Page 31 of The Baron’s Perfect Match (Twist of Fate #1)

T he night of the opera arrived, and Jacob’s nerves were on edge. Miss Parker looked beyond beautiful in a lavender gown, as he’d known she would. No matter what she wore, she took his breath away.

“You look beautiful this evening,” he said when she joined him in the foyer.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Miss Parker, um…”

“Yes, my lord?”

The familiar lump in his throat nearly choked him and prevented him from telling her how he felt. All he could manage to say was, “Are you ready to depart?”

He felt the same thrill as always when she placed her fingers on her sleeve, and he vowed tonight would be the night he told her of his feelings, but more importantly, that he would never abandon her.

Without even having truly joined the Season’s activities, she was becoming the darling of the ton . If the musicale was any indication, she would be introduced to many more gentlemen this evening. That thought didn’t sit well with him.

After making their way to the theatre, he and Miss Parker waited in the lobby for Lord Davies.

It didn’t take long for the young lord to appear.

As with Easton, Jacob wanted to dislike him solely because of his interest in Audrey, but he was a most gracious host, introducing Jacob and Miss Parker to some of his friends and to his sister, Lady Georgina.

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Georgina,” Miss Parker said.

Lady Georgina smiled. “The pleasure is mine. I hope that we’ll be great friends.”

“I hope so, too.”

“Good evening, Davies, Lady Georgina,” Jacob said with a bow.

“Lord Fletcher, good evening,” she said with a smile.

Why was it that he could elicit smiles from perfect strangers and not one from the woman he adored?

“Davies, there you are,” came a booming voice behind them.

The young man turned to greet his father, the Marquess of Hartley. “Good evening, Father. May I make known to you my guests for this evening, Lord Fletcher and Miss Parker? Fletcher, Miss Parker, this is Hartley.”

“Lord Hartley, good evening,” Audrey said with a curtsey.

Lord Hartley looked between Audrey and his son and gave a slight nod of approval as he addressed her. “Miss Parker, I hope you’ll enjoy tonight’s entertainment. This opera is one of my favorites.”

“I look forward to it, my lord.”

Fletcher noticed the subtle sign between father and son when Audrey was introduced and could well imagine what it meant. Miss Parker was stunning, and people took notice of her wherever she went.

“Hartley,” Fletcher said. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Fletcher. The honor is mine, especially knowing there’s another like-minded lord on our side.”

He didn’t remember seeing Lord Hartley at Parliament.

There were a number of men he didn’t get a chance to speak with that day, but he didn’t want to speak about politics tonight.

He’d ask Lord Devon what bills Lord Hartley was sponsoring the next time he saw him.

While he was grateful for the various introductions, he wasn’t thrilled about the way Davies kept looking at Miss Parker.

“Where’s Mother?” Davies asked his father.

“She’s gone to our box already, and I suggest we make our way there as well.”

Davies held out his arm. “Miss Parker, allow me to escort you.”

“Thank you, Lord Davies,” she said, placing her hand on his sleeve.

Fletcher walked with Hartley to the box, where Davies sat on one side of Miss Parker, and his sister sat on her other side in the first row.

Jacob sat with Lord and Lady Hartley in the back row.

He’d never been to the opera before, and he was surprised to find that he enjoyed it very much.

Each time he looked at Miss Parker, there was a look of absolute happiness on her face.

She was clearly enjoying the music as well.

During intermission, he stepped out of the box for a breath of fresh air.

Miss Parker was talking with Lady Georgina, and Davies was conversing with his father.

However, when he returned, she and Davies were gone.

Lady Georgina was still in the box, speaking with her parents.

Where was Miss Parker? Panic crawled up his throat, and he raced back out to the hallway.

He didn’t want to make a scene, so he slowed his steps, but with each passing minute that Miss Parker eluded him, his emotions came closer to spilling out.

After a frantic few minutes of searching, he finally found them in a secluded alcove at the very moment Davies had leaned in to kiss her.

