His Christmas Match (A Gentleman's Guide to Once Upon a Time) (2 page)

“The rumors are not true,” Lady Sandlin
said.

Lord Felding’s head jerked up. “Of
course not.”

Rosalind blew out a sigh of relief. She
would hate for him to think she had succumbed to a rake’s seduction.

“Thorn was bloody drunk but not so drunk
he didn’t remember the night.
 
He tried
his best to deflate the gossip but it did no good.”

A small smile pulled at Rosalind’s
lips.
 
Thorn had told the truth over and
over but those at the party were more interested in potential scandal than the
truth.

“I’ll call on Valentine House when I
return home. I assume Rosalind has returned to live with Vicar Grant and his
wife.”

“She is right there, Noah.” Lady Sandlin
gestured in Rosalind’s direction.
 

Rosalind’s face flooded with heat when
Lord Felding came to his feet.
 
Clearly,
he had not noticed she was in the room.
 
Drat, she should have somehow alerted him to her presence before now.
What would he think of her sitting quietly as they discussed Lady Penelope and
Rosalind’s debacle of last spring before the Season had even begun?

She slid the toys from her lap and came
to her feet and offered a quick curtsey. “Good afternoon, Lord Felding.”

* * *

Why was Miss Rosalind Valentine sitting
on the floor in the back of the room playing with the twins?

Noah hadn’t seen Miss Valentine since
last winter during Christmas Eve services to be exact.
 
Even then, he only glimpsed her in the front
pews with the rest of her family. They hadn’t spoken.
 
A few days later he learned from her older
brother that she had left for Cheshire to be a governess to the daughters of
Lord and Lady Filpott.
 

Thank goodness he had not said anything
else about what happened to her last spring.
 
Not that he ever believed she would allow Thorn to seduce her or that she
had set about to trap Thorn into marriage as Thorn’s aunt, Lady Filpott, had
insisted.
 
If Noah had been at that house
party, he would have seen to it that all rumor, gossip, and innuendo were
stifled.
 

“Miss Valentine, I did not realize you
were visiting Phoebe.”

The blush on her rounded cheeks grew
darker. “I am not visiting, Lord Sandlin. I am the nursery maid.”

So his sister had given her a position
when nobody else in society would dare.
 
Good for Phoebe.

“I apologize. I hadn’t realized you were
in the room, or I would have greeted you.”
 
He barely noticed the young maid, head bent down and sitting with the
children when he entered. He was too angry at Phoebe’s letter to let the
presence of a servant bother him, and then he completely forgot anyone else was
in the room.

“I should have announced my presence,
but I did not wish to interrupt.”

“I’ve known you since you were a child,”
Noah reminded her though she was far different than the skinny, red-haired girl
that had once teased her brothers.
 
“You
have no reason to stand on ceremony especially in my sister’s home.”

Before him stood a remarkable young
woman. Her once red hair was closer to a warm auburn. Why hadn’t he ever
noticed her eyes were a deep blue?
 
Miss
Valentine was a beautiful young woman. She should not be hidden away in the
country as a nursemaid.
 
If he remembered
correctly, she would be five and twenty now. Why hadn’t she married?

He already knew the answer and didn’t
really need to ask. Those in Valentine House had secrets. Some he had
speculated on, and the Valentine brothers had let slip on occasion.
 
Because of those very secrets, he doubted any
of the sisters would ever marry or allow themselves to be in a position to
marry.
 

Phoebe cleared her throat, bringing Noah
out of his thoughts. Goodness, he was staring at Miss Valentine and not saying
a word.
 
When had he become so rude and
inconsiderate?
 
Miss Valentine’s
complexion took on a deeper hue of pink.
 
He should not have embarrassed her, but he certainly couldn’t voice his
thoughts.

“Would you act as Penelope’s companion
at the house party being hosted by Lord and Lady Meadows?”

Miss Valentine worried her bottom lip
and blinked at him.
 
“I should remain
with my charges.”
 
She gestured to the
children still playing quietly on the floor beside her feet.

Lady Sandlin shifted in her seat. “The
children will get by without you for the week or two,” she insisted. “This will
give you the opportunity to see to a young woman and not need to wipe a nose
every few moments.”
 
Lady Sandlin
grinned. “I assure you, Penelope can attend her own nose if necessary.”

A small smile graced Miss Valentine’s
full lips.
 
“It is kind of you to think
of me, but my duty is to you.”

“And I am insisting you attend my
sister.” Lady Sandlin pushed herself up off of the settee.
 
“If I know my brother, he will not give Penny
a moment’s peace and be with her constantly.” She came forward and grasped
Rosalind’s hands. “I am sure she would be grateful for your presence.”

Though Noah didn’t appreciate how Phoebe
viewed him, he didn’t argue. He needed Miss Valentine to chaperone Penelope to
free him to purse Lady Jillian.

“I don’t have the proper wardrobe, and I
am not sure exactly what a companion does,” Miss Valentine said to both Noah
and Phoebe.

“I am sure your clothing is perfectly
acceptable,” Noah insisted.
 
