His Wicked Lady (4 page)

“What kind of tea do you like?” the duchess
asked.

“Um, do you have white tea?”

“I do. Will crumpets be all right to
eat?”

Regan nodded, and the butler left the room.
She removed her hat, surprised when one of the duchess’ friends
gasped. Did one of her pins come undone? She touched her hair,
assured everything was in place.

“Forgive me,” the one in the blue dress said
as she came over to her. “Your hair is the loveliest shade of
blonde I’ve ever seen.”

Since that was the case, Regan felt better.
While she didn’t put a high standard on looking perfect whenever
she went somewhere, she felt it was important to make a favorable
impression on the duchess. “Thank you,” Regan replied and
smiled.

“I’m Lady Toplyn,” the lady introduced, “but
you can call me Melissa.” She gestured to the other lady at the
desk. “This is Lady Reddington.”

“I also go by Chloe, if you’re so inclined,”
the lady interjected.

“The informalities are my fault,” the duchess
spoke up, motioning for Regan to sit on the settee next to her.
“Ever since I met them, I insisted we address each other by our
Christian names. It’s become a habit.”

“I don’t mind,” Regan said as she sat down,
placing the hat beside her. “My name is Regan.”

“And I’m Helena,” the duchess replied with a
smile that set Regan completely at ease.

Perhaps this was a sign that things would
work out for the best.

“Of course, when we’re in public, we are more
formal,” Melissa told Regan. “We promise not to embarrass you in
front of anyone.”

Regan chuckled. If they only knew her secret,
they would be the ones who were embarrassed.

The butler came in with the tea and crumpets,
and Helena waited until everyone had a cup before turning her
attention to Regan. “I should explain how we do things,” Helena
began. “We want to arrange a marriage for you with a gentleman who
will be a best fit for you, so we have quite a few questions to
ask. It’ll take an hour to ask them all. I hope you don’t mind, but
we want to be thorough.”

“I don’t mind,” Regan replied. “However,
before we begin, I was wondering if Mr. Jasper is seeking your
services.”

“Mr. Jasper?” Melissa asked.

Regan nodded. “He said he is already engaged.
In fact, he recommended I come here.”

“Dark brown hair, clean shaven, often wears
dark clothing, and has gray-blue eyes? Six feet tall?” Melissa
pressed.

“Yes. That’s him.”

“Why, he’s my brother!”

“Is he?”

“Yes. He suggested you come here to find a
husband?”

“He did. He said you,” she looked at Helena,
“found him a lady to marry. Is it true? Is he engaged?”

Helena took a sip of her tea then put the cup
back on her saucer. “I’m not at liberty to disclose the details. I
do everything I can to keep my clients’ information private. But I
can say that he is one of my clients.”

“You know him?” Melissa asked.

Turning back to Melissa, Regan said, “Not
well. I talked to him at a ball.”

“You did?”

For some reason, Melissa found this piece of
information much more interesting than Regan believed it to be.
Many people talked to each at the balls. “It was only for one
dance.”

“Mind if I ask what you talked about?”

“Not much, really. It was only a few
minutes.” Since Melissa seemed disappointed in her answer, she
decided to reveal more. “To be honest, I danced with him because he
looked so bored he was going to fall asleep right there on the
dance floor.”

Melissa giggled and handed her a crumpet.
“That’s Malcolm alright. He’d much rather spend time with ledgers
than ladies.”

Malcolm? So that was his Christian name. It
suited him quite well. Malcolm sounded like a strong, solid name.
She took the crumpet from Melissa and bit into it. If Malcolm was
Melissa’s brother, then it stood to reason he talked to her about
things that happened to him during a day…or during the course of an
evening at a ball.

Swallowing the food in her mouth, Regan
asked, “Did he mention me?”

“Not by name, but I gathered you were the
most exciting thing that happened to him that evening.”

It was on the tip of Regan’s tongue to ask
whether that excitement had been a good or bad thing, but she
already knew the answer. For him, it’d been bad. That being the
case, if they were still looking for a bride for him, there was no
way these ladies would pair her up with him. What a shame. The last
flicker of hope fizzled out.

Well, it didn’t mean she couldn’t still get
married, and they just might find someone who would be a good match
for her. She set down the unfinished crumpet and wiped her fingers
on the napkin in front of her.

“He did suggest I come here for your
guidance,” she glanced at Chloe and Helena, “and since I’ve heard
good things about your service, I see no reason not to take his
recommendation.”

“Do you fancy him?” Melissa asked, surprising
her.

“I didn’t have the same experience he did,”
she replied, choosing her words carefully. This was his sister she
was talking to after all. No doubt, he’d given Melissa a poor
impression of her. The best she could hope for was that Melissa
wouldn’t think ill of her. “I admit I was bold in my actions at
Lord Roderick’s ball. When I took Malcolm by the hand and led him
to the dance floor, I assure you, I meant no harm.”

“Oh, I know. He tends to be much too serious
for his own good.”

Regan relaxed. Good. Maybe his sister hadn’t
taken an instant dislike to her after all. She smiled. “I thought
he was charming in a shy sort of way.”

“Yes, he can be.”

Sensing the topic of Melissa’s brother was at
an end, Regan turned to Helena. “I have a four-year-old son, and he
is my primary consideration in finding a husband. I need someone
who would willingly welcome the child. I understand children are to
be seen and not heard, but I would prefer a gentleman who likes
spending time with them, too. I also want someone sweet and
thoughtful. I don’t want the rakish sort. They’re too busy thinking
they know everything about pleasing a lady to listen to my
instructions. The bedroom is a very important matter to me. I’ve
had the fortune of enjoying a good love life with my first husband
and wish the same with the second.”

“There aren’t as many rakes in London as you
fear,” Helena assured her. “And most gentlemen have no trouble
marrying a widow with a son, especially if she comes with money.
Are you wealthy?”

“Yes. My husband was good in that
regard.”

“It sounds like he