His first instinct was to drag the young lord away from her, but he dialed back his anger and instead said, “Ah, there you are, Miss Parker. The next act is about to begin.” He held out his arm. “Shall we take our seats?”

If she was embarrassed at being caught in a compromising position, she didn’t show it.

“Of course, my lord,” she said, placing her fingers on his sleeve.

That familiar jolt of awareness traveled up his arm at her touch.

It didn’t matter how many layers of clothing he wore; whenever she touched him, he felt a deep connection.

He led her back to their seats, and this time, he took the seat next to her, forcing Davies to sit with his parents.

He found it hard to enjoy the rest of the opera, especially since he couldn’t get the vision out of his mind, seeing Davies’ lips a hair’s breadth away from hers.

Jealousy was running rampant through his veins, and he knew he needed to declare himself to Miss Parker to end this torture before other men began courting her in earnest.

When the opera ended, Fletcher thanked their hosts for a lovely evening.

“I hope you enjoyed yourself,” Lord Davies said.

Miss Parker gifted him with a smile. “I did indeed. Thank you for inviting us.”

“I hope to see you again soon,” he replied.

“I’d like that. Good evening, Lord Davies.”

Fletcher quickly ushered her out of the theatre before a firm commitment for another outing could be made. When they returned home, he said, “Miss Parker, I’d like a word with you before you retire.”

“My lord, I’m quite tired this evening. Can it wait until morning?”

Fletcher shook his head. “No. It will only take a moment.”

She nodded and headed into the drawing room.

Fletcher barely kept his anger in check until he got the door closed. He began to lecture her on her inappropriate behavior with Lord Davies. “You put yourself in a compromising position this evening with Davies. If anyone else had happened upon you, you would be ruined. What were you thinking?”

Her eyes flashed with anger, and she lashed out at him.

“Do not lecture me, my lord. You’re the one who’s been pushing me to join in the Season’s activities.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I must secure a future for myself and my sisters, and that means being in the company of other men who may wish to spend time with me. ”

He was shocked that she wanted to marry someone other than him.

“Secure your future?”

“Of course. Isn’t that why young ladies participate in the Season? To find a husband?” she asked, turning on her heel and stalking toward the door.

Fletcher was growing more desperate by the minute. This was not how he’d expected the conversation to go. Miss Parker was walking away from him again, and he couldn’t let this chance to tell her how much he cared for her slip through his fingers.

He reached out and grabbed her arm.

“Let me go!” she cried. “You’ve made it perfectly clear time and time again that you do not care for me.”

Fletcher stepped back as if she’d slapped him, and disappointment wrapped around his core. “How can you say that? Have I not done everything in my power to show you how much I value you?”

“Value me?” she asked, shaking her head. “You may keep your values to yourself, my lord.” With one last tug, she jerked her arm free and began to leave the room .

This was it. It was now or never, before she walked out of his life forever.

“Audrey, stop!” he shouted. He hadn’t planned on using her given name, but he needed to regain her attention and stop her from leaving.

It had the desired effect, and she turned to him, her eyes ablaze with fury. “How dare you! I haven’t given you permission to use my given name.”

“I apologize, but won’t you please stay and listen to what I have to say?” he pleaded. “I beg of you, just listen.”

She relented, but only slightly. “What’s so important to say now that you haven’t said before? I know you’ll be returning to New York soon, so there’s no sense denying it.”

“What? Whatever gave you that idea?”

“I overheard you talking to Beckwith about packing your trunk.”

Jacob rocked back on his heels. Now he understood her anger and dismissal of him.

“My dear Miss Parker, you are correct. Seeing as I haven’t secured the services of a valet yet, I did ask Beckwith to pack my trunk, but it was for a trip to Dandridge Manor.

I thought it would be a nice family trip to see what the estate looked like. ”

“Family trip?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of going there without all of you.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“I would not. Don’t you know how I feel about you? ”

She stood stock-still, her eyes searching his face.

He knew if he didn’t tell her now how much he loved and adored her, he would lose her.

She shook her head. “I do not,” she whispered.

When she didn’t move, he closed the distance between them and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips for a light kiss.

Then the stubborn dam inside him that had clogged his throat finally broke, and the words finally began to flow.

“Miss Parker, Audrey, you’ve captivated me from the first moment I saw you.

I readily admit that when I first came to London, it was only to satisfy my curiosity about the title, but the more I got to know you, Grace, and Mia, the more I began to realize what I’d been missing in my life. ”

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “And what was that?”

“A family to call my own. I’ve tried hard to show you that love through my actions.

All the misunderstandings between us are clearly my fault.

I’m such an idiot. The kiss we shared in the garden was earth-shattering for me.

I’ve never felt like that before, but I thought I had overstepped.

My rakish behavior that day was so embarrassing to me that I had taken advantage of your innocence.

I now know it was wrong of me not to discuss how I felt with you immediately. ”

“Earth-shattering?” she whispered.

“Yes, my darling. Absolutely earth-shattering. The most perfect kiss I’ve ever experienced.

I came to realize my actions were not enough for you to understand the depth of my feelings.

Men, especially me, are not always forthcoming with their emotions.

We prefer action over talk. Clearly, my attempts at romantic gestures fell flat, and for that, I’m so very sorry.

My darling, please believe me when I say, I love you, most sincerely. ”

She inhaled sharply. “You love me?”

“With every fiber of my being, and if you will allow it, I will spend each and every day for the rest of my life telling you how much.”

“Oh, Jacob. I never imagined you could love me. I felt so lost when you wouldn’t talk to me. My darling, I love you too.”

“You love me?” he asked. It was his turn to be speechless.

She leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. “Very much.”

He was overcome with emotion, and yet, by some miracle of fate, she was confessing her love for him as he’d confessed his for her. Had they been fools dancing around their feelings, misinterpreting each other’s actions and words, never realizing they were both failing to see the truth of things?

He couldn’t control himself any longer and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her with all the desire and passion in his being, drinking at her lips like a man in the desert. He never wanted to let this extraordinary woman go.

When they finally broke apart, they were both breathless .

“I’m so terribly sorry I ever gave you the impression I didn’t care for you or that I would ever leave you,” he said, caressing her cheek. “I went about things all the wrong way.”

“Jacob, my darling, you have been quite accommodating, and I’m sorry for not realizing sooner that your actions were your way of showing me how much you cared.”

Jacob chuckled. “Well, seeing as we’ve both made mistakes in the past, what do you say about rectifying them?” He got down on one knee. “Audrey, my love, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife and making me the happiest of men?”

“It will be my greatest pleasure,” she said as tears flowed freely down her face. “It’s what I’ve dreamed about for weeks.”

Jacob pulled her into his embrace again as Grace walked into the parlor.

“What’s going on? I could hear your voices all the way upstairs.

” She took one look at Audrey’s tear-stained face and rushed to her side, pulling her away from Jacob.

“Sister, what’s the matter? Why are you crying? ” she asked, glaring at him.

“Grace, dearest, don’t be concerned. These are happy tears. Fletcher has proposed, and I’ve accepted.”

It was Grace’s turn to smile. “I must say it’s about time.”

“What?” both Audrey and Jacob said in unison.

She looked between them. “I’ve watched you two dance around each other for weeks now. It was obvious to everyone except the two of you that you were mad for each other.”

“You knew?” Audrey asked.

“Anyone with eyes in their head could see it. I’m just glad you both finally admitted your feelings. Now, can we all go to bed?”

Jacob chuckled. “Of course, Grace, and I’m sorry we woke you. Good night. I’ll see you both in the morning.”

Grace and Audrey left the drawing room together, and Jacob walked down the hall to his study. It had been a momentous evening, almost a disaster of his own making, but in the end, he’d won the hand of the woman he loved.

It was time to send Henry a letter, letting him know of his decision to stay in England.