Page 18 of The Baron’s Perfect Match (Twist of Fate #1)

A udrey had been agitated all day, not knowing what Lord Fletcher was going to tell them.

She’d tried to quiet her mind with her tasks, but to no avail.

Interesting news could mean so many things.

She envisioned the potential scenarios, but each one was worse than the previous.

Nothing seemed to help the heavy feeling in her belly, so she turned to the one activity that had always brought her comfort—the pianoforte.

She played song after song, trying to soothe her nerves.

Singing a melancholy tune that was one of her favorites finally began to ease her anxiety, and she lost herself to the music while tears leaked from her eyes.

She was tired—so very tired of fighting every day to keep her sisters safe, fed, and warm.

They had no one else to turn to, and if Lord Fletcher left London, their options would be worse than they’d been before.

She’d have no choice if he left.

She would have to find a husband—a man who would agree to take in her two sisters once they married.

It was a tall order, and she wasn’t very confident in her ability to find such a man.

She wanted to scream at her father for leaving them so vulnerable.

When her mother was alive, the house had been filled with such joy and laughter.

However, over the last four years, that joy had leaked away little by little, until there was nothing left but worry.

As she sang the final notes, the sound of clapping made her head whip up.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Lord Fletcher leaning against the door frame.

He was impeccably dressed in a navy jacket and silver waistcoat, and her heart did its familiar flip-flop at the sight of him.

She quickly swiped the tears from her cheeks.

“Forgive me, my lord. I didn’t see you standing there. ”

“Miss Parker, I’ve never heard anything so beautiful in all my days. I was mesmerized by your singing,” he said, striding to her.

Audrey stood and curtseyed. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

He stopped a foot from her. “Kindness has nothing to do with it. I speak the truth. Your singing is magnificent.”

Heat flooded Audrey’s cheeks at his compliment. She wasn’t used to them, and it took her a moment to compose herself. “Thank you.”

“You seem quite sad. What is troubling you?”

Audrey had no intention of revealing why she was sad, and especially not of telling him he was at the center of her sadness, so she did the only thing she could and changed the subject. “I’m pleased you’ll be joining us for tea today. You said you had interesting news. May I ask what it is?”

Before he had a chance to answer, both Grace and Mia walked into the parlor.

“Good afternoon, Lord Fletcher,” Grace said with a curtsey. “Lovely to see you again.”

Mia followed suit with her own curtsey.

Jacob bowed to them. “Good day, ladies. I’m pleased to see you both.”

Audrey had been hoping to talk to Lord Fletcher alone to gauge what his interesting news was before sharing it with her sisters.

If it was bad news, she wanted to shield Grace and Mia from any devastating consequences.

Now she’d have to try to mitigate the news as best she could.

“Shall we all sit? Mrs. Culbert will bring in a tea tray shortly.”

Grace and Mia took the two chairs, leaving the sofa for her and Lord Fletcher.

“Ladies, I hope you’re all well since the last time I saw you,” he said.

Grace spoke first. “Lord Fletcher, we’re truly sorry for the vicious gossip in that scandal sheet last week.”

“Miss Grace, that was hardly your fault. It was truly mine for not realizing that everything I say would be scrutinized. I should have been more careful.”

“Yes. Unfortunately, Lady Whitestone is a notorious gossip, and she used your kindness against you.”

“Well, it’s in the past now. Please don’t spend any more time worrying about it. I’d like to talk to you all about something else.”

Audrey’s stomach clenched. The time had come when Lord Fletcher would tell them he was returning to New York. She could hardly breathe as she waited for him to explain.

“I’ve decided to rent a house here in London, and I’d like to have you help me choose it. Would that be something you’d like to do?” Jacob asked, looking at her.

An explosive sigh escaped her lips before Audrey could control herself. Renting a house could only mean one thing—Lord Fletcher was staying in London, at least for now. She felt tears prick behind her eyes and blinked furiously to keep them at bay.

He picked up her hand, and she felt a lovely tingling travel up her arm. “Miss Parker, are you well?”

Audrey nodded. There was no way she’d admit that the mere touch of his hand had such a soothing effect on her. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“You seem upset. Would you care to share what you’re thinking about?”

Audrey couldn’t take her eyes off him. She wore no gloves, and the longer they shared the skin-to-skin contact of their hands, the faster her heart galloped. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and tried to explain. “I thought you came today to tell us you were leaving London.”

Lord Fletcher raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles. “I have no plans at the moment to leave. You don’t have to worry on that account. However, I would sincerely like your help in choosing a house to rent. I have no wish to stay at the hotel indefinitely.”

The feel of his soft lips on her knuckles made her yearn for him to press those very lips against her own.

What was happening to her? She knew she shouldn’t allow herself to fall in love with him, but it was so difficult not to be swept away by his kindness and, of course, the smoldering look he gave her when he said he wasn’t leaving London.

Was the impossible happening? Could he be developing feelings for her like she was for him?

She inwardly chastised herself for such thoughts.

There was no way Lord Fletcher could be interested in her, especially with all the debutantes who’d be trying to catch his eye the moment he attended a ton event.

She was a penniless baron’s daughter with no dowry and no income of her own.

He could make a much better match, but that thought seemed to tear a hole in her heart.

