and the like.”
    Jo looked Miss Jennings
over with fresh appreciation. “And you are unconcerned about how
the ton will look
upon you for coming from such humble beginnings? That is quite
brave.”
    The younger woman smiled. “I cannot
change my past. Nor would I wish to do so. Why be ashamed of an
honest life?”
    “ Why, indeed?” Tabitha
murmured. Miss Jennings was far from the simpering young miss that
Tabitha had initially assumed she must be. True, she was very
young. But at least she might not capitulate her senses at the
first instant Toby paid her any regard. Maybe Jo was onto something
promising with the girl.
    That was it. Her mind was made up.
Tabitha would walk over to Toby, convince him to come and meet Miss
Jennings, and then sooner rather than later, she would have another
sister-in-law.
    Tabitha was just beginning to excuse
herself for a moment in order to do that when yet again, Lord Leith
caught her eye. If she was not mistaken, the dratted earl had the
audacity to wink at her for the second time that evening. Tabitha
blinked to be sure she hadn’t imagined his uncouth display. When
she looked again, he was smiling like the devil himself...and he
was making his way toward her, with Toby at his side.
    Well, perhaps he wasn’t altogether
horrid if he was at least bringing her twin along. She’d thank him
someday. Probably the same day she finally gave him a piece of her
mind over his familiarity with both Jo and herself. Her brothers
and cousins were having a decidedly ill-favored effect on
him.
    As the two gentlemen arrived at
Tabitha’s side, she turned to her victim. “Miss Jennings, might I
introduce a good family friend, the Earl of Leith and my brother,
Mr. Tobias Shelton?”
    Lord Leith dropped into a perfunctory
bow. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”
    Toby took a bit longer about it, but
finally did as he ought. “My apologies, Miss Jennings. I’m afraid I
must already be dashing away,” he said almost as soon as he rose
again to his full height. “I only stopped here to inform my sister
and cousin that Lord Leith has offered to escort them home after
the performance tonight. An urgent situation has arisen, which my
business associate has only now informed me of.”
    Urgent situation? Business associate? The
only business Tabitha knew of