Every Time We Kiss. Christie Kelley
smirked. “And how do we do that?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Leave that all to me.”
“Very well. So tomorrow night Lady Sheldon’s musicale and what do we do about Miss Whitmore?”
Elizabeth smiled brightly and said, “Avis could host a literary…” Her voice trailed away as she looked at Avis.
Jennette shook her head. While Avis loved hosting literary salons and talking about her own book, which hopefully would be published soon, she was now married to Banning. That would never work.
“No, Avis can’t do it. Well, I haven’t hosted a literary salon since before my father died.” Elizabeth turned toward Avis and said, “Surely you can assist me with this?”
Jennette turned toward Avis. “You cannot tell Banning about this. If he knew how involved I was in Blackburn’s life, he’d kill me.”
She felt dreadful asking Avis to keep something from her new husband. But Jennette knew her brother far better than Avis did. Banning would lock Jennette in her room to keep Matthew away from her.
“Of course, I shall help you, Elizabeth. And Jennette, it’s our secret,” Avis said, making a cross over her heart. “Banning will not hear about this from me. Although I still wonder why you are helping Blackburn.”
Jennette looked away, knowing she couldn’t keep the guilt from sweeping over her face. Since marrying Matthew was out of the question, assisting him might be the only way to help her forgive herself.
A few hours later, Elizabeth and Jennette sat in the salon of Miss Susan Whitmore, waiting for the younger woman to join them. Nervous energy filled Jennette as the time dragged. She tapped her foot on the floor, keeping time with the clock.
“What is the matter?” Elizabeth asked. “You’re as jumpy as a toad.”
“You haven’t told me how we will get them together.”
Elizabeth waved a hand at her. “At the literary salon. It won’t be a large gathering so we shall introduce them and hopefully they will sit next to each other.”
“But what if she doesn’t agree?”
“Then we will find someone else. Why are you so concerned?”
Jennette looked away from her friend’s prying eyes. “I feel rather sorry for him.”
Elizabeth shook her head. “Why would you feel anything save contempt for the man?”
“What happened that day was a complete accident.”
Before Elizabeth could meddle any further, Mrs. Whitmore sailed into the room with Susan following directly behind her.
“Lady Elizabeth, I’m honored to have you here.” Mrs. Whitmore glanced over at Jennette and smiled tightly. “Good afternoon, Lady Jennette.”
Damn. She hadn’t counted on Mrs. Whitmore to be with them. Elizabeth flashed Jennette a cautious look.
Mrs. Whitmore and her daughter sat together on the sofa. Susan graciously poured tea into delicate china cups, then handed them to everyone. At twenty-one, Susan had a refined beauty. How was it that she had not married yet? She’d been out for three Seasons and was quite well-liked.
“Susan, we came on a delicate matter,” Elizabeth, the more decorous of them, spoke first.
“Oh?” both Susan and her mother said and then looked at each other.
“It’s nothing dreadful.”
Both Susan and her mother sighed and leaned back in the sofa. Jennette watched every move they made while Elizabeth talked. Susan’s hands trembled as she lifted her teacup to her mouth. Perhaps she was shy and that was the reason for her lack of a husband.
“I know a man whose reputation isn’t the best but he would like an introduction,” Elizabeth said. “He is an earl and looking for a wife. Preferably, one with an excellent reputation.”
Susan’s eyes grew large as she glanced over at her mother. Her mother patted her daughter’s hand.
“Exactly whom are we discussing?” Mrs. Whitmore asked before taking a bite of her biscuit.
“Lord Blackburn.”
The silence in the room almost made Jennette laugh. It wasn’t as if they were trying to introduce Susan to the devil. The Whitmores exchanged odd looks as if having a private conversation without words.
Finally, Mrs. Whitmore smiled and said, “I think my daughter would be most pleased to be introduced to such a fine gentleman.”
Jennette almost dropped her teacup. What the bloody hell was going on? No one had that reaction to him. Even Elizabeth sent her a curious look.
“Very well,” Elizabeth said, still looking puzzled. “I will be hosting a literary salon Thursday evening. He will be in attendance.”
“Then so shall we,” Mrs. Whitmore replied with a very satisfied look on her face.
A sudden chill crossed Jennette’s arm, raising gooseflesh. She had the singular feeling that this meeting was a very bad idea.
“Come along, Jennette,” Elizabeth said as she stood.
“Good day,” Mrs. Whitmore said with a positively evil grin.
What had she gotten Matthew into? She walked with Elizabeth in silence through the hallway. But as soon as the door shut behind them, she put her hand on Elizabeth’s arm.
“What were they about?”
Elizabeth frowned. “I am not certain. Their reaction to the introduction was not what I expected.”
“Something is very wrong.” Jennette walked down the steps and then into their carriage. Once Elizabeth had settled herself inside, Jennette gasped.
“What?”
“Have you heard any rumors about Susan lately?” Jennette whispered. “Scandalous rumors?”
“None whatsoever.”
“I have the oddest sensation that they plan to trap him,” Jennette remarked as her indignation rose.
“Why would they need to do that?” Elizabeth asked, pulling at her white gloves. “She is wealthy, and beautiful, and…”
“And what if she’s with child?”
This time, Elizabeth gasped. “Jennette, what a dreadful thing to say about her.”
“But what if it’s the truth?”
Elizabeth tapped her finger against her lip. “Then Blackburn must be warned so he can be on guard. If you are right, Susan will try to get him into a compromising position to force the issue as quickly as possible. Maybe even at the salon.”
Jennette sat back against the velvet squabs and crossed her arms over her chest. “I shall make certain that doesn’t happen.”
Matthew entered Lady Sheldon’s impressive home on George Street at exactly seven in the evening. When he’d agreed to Jennette’s plan, he had doubted she would be able to secure him invitations to any functions. But now he had the musicale tonight and Lady Elizabeth’s literary salon Thursday. He knew Lady Elizabeth and Jennette were good friends so Jennette had, no doubt, coerced her friend into inviting him.
Nevertheless, it mattered not how he came about the invitations as long as they continued to appear at his house every day. He looked forward to starting his new life. Respectability had been too far out of his reach for so long. Now, it was there, just a little beyond his grasp, not such an impossible feat.
While he followed the footman down the hall, he smiled. As soon as he entered the music room, his smile disappeared. The audible gasp of at least five women sounded when he crossed the threshold, followed quickly