Lord Fletcher held her hand for another few seconds before releasing her. “As you can imagine, I don’t know how to even begin a search. With your knowledge of London, I thought you could enlighten me on the best places to live.”

“Of course, Mayfair is the best neighborhood,” Mia chimed in.

“Mayfair is lovely, but quite expensive,” Grace added.

“Perhaps a neighborhood just outside of Mayfair would be better,” Lord Fletcher said. “I’d like you ladies to be comfortable in your new surroundings.”

“Us?” Audrey said, her eyes widening at his statement. “ Why would it matter to us where you live, my lord?”

“You’ll be moving with me, of course. As your guardian, I wish to see you all protected, and living alone here may not be the best option, even though you have Beckwith looking out for you.”

“Lord Fletcher, we’ve lived on Gracechurch Street for a number of years with nothing untoward happening to us,” Audrey said.

“Be that as it may, I can’t say with any certainty if that was due to Beckwith watching over you ladies or just that you’ve been lucky thus far. As I said, I would feel more comfortable with you under my direct protection.”

This new development was something Audrey had never considered, and it made her like Lord Fletcher even more.

He wasn’t trying to uproot them for no reason.

His goal in renting a new house was to protect them better.

She was now in real danger of falling in love with him.

He wanted them to be safe, which was very chivalrous indeed, but what would happen if he decided to leave London and go back to New York City?

There was no way they could ever afford the rent on such a house, the warring voices inside her head reminded her.

“Miss Parker, you don’t seem pleased by my idea. Is something amiss?”

Audrey didn’t want to put a damper on his idea, but her concerns were real. “And what of this house?”

“You may keep it, of course, if that’s what you wish, although I don’t think it will be necessary. I hope you’ll find your new accommodations more to your liking. ”

“I would prefer to keep it, as this was the last place Mama was happy before she passed.”

Lord Fletcher bowed his head. “Forgive me for being insensitive. Of course you may keep the house. You could also rent it to bring in a bit more income if you’d like. I could have Mr. Haggerty handle the details of the rental contract for you.”

Audrey nodded. “Thank you. I hadn’t thought of that. It’s definitely something to consider. Do you have any houses you plan to view?”

That brought a huge smile to his face, and her heart melted a little more. How could anyone resist that smile? “As a matter of fact, Mr. Haggerty has given me a list of three houses to tour.” He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a slip of paper. “Here are the homes. What do you think?”

Audrey read the list. “These homes are on fine streets. Any of those addresses would be suitable.”

“Excellent. What do you say we make a day of it tomorrow and tour them all?”

Before anyone could agree, Mrs. Culbert brought in the tea tray and placed it on the low table in front of the sofa. “Good day, my lord. I’ve baked a special treat for today’s tea. I hope you enjoy it.”

“How very kind of you,” Lord Fletcher said. “I’m sure it’s quite tasty.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Culbert,” Audrey said.

“Will there be anything else, Miss Parker?” the cook asked .

“No. That will be all.”

The cook exited the room and closed the door behind her.

“Do you not have a kitchen maid to assist Mrs. Culbert with tasks such as this?” he asked while Grace poured out the tea and handed him a cup with a few lemon biscuits on the plate.

“We’ve had no money to hire any more staff. Unfortunately, once our late father gambled away our money, many of the staff left for paying positions. We couldn’t blame them. Only Mrs. Culbert and Beckwith are with us now,” Mia said.

Audrey winced at Mia’s honesty. Her sister had a tendency to blurt out things that should be kept within the family. Lord Fletcher didn’t seem bothered by it, though.

“I understand. Once we settle on a property, I think it would be most helpful to hire more staff,” he said as he took a bite of the biscuit. “Oh my, these are delicious.”

“They’re my favorite,” Mia said.

Audrey needed to get the conversation back on track. “What of the cost, my lord? Hiring more staff will be a substantial monthly expense.” She found it hard not to evaluate every expense in light of their reduced circumstances.

He turned his attention to her. “Miss Parker, I assure you there will be plenty of money to hire staff and anything else you’d like to do. However, there is one more thing I wish to discuss with you if I may. ”

Audrey didn’t like to be singled out like that. These decisions would affect all of them equally. Was there bad news coming after all? “Oh? Pray tell, what is it?”

“I’ve recently met Lord Devon, who graciously agreed to accompany me to Parliament, where I was officially accepted as the new Lord Fletcher.

I told him you were considering a Season, and he informed me that Lady Devon had successfully settled their older daughter in a good match with a viscount and was currently chaperoning his youngest daughter this year.

Lady Devon has invited you and me to dinner on Friday next to discuss the finer details of participating in the Season. ”

“A Season?” Grace asked, looking at Audrey. “You never mentioned wanting a Season before.”

Audrey inhaled sharply. She’d had no idea Lord Fletcher was pursuing this on her behalf, especially as she hadn’t made a decision yet.

After what the scandal sheet had printed, she thought that opportunity was lost to her.

She didn’t personally know Lord and Lady Devon, but she’d never heard of any scandal attached to their name.

Lord Fletcher going out of his way to help her with this decision was something she hadn’t expected.

“Would that please you, Miss Parker?” he asked.

Her mouth fell open. She was so dumbfounded by his generosity that all she could do was nod.