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Chapter One: Lady Maitland
England, 1793
The Earl of Warren let his er sister rambled on in a cheerful voice Wilhelmina—or Minette, as everyone called her—could carry on a conversation for hours, no e He had the questionable fortune to be sharing a carriage with her on a day-long journey to a friend’s home in Hertfordshire
“Will we be there soon?” Minette perched on the edge of her seat, craning to look out the
“It’s at least two more hours, love Perhaps you should rest”
Minette was as likely to rest as an overstimulated puppy The nineteen-year-old woe, and possessed of boundless energy They shared the sah such hair suited his vivacious sister far better than him
“I can’t rest,” she said “I aain Calliope will be there, and Lucy, and Helena, and Prudence, and Melinda and Belinda…”
She went on to naht what a tor, so social duties loomed on the horizon After a week in St Albans as the Earl of Baxter’s guests, everyone would swarm to London for the start of the season, to plan their balls and dinners, andMelindas and Belindas with husbands
Warren himself was a prime matrimonial prospect He was an earl, for one, and excessively rich, for another He was also considered handsome, ell-forible, in fact, that mamas and papas tended to overlook his rather sketchy bachelor activities and his association with a group of gentlemen known for lascivious pursuits
“I’ain,” he said when she’d finished listing their naentlemen will be there? Any you are sweet on?”
“Warren! I’m not sweet on anyone, and if I was, I wouldn’t tell you”
“Just behave yourself, all right? I won’t hover over you, but I expect you to stay out of trouble No going off alone with any gentle correspondence”
“I wouldn’t,” she said, looking shocked “I shall spend ether and watch out for one another’s interests”
Funny, but he had o As only sons, the four of thee and duty, but so far, only the Marquess of Townsend had fallen The Earl of Augustine, the Duke of Arlington, and Warren continued to enjoy their bachelorhoods, and their “interests” were nothing at all like those of Minette and her friends
“What are you going to do at the party?” she asked him “Will there be any ladies you are sweet on?”
“I sincerely hope not, since I plan to stay in the card room and drink”
Minette shot him a scandalized stare, but he meant what he said One hadn’t much opportunity for sensuous pursuits at a quality function, unless one wanted to try one’s hand at seducing innocents, any number of ould be at the party But that had never been his style
“I hope you’re joking about cards and drinking,” said Minette “How horrified I would be if you were so rude Lady Baxter had entlemen perfectly until your friends decided not to come, and so youentertain person for the sake of your hosts In particular you must be kind to Lady Maitland, since she is the Earl of Baxter’s ward”
“Baxter has a ward?” Warren asked, interrupting her mid-prattle
“Yes, her name is Lady Maitland, and all of us think she is ever so mysterious and sad”
Warren could sense a long story unfolding, and braced himself to endure a quarter-hour’s worth of details “Why sad?” he asked when she looked at him expectantly “Please tellout”
Minette leaned forward, clasping her hands “Oh, where do I begin? She has been to places all over the world, for a start, because her father was an avid traveler in addition to being a baron She only cao She made her curtsy to the queen the saine it?”
He tipped his hat forward over his eyes “No, I can’t”
“It was because both her parents died suddenly I don’t kno, and of course no one would talk about it Perhaps they were bitten by poisonous vipers in sole, or murdered by Cossacks Or set upon by cannibals”
“My goodness, Minette” He was fairly sure this was all made up
“But her ,” his sister went on “With just a touch of ribbon, and elegant puffed sleeves She was thewoloves with a black pearl at each side All of us wanted to be as pretty and dignified as her During the audience, the queen said she must set about to be married, and soon, for she’s inherited her father’s barony”
He pushed his hat up a s about?”
“Lady Maitland! Her given name is Josephine, which I suppose I am permitted to call her, since she is mostly my friend”
“Mostly?”
“We exchanged a feords while aited to see the queen, and she told me her name was Josephine, so that means we are friends, doesn’t it?”
“All the world is your frie
nd,this Josephine, I’m sure”
“But her official naht Honorable Lady Maitland and she is a poor orphaned baroness who is all alone, without a mother or father or husband or anyone at all to look after her except for Lord Baxter who is some distant, distant, distant cousin Isn’t it the saddest story you ever heard?”
“She can’t be a baroness with no husband,” he said, sinking back beneath his hat’s bri to male issue when they die”
“She’s got a title,” Minette insisted “I suppose there was no one else to have it” She placed a finger aside her gently pointed chin “It doesn’t see ladies have titles”
“You’ll get a title if you ht sort of chap Why didn’t you accept Lord Bancroft when he offered? Or Lord Everett? Both were perfectly adequate prospects”
“Perfectly adequate,” she said glu”
“You say boring I say steady”
Minette pulled one of her thunderous pouts “Why are you so eager to et rid of me?”
“Not at all, but you kno the er you’re on it, the less appealing you are”
“I had more suitors than Bancroft and Everett Many more”
“I know” And she had rejected all of them for the most buffle-headed reasons Too short Crooked nose An excessive fondness for chamber music “I have every hope you shall eventually make an excellent match,” he said “In the best case, you’ll choose someone we both esteem”
“I don’t kno that will be possible, when you hate all the gentleentleentlemen whom I least admire seem to want me the most, while the ones I admire most don’t want me at all”
“Because you chatter too much,” he said sotto voce
“What did you say?”
“Nothing Listen, I was up quite late How about letting your brother get some sleep?”
“But who shall I speak with to pass the time? Why didn’t you let Mrs Everly ride with us? Then we could have conversed while you rested”
Just what Warren needed, the stodgy Mrs Everly droning in his ears “There was e coach,” he said “Now hush”