A Bright Particular Star (32 page)

James clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“D
on
’t
be
a little
fool
!
You are an attractive,
eligible young woman, not a
n elderly
spinster.
I know better than you what is acceptable in London society, and s
etting up your own establishment w
ithout a suitable chaperon
e
would cause a
scandal
.
”

Eyes flashing at his high-handed manner, she
couldn
’t
stop herself from retorting
,
‘
T
hen
pray
oblige me by finding someone suitable
.
I haven
’t
escaped from one prison to find myself in another!
”

“S
top ripping up at me like a shrew!
I was wrong a moment a
go
—
you haven
’t
changed at all,
”
he observed
in a less than
complimentary tone.
“
You will have to mend your ways
if you are going
to marry a man of fashion.
”

“
I don
’t
wish to marry anyone!
”
she replied hotly.
“
My goodness
,
I would never have believed you could have turned into such a cold fish, James.
Y
ou
don
’t
seem to think I am capable of making
any
decisions
but I am, and you have no right to tell me what I must or must not do.
It is not in the least your af
fair
anymore
.
”

“
For as long as you remain here, it is very much my affair.
You must do as I say unless you want to set the whole of London talking.
Matters are
extremely difficult
as it is.
I wish you had not come!
”

“S
o do I!
”
she flung back.

He
glared at her and
was
ready t
o stalk
out of the room
at this
but Sophie, who was
coming to understand
that James did not like having
his authority or
sense of dignity questioned
,
realize
d she had more to gain by coaxing him
into a better
state of mind
s
o she murmured a hasty apology
,
and
spent several
minutes soothing his
ruffled temper
.

She h
ad no intention of going blindly
to a
fate chosen for her but to prevent another quarrel springing up,
she put on
her meekest expression and promised to do her best to
adopt what James called
‘
London manners
’.

Afterward
,
Sophie
’s
transformation from tomboy to lady continued.
She was
pr
imped and polished into a
lady fit to be seen in Europe
’s
most exclusive
drawing rooms
.
N
ew g
owns
and bonnets
were
delivered
in quantities of tissue
. H
er hair was
fashionably
arranged
by her
maid
and Lady Verney took
her shopping for
those
ac
cessories
ess
ential for cutting a
dash
.
She was lectured by James and Lady Verney on her
behaviour
and ordered to restrain
her more outrageous observations.
Sophie
tried
hard
not to be ungrateful but
, realising
all
this was
being done to secure
her a husband
,
she
found no
pl
easure in this whirl of
activity
.

Her situation was
extrem
ely awkward and she was being well
served for her impulsiveness
.
James and his mother wanted
her out of the way
before
his wedding
.
Going back to
Ludstone
was out of the question
and
,
as
James would not entertain
the notion of
her
living wi
th a paid
companion
,
he saw
marrying
her off as
the
only
viable
option.

Uncomfortable in her new finery and doing her best to hold her tongue, s
he felt like
a prize filly being trotted out
for inspection
.

Foolishly, she
longed
to see
Th
eo again.
I
t was
absurd to yearn
for a man who
considered her
—
if he though
t of her at all
—
in an unfavourable
light
, but she could not
help feeling
a
quiver
of anticipation whenever
a v
isitor was announced.
S
he had been disappointed
thus far
which
confirm
ed
her suspicion
he would not
return
.

Peregrine
, on the other hand,
had
called in
Brook Street
s
everal times
.
The
look
he had directed at Sophie when he
realize
d
Lady Verney had a son
,
and an
apparently
eligible one
, had been
unpleasant
, but
he made every effort to ingratiate h
imself with his host
s
and
convey his admiration of his cousin.
He
succeeded
so well that
James told Sophie her
description of Peregrine
had been misleading.
He
found
him
an agreeable fellow
,
not
the most dashing
of men
and perhaps
too inclined towards the popinjay
,
but a stay in London
would smoo
th his
rough edges
.
Frown
ing with disapproval when she
innocently
inquired
on o
ne occasion after Perry
’s
departure
if he thought her c
ousin looked at all like a lobster
, James
observed in a curt voice
s
he should be pleased
a man like Peregrine
admired
her
and
accept
his
numerous
invitation
s
to join him for a drive
.

Lady Verney
followed her son
’s
lead
, adding
that the
company of her cousin
must be c
onsidered unexceptionable
.

Sophie was horrified
.

D
espite her protestations
,
they
appeared to view
Peregrine
as
a potential suitor
and she
suspected t
h
ey were
secretly
encouraging him
, issuing invitations behind her back to call in Brook Street
.
Lady Verney, always ready to take the romantic
stance
, view
ed
him as a noble figure whose devotion to Sophie was touching and deserving of a happy conclusion
.
James simply saw him as the neat solution to a pressing problem.

Perry was not Sophie
’s
only suitor
.
H
er
face, figure
and
, more pertinently,
th
e
wild-fire
rumou
r
she was an heiress
,
had aroused
admiration in other quarters and s
he had
a
lready received three
offers of marriage
, one from an elderly roué, the other two from notorious fortune hunters.
But w
hen she
declared
no interest in these,
James and his mother
had
been quick to
renew their praise
and encouragement
of Perry
.
All of
which
led
Sophie
to conclude
that time was of the essence.

Berating herself for being slow-witted, s
he
realize
d
James
’s
wedding
must be planned for shortly after
the betroth
al announcement
, which in turn must be imminent
.
H
e
also
did not want
to
explain to his fiancée what his childhood swee
theart was doing under his roof
.
U
nder these
circumstances James
,
and by association his mama
,
were not averse to shuffling
her into a hasty marriage with Perry while convincing themselves
the match
was in everyone
’s
interests.

She discuss
ed this
with Olivia when she called upon her in Grosvenor Square
halfway through her third
week
in
London
, during a brief lull in the engagements Lady Verney had arranged
.
Lady Verney
had
been
happy for Sophie
to
go
as long as her
maid accompanied her.
S
he was impressed to discover the connection
with the Dinniscombes
, declaring
Olivia was a f
ortunate girl and Sophie
should do everything
to encourage the acquaintance because
Sir Seymour and his wife held a unique position in the
ton
.

With this
advice
ringing in her ears,
Sophie
nervously
entered
the magnificent
saloon
of the Dinniscombe
town mansion
,
unsure what to expect.
From her limited experience, t
he
grande dames
of the
ton
were usually
ec
centric or insufferably proud but
,
when
Olivia introduced her
to the
lady
on the sofa
,
Sophie
discovered
Harriet Dinniscombe was nei
ther intimidating nor affected
.

Dressed in a
blue morning gown
wit
h a simple lace cap
on
her brown curls
,
her eyes held
warm
th, intelligence and an
engaging
twinkle
.
Harriet
’s
reputation as one of the most popular hostesses in London
lay
in an
attractive face
and
gregarious nature, but also in the
common se
nse
she exuded.
T
hese
qualities
endeared her to everyone
and
none more so than her husband
, who
bustled
in
shortly after Sophie
’s
arrival.