His friends
weren’t such high sticklers that they would deny her entrance because Miss
Valentine wasn’t in the height of fashion. Besides, this was to be a casual
house party with much of the time spent hunting.

Sadness clouded Miss Valentine’s eyes.
“What would others think if I was chaperoning a young woman?”
 

She didn’t have to add after what
occurred last spring, but Noah assumed that was what she was thinking.
 
“There will be a different set of guests than
those you encountered earlier in the year,” he assured.
 
“Besides, if anyone were to say anything to
you, I would make my displeasure known.”

“It is not your place to defend me, Lord
Felding, but I thank you just the same.”

He smiled gently down at her.
 
Miss Rosalind Valentine was always a sweet,
good-natured girl with a bit of mischief.
 
“As I said earlier, I’ve known you since you and your siblings came to
live at Valentine House. I do feel it is my duty to defend you if one of your
brothers isn’t present.”
 
He glanced over
at Phoebe who was smiling sadly at Miss Valentine before he looked back at the
young woman. “And, I can assure you that your brothers would do the same for my
sisters if it was necessary.”

A memory tickled in his brain of seeing
the guest list and Noah brightened. “As a matter of fact, I believe two of your
brothers are invited guests.”

Miss Valentine blinked in surprise.
Perhaps this would convince her to attend as Penelope’s chaperone.
 
She could even be considered a guest as long
as she knew her first duty was to see to Penelope though he didn’t suspect Miss
Valentine ever shirked a duty in her life.
 

“Demetrius and Benedick are both
invited,” he added.

Her brow furrowed. “Will they be
attending?”

Noah rubbed his chin trying to recall if
Meadows had received a response from the brothers.
 
“Demetrius will certainly be there. I am not
sure of Benedick.”

She bit her lip again and looked over at
Phoebe. Was Miss Valentine finally considering the possibility?
 
This would be a perfect opportunity for
her.
 
She would be able to visit with
those who were friends with her brothers, make new acquaintances, and hopefully
put the rumors of the past to rest.
 
Noah
also knew that she would remain by Penelope’s side during their entire visit
freeing him to pursue Lady Jillian.
 
“Please?” he asked.

Her shoulders lifted and dropped with a
sigh. “If Lady Sandlin believes I should . . .”

A smile burst on Phoebe’s lips. “Of
course I think you should.
 
You will have
a wonderful time.”

Miss Valentine tilted her head and
narrowed her eyes. “I will be attending Miss Penelope not attending a party,”
she reminded them.

“And my brother will make his Christmas
match,” Lady Sandlin teased Felding with a laugh.

Two

As soon as Lord Felding left the following
morning, Lady Sandlin took Rosalind in hand and to her chambers. She proceeded
to pull a number of dresses and other various items from her wardrobe that had
all been designed and made for her last spring.
 
Lady Sandlin discarded the ones made of lighter fabrics and kept the
gowns with longer sleeves and of woolen or heavier material. “It will be colder
up north,” Lady Sandlin explained. “But, I will still make sure you have a ball
gown.”

“I am sure a ball gown is not
necessary,” Rosalind insisted. Even if Lord and Lady Meadows planned such an
event, she wouldn’t be attending in anything other than in the capacity as a
chaperone.
 

Rosalind had been overwhelmed by the
growing pile of clothing on the bed.
 
“I
am certain I do not need so many items.”
 

“One must be prepared for all activities
and events,” Lady Sandlin instructed. “It isn’t as if I will be wearing them,”
she insisted as she patted her protruding belly.
 
“You might as well get good use out of the
clothing.”

The garments were made of the finest
material and nicer than anything Rosalind had ever worn.
 

Lady Phoebe spent the day having her try
on one outfit after another and called in two maids who were handy with a
needle to make any necessary adjustments, not that there were many.
 
In her normal state of health, she and Lady
Sandlin were much the same size, and it wasn’t long before the trunk was
packed.
 

Lady Penelope arrived two evenings later
in a large town coach and settled into the Sandlin home.
 
Her intention was to visit with Lady Sandlin
for a few days before they traveled onto the Meadows Country Home.
 
Lady Penelope was five years younger than
Rosalind, but they had played together as children as the vicarage bordered the
Felding Estate.
 
It wasn’t until Rosalind
was older, too old to have an interest in those so much younger than she, that
Rosalind became aware of how the families were of different stations in life.
With such knowledge, Rosalind distanced herself from Lord Felding’s siblings
because it was best.
 
The sisters were
ladies. She was the poor relation of a vicar.
 
Yet, during all of those years they were growing from childhood, not
once did Lady Sandlin’s parents give any indication that the Valentine children
were beneath their children but welcomed them as playmates.
 

Rosalind fingered the soft pelisse as
the coach rumbled along the road. Though the clothing was finer than anything
she had in the past, she kept reminding herself during this journey that she
was not a guest but a companion and chaperone for Lady Penelope. She was
fulfilling a duty, nothing else, despite how well she was dressed.

“We should be there soon,” Lady Penelope
grinned after she pulled back the curtain and looked out at the
countryside.
 
“I am so glad you have come
with me. We will have a grand time.”