Page 26 of The Baron’s Perfect Match (Twist of Fate #1)

“H ow was the dinner last evening? Was it everything you hoped it would be?” Grace asked Audrey the next morning at breakfast.

“It was a lovely evening. I’ve met a new friend, Lady Kathryn. She reminds me of you, dear sister—rather quiet and reserved.”

“I’d love to meet her. Do you think she’ll come for tea some day?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll ask her this evening.”

“This evening?”

“Lord Fletcher and I have been invited to a musicale at Lady Castor’s home.”

“How exciting. So, does that mean you’ve decided to have a Season?”

“I’m not sure. Lady Devon assures me that participating in a Season is one of a young woman’s greatest thrills, but her daughter doesn’t seem to agree.”

“Why is that?”

“She believes gentlemen will only propose to her because they value her dowry, not her.”

“Do you think that’s true?”

“I don’t know. She’s lovely and kind-hearted. I like her, but she’s quite harsh on herself about her appearance. I sincerely hope what she believes isn’t true. I want to think that some day, a gentleman will see her true worth and propose because he can’t live a moment without her by his side.”

“Perhaps this evening’s musicale will be different for her.”

“I do hope so.”

Mia came bounding into the dining room and immediately frowned at Lord Fletcher’s empty chair. “Where is Lord Fletcher?”

“I don’t believe he’s come down yet,” Grace said.

“Shouldn’t we wait?”

Audrey didn’t have a chance to answer before she heard the voice she’d come to crave above all others coming from behind her sister.

She told herself that she must get over her feelings for the baron, especially considering his aloofness these past few days, but her silly heart refused to cooperate.

“Wait for what?” Lord Fletcher asked, entering the room on Mia’s heels.

“Lord Fletcher!” Mia cried, practically bouncing on her feet as she turned to greet him. “You’re here. I thought you were abandoning us again.”

“My dear Miss Mia, I wouldn’t dream of such a thing,” he said, stealing a glance at Audrey.

“Good morning, Lord Fletcher,” Audrey said .

“Miss Parker, Miss Grace. I trust you both are well this morning?”

“Thank you, my lord. We are well.”

“Lord Fletcher, my sister informs me that you and she will be attending a musicale this evening,” Grace said.

“Yes. Lady Devon has graciously offered to secure an invitation for us,” he said, filling his plate at the sideboard before sitting at the head of the table.

“That was a lovely thing to do,” Grace said before looking at Audrey. “After breakfast, we must go and see if you have a suitable dress to wear.”

“I’m sure I have something,” Audrey said, although she knew that, even with the addition of her mother’s dresses, she had nothing suitable.

None of her mother’s dresses, while quite lovely, were in the current fashion, and she would need to spend most of the day altering something to wear this evening.

“Miss Parker, is a trip to the modiste in order?” Lord Fletcher asked.

Audrey’s head snapped to him. Why was he being so kind and helpful after not talking to her last evening? It was most perplexing.

“My favorite gloves were ruined by the ducks. May I please come along?” Mia asked.

“Dearest, I don’t need to go to the modiste, and I told you I would mend your gloves,” Audrey said.

“Why don’t we all go? I’ll open an account for your personal use. After all, if you decide on a Season, you’ll need to consult the modiste on some new dresses, is that not so?” he asked.

Mia squealed with delight, and Audrey knew there was no use fighting the decision. She looked at Lord Fletcher and nodded. “Thank you, my lord, for your kindness. Shall we depart in an hour?”

“Perfect,” he said, diving into his eggs, bacon, and toast with gusto.

Audrey was more confused than ever. Lord Fletcher was so congenial this morning, and yet, he wouldn’t even speak to her last evening except when he asked her to play the pianoforte.

Was he merely playing a game? Making Mia and Grace love him before abandoning them?

The last thing she wanted was for her sisters to be hurt if he wasn’t serious in his intention to care for and protect them.

She needed to speak to him privately, and as she didn’t want her sisters to hear what she was saying, she lingered in the dining room until both Mia and Grace had gone upstairs to change.

“My lord, what are you doing? Is this some kind of game you’re playing with our lives?” she asked with an unrelenting stare.

“Game? Is that what you believe I’m doing?” Jacob asked, the muscles twitching along his jaw the only indication that he was upset by her question.

“I honestly don’t know what you’re doing. Trust me, I wish I did.”

“Miss Parker, I’m merely trying to provide for you and your sisters the best way I know how. ”

“Very well, then,” Audrey said, standing.

“May we…um…have a private moment to talk while your sisters are upstairs?” he asked.

Audrey wanted more than a mere moment to talk through everything with him. This was not the best time to delve into it. “Can it wait until later? I need to change, and don’t wish to delay our departure.”

“Of course.”

222

Jacob watched her flee his company once more. He’d been hoping to talk to her privately, and when she lingered in the dining room, he’d thought they could finally have a conversation about their shared kiss without her sisters overhearing them.

Except that didn’t happen.

The tone of her voice when she accused him of playing games with their lives had cut him to the quick. What kind of monster did she think he was? He’d never toyed with anyone’s feelings in his life, and he wasn’t about to start now. Anger unfurled in his chest at the allegation.

How could he convince her that he only had the best of intentions toward her and her sisters? She’d invaded his senses without even trying, and he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Morning, noon, and night, she was all he thought about.

Why couldn’t he just tell her how he felt?

His inability to express his feelings was a failing of his, he knew, but it was hard to change how he dealt with it on such short notice.

He had to remember she was not a mind reader, and without his words, she would have no idea what he was thinking and feeling.

He wanted to do something nice for her today to make up for his lack of conversation last night, and that’s why he suggested a trip to the modiste.

What woman didn’t love going to the modiste’s?

He’d wanted Miss Parker to react as Mia had.

Well, maybe not with that level of exuberance, but surely she could see he was trying to do his best for them.

Jacob left the dining room and walked down the hall to his study. Once inside, he began to pace—back and forth, back and forth—his hands clenching and unclenching as he tried to think through the current situation. Perhaps he needed to analyze the situation through a different lens.

From what he could understand of the Parker sisters’ circumstances before he’d arrived in London, Miss Parker had had the sole responsibility for taking care of her sisters ever since their mother passed a few years earlier.

Evidently, their father’s grief at losing his wife was such that it clouded everything for him, including taking care of his daughters.

How difficult that must have been for her, to not only lose a beloved parent, but then to watch as her only surviving parent lost himself.

It was unthinkable that she’d borne that heavy responsibility on her own. When his parents died, he’d had Henry to lean on. From what he could tell, Miss Parker had had no one to help her. The worry of keeping her sisters sheltered and fed must have been tremendous, but she’d soldiered on.

His admiration for her grew tremendously.

He thought about all their past conversations, and it finally dawned on him what her greatest fear was—that he would abandon them just like her father had. That rocked him to his core, and he realized that he could never leave the woman he was falling in love with.