Page 23 of The Baron’s Perfect Match (Twist of Fate #1)

J acob wandered the streets of London for what seemed like hours. He couldn’t get Miss Parker’s sweet kiss out of his mind. She was perfect in every way, and he’d taken advantage of her trusting nature. She was an innocent, and he had overstepped.

What a cad he was.

His aimless walking led him to St. James’s Street.

As he passed along the shops, he spotted one selling boots with the name Hoby in the window.

He needed a new pair of boots, and it was the perfect distraction to keep him from obsessing over Miss Parker.

The bell over the door chimed when he walked inside.

“Good day, my lord,” the clerk said. “May I help you with something?”

“Yes. I’m Fletcher, and I need a new pair of boots.”

“Of course. Please follow me so I may take your measurements. It will take several weeks for them to be ready. Will that suffice?”

“Yes. That’s not a problem,” Jacob said, following the clerk to an area used for measurements.

After an hour of measuring and discussing what he wanted, Jacob finally left the shop.

It was past five, and his growling stomach reminded him he’d missed luncheon, but he felt he deserved it.

A few hunger pains could never make up for his rakish behavior earlier.

By the time he arrived home, all he wanted to do was retreat to his study, but the sisters were in the drawing room when he entered the foyer, and Mia shouted out to him.

“Lord Fletcher, we missed you at luncheon. Will you be joining us for dinner?” she asked.

He walked to the doorway but purposely did not look at Miss Parker. He concentrated his gaze on the youngest Parker sister. “Not tonight, Miss Mia. I have a lot of work to catch up on. Could you inform Mrs. Culbert that I’ll take a dinner tray in my study?”

The look of disappointment on Mia’s face sent a dagger through his heart. He hated to disappoint her, but there was no way he could face Miss Parker this evening. His embarrassment was too great. He needed time to think about his next steps in hopefully repairing any harm he had caused her.

“Of course,” Mia said.

“Good evening, ladies,” he said, striding off to his study.

“That was strange, don’t you think, Audrey?” Mia asked.

“Not at all, dearest. I’m sure he’s quite busy with Parliamentary business these days,” Audrey said, keeping her voice neutral.

Jacob heard Miss Parker’s answer before he entered his study and closed the door behind him.

She sounded calm, but was that posturing for her sister?

He headed for the sideboard to pour himself a good stiff brandy and downed it in one gulp before pouring another.

He knew he should be writing to Henry, letting him know how things were going, but what could he say?

I’ve made a right mess of things. What do you advise?

He’d been so sure this morning that he wanted to stay in London, but now he wasn’t so confident. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life avoiding Miss Parker—she was his ward and he owed her his protection.

What a conundrum.

An errant thought entered his mind while he sipped his brandy.

What if Miss Parker had enjoyed the kiss as much as he did and wanted more?

Perhaps in the carriage on the way to the Devon dinner party could be his chance to speak with her alone about what had happened without the fear of one of her sisters overhearing their conversation.

Would she welcome the conversation? He had no idea and could only hope she could forgive him for his lapse in judgment.

He spent a long evening contemplating the best way to approach the conversation, but when he headed up to his bedchamber, he’d come no closer to finding the perfect words to say to her.

22 2

Audrey sighed as she sat at her vanity table the next evening, getting ready for the Devons’ dinner.

“There you go. You look like an angel,” Grace said, putting the last pin in Audrey’s hair.

“Thank you, Grace. What would I do without you?”

“You’ll never have to find out, dear sister. Now, are you ready to put on your dress?”

Audrey nodded.

Grace slipped the aqua-and-cream silk gown over her head and laced up the dress before taking a step back. There were tears in her eyes. “Oh, Audrey, Mama would be so proud, seeing you wear her dress. You look stunning.”

Audrey lovingly smoothed down the front of the dress and caressed the sheer sleeves. “I’ve always loved this dress. It was Mama’s favorite.”

“Now for the finishing touch,” Grace said, clasping the pearls around her neck. “You’re going to be the most beautiful woman at dinner tonight.”

Audrey gave her sister a sad smile. The only one she wanted thinking she was beautiful was Jacob. He’d been avoiding her since their kiss in the garden, but there would be no avoiding her this evening.

Would he finally talk to her about their shared experience? It had been her first kiss, and it had been magical.

