Page 28 of The Baron’s Perfect Match (Twist of Fate #1)

When they reached the Castor townhouse, there was already a long queue waiting to enter.

“My goodness! Lady Castor must have mentioned you would be attending, Lord Fletcher. The musicale will be a crush to be sure,” Lady Devon said with a chuckle.

Jacob inwardly groaned. He supposed he should have expected this, as it would be his first foray into ton events. When they finally reached their hosts, Lady Devon introduced them.

“Lord Fletcher, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lady Castor said.

Lord Castor held out his hand. “Fletcher.”

Jacob bowed to Lady Castor before shaking Lord Castor’s hand. “Thank you for the invitation. I look forward to an enjoyable evening.”

After the introductions were complete, Lady Kathryn linked arms with Miss Parker and led her away.

As he was about to escort Lady Devon into the music room, Easton arrived. The young man was the last person he expected to see. He had hoped to have Miss Parker’s full attention this evening. What a fool he was to think he’d be the only one interested in her.

“Easton,” Lady Devon said with an expansive smile. “What an unexpected surprise.”

“Fletcher,” Easton said with a nod before addressing his mother. “You did invite me, did you not?”

Lady Devon chuckled. “I did, but I didn’t expect you to actually attend.”

“Well, here I am. Now, where are my dear sister and Miss Parker? I would pay my respects.”

“They’ve gone into the music room.”

Easton nodded and walked off.

Jacob wasn’t happy. He wanted to run after the young lord and keep him from seeing Miss Parker, but in all good conscience, he couldn’t abandon Lady Devon.

Unfortunately, the lady was in no hurry to take her seat.

She stopped to chat with her friends and introduce Jacob to a number of ladies and gentlemen.

He was surprised to see so many young men attending this evening.

Was this the norm for a musical evening featuring a number of young ladies? Or was something else going on?

When they finally made it to the music room, Jacob’s brows knitted in a frown.

Easton was sitting next to Miss Parker. Another gentleman was seated next to Kathryn, talking to both of them, but his eyes never strayed far from Miss Parker.

She appeared to be enjoying talking with the lords, if the smile on her face was any indication.

He didn’t like it, not one bit. To make matters worse, there was only one seat left in the row.

There was no way he could deny Lady Devon the opportunity to sit with her son and daughter, so after he escorted her to the seat, he walked toward the back of the room.

“Lord Fletcher, there’s a seat here. Would you care to join me?” a young woman asked as he passed one of the rows.

He had no idea who she was and didn’t want to offend anyone in his first outing. It would not do to have another mention of his name in the scandal sheet. “My lady, you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I do not know yours.”

The young lady stood and curtseyed. “I know we haven’t been properly introduced, and I hope you’ll forgive me for being so forward. I’m Miss Hendrickson, and this is my mother, Lady Hendrickson. ”

Jacob inclined his head. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” he said, taking the offered seat beside her.

“Lord Fletcher, my daughter is one of the singers performing this evening. She’s quite talented.”

“I look forward to hearing her sing.”

Jacob kept glancing at Miss Parker, seated a few rows ahead. She was laughing and talking with Easton and another gentleman he’d not been introduced to. How he wished he could make her smile like that.

The concert began, and Jacob forced himself to stay seated while young lady after young lady sang and played the pianoforte.

By the time intermission came, he wanted to claw his eyes out and plug his ears with cotton.

Miss Hendrickson was the least talented of the bunch.

He’d never heard such screeching before.

He stood and excused himself from her mother.

He looked around but didn’t see Miss Parker right away.

Where had she gone? His gaze had ticked over the crowd and back again when he heard her sweet laughter.

She was surrounded by three young bucks, plus Easton and Lady Kathryn.

This evening was not going as he’d hoped.

He walked over to them. “Miss Parker, are you enjoying the concert?”

She turned with a smile on her face… until she saw it was him. Her smile faded, and she said, “Yes.”

He wanted to draw her away from the men, but he knew she wouldn’t appreciate his heavy-handedness.

Isn’t this what a Season was all about? For a young lady to get to know and be courted by a number of gentlemen before settling on one?

While it had all made sense in his mind, seeing the process in action nearly sent him into a jealous rage.

He managed to clamp down on his jealousy before he did something stupid.

“Lady Kathryn, are you enjoying yourself this evening?” he asked.

The young woman smiled at him. “Very much, Lord Fletcher. And you?”

“It’s been an interesting evening.”

Easton chuckled. “They always are, but every once in a while, there’s a delightful surprise waiting for us,” he said, looking at Miss Parker.

“Lord Easton has invited me to promenade in Hyde Park tomorrow. Of course, I said I could not go without my dear friend, Lady Kathryn.”

Easton had the good grace to nod. “I would never leave my beloved sister out of the invitation. Shall we meet at the park entrance at the fashionable hour?”

Miss Parker looked at Jacob, waiting to see if he would object. He knew it would create a scene if he did, so he did the only thing he could think of in the spur of the moment. “That’s a lovely idea. Perhaps Miss Grace and Miss Mia would also like to join you. They do enjoy the park so very much.”

“Lord Easton, you do not mind if my sisters enjoy the park with us, do you?” Miss Parker asked.

“Of course not. The more the merrier,” Easton said with a smile. If he’d planned on walking out with only Miss Parker, he had the good grace not to show his disappointment.

Jacob wasn’t sure if Miss Parker would be angry with him for suggesting that her sisters tag along, but it had been the only thing he could think of to keep Easton from having her all to himself. What he didn’t say was that he would be joining them as well.

Lord Easton whispered in Miss Parker’s ear, and her eyes widened. “Please say you didn’t?”

“I did. Lady Castor was delighted to add you to the program when I told her of your skill.”

Jacob wanted to reach out and comfort her, as he knew Miss Parker must be nervous at this turn of events, but before he could move to her side, Easton picked up her hand and said, “Miss Parker, you’re a shining star, and it’s about time Society had the pleasure of hearing you perform.”

Fletcher couldn’t blame Easton for wanting Audrey to perform. Easton had witnessed her skill at their dinner, but he could not have known how nervous she got performing for others. When it was her turn to take the stage, Fletcher went to her and escorted her to the stage.

“I don’t believe I can do this,” she whispered. “There are too many people here.”

Fletcher leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Miss Parker, I wholeheartedly believe in you. You are indeed a shining star. Let the music fill you with joy.”

“Thank you, my lord,” she said, nodding and taking a seat on the bench.

Jacob squeezed her hand and walked away .

Audrey’s fingers began to fly over the keys. There was no denying her skill, as everyone’s attention was focused on her.

Fletcher listened in rapture and felt jealous that everyone else had the pleasure of listening to her play. When she finished her piece, their eyes met again. When she smiled, his heart swelled.

Of course, Easton was correct. Miss Parker was the belle of the evening.

After they returned home and said their goodbyes to Lady Devon and Lady Kathryn, she merely wished Jacob a good night and once again fled his company. He didn’t have a chance to ask her to stay and talk with him before she disappeared up the stairs.

Another chance lost. He thought they had a real connection tonight, but obviously he was wrong. This couldn’t go on if he ever wanted to win Miss Parker’s heart.