“I have something for you,” Grace said, producing two small red roses. “For your hair. It’s the best I can do, since Papa sold all the other jewelry, including the hair clips. Do you like them?”

“They’re beautiful and so very thoughtful of you. Thank you, Grace.”

Grace pinned the roses in her hair and stepped back. “There. You’re perfect. Now, you mustn’t tarry any longer. You don’t want to keep the baron waiting.”

“No, of course not.”

“Promise me you’ll tell me everything that happens this evening. It’s so exciting.”

“I will,” she said, pulling on her gloves and sailing out the door and down the staircase. Her breath caught when she saw Jacob standing in the foyer. He looked so devastatingly handsome in his black evening wear. The only spot of color was an emerald pin in his cravat.

“Good evening, Lord Fletcher. I hope I’ve not kept you waiting,” she said, descending the stairs.

“Not at all. You look lovely.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Are you ready? I have a hackney waiting.”

“Of course.”

Beckwith opened the door, and Jacob handed her up in the carriage.

If she thought they would have a conversation on the ride to the Devon residence, she was sadly mistaken. He took the seat opposite her and looked out the window the entire time. How could she broach the subject of their kiss when he wouldn’t even look at her?

They soon arrived at their destination, and Jacob handed her down.

“Um…Miss Parker. I…um…”

“Yes, my lord?”

“I wanted—” he started to say, but the front door opened, interrupting him.

Why had he waited until they were about to go in to speak to her?

“Are you ready to meet the Devons?”

“I suppose.”

“Don’t be nervous. I have it on good authority that Lady Devon will be pleased to speak with you about a Season,” he said, holding out his arm. “Shall we?”

Audrey nodded and placed her fingertips on his sleeve. Even through the fabric of his jacket and shirt and her glove, she felt a jolt of awareness travel through her body. How was she ever going to look at another man when her heart was fully committed to Jacob?

The butler opened the door as they climbed the stairs. “Good evening, Lord Fletcher, Miss Parker. Please follow me. The family is enjoying drinks in the drawing room.”

They followed the butler into a spacious room decorated in shades of blue and cream. There were several sitting areas, and Audrey noticed a young woman her age sitting with a woman she assumed was Lady Devon. The women stood when they entered.

“Lord Fletcher and Miss Parker,” the butler announced before departing.

Lord Devon reached them first and held out his hand. “Fletcher. Good to see you again. ”

Jacob took his hand in a firm handshake before introducing her. “Thank you. Lord Devon, this is Miss Parker. Miss Parker, may I make known to you Lord Devon?”

Audrey curtseyed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my lord. Thank you for inviting us for dinner.”

“It was actually Lady Devon’s idea,” he said as his wife and daughter came to stand next to him.

“Good evening, Lord Fletcher,” Lady Devon said. “Welcome to our home.”

“Lady Devon, thank you for the invitation,” he said with a bow.

“Welcome, Miss Parker. I’m very pleased to make your acquaintance,” Lady Devon said, turning her attention to Audrey.

“Lady Devon, the pleasure is mine,” she said with a curtsey.

“May I introduce my daughter, Lady Katherine?”

Lady Katherine was quite plain and a bit on the plump side, but she had a welcoming smile, and Audrey liked that. “Pleased to meet you, Lady Katherine.”

“Come, let’s all have a drink before dinner,” Lord Devon said, leading them to the large sitting area.

As they settled into their seats, a young man came striding into the room. “My apologies for being late,” he said.

“Ah, my wayward son has deigned to make an appearance this evening,” Lord Devon said, chuckling. “I wasn’t sure you’d attend. ”

“Of course I would. I never want to disappoint you or Mother,” he said before he noticed Audrey.

“Lord Fletcher, Miss Parker, this is my son, Easton,” Lord Devon said.

“Easton,” Jacob said with a nod.

Audrey stood and curtseyed. “Pleased to meet you, my lord.”

She later discovered that Easton was a viscount and used his father’s courtesy title as the heir to the earldom.

He was quite a good-looking man with blond hair and blue eyes.

He was the exact opposite of Jacob—short where Jacob was tall, light where Jacob was dark—but the major difference between the two men was that he was an Englishman who would not be running off back to New York.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Parker. May I pour you a sherry?” Easton asked with a slow and sexy smile.

“Yes. That would be lovely.”

“Mother, Lady Katherine? Care for one as well?” Easton asked.

Both Lady Devon and Lady Katherine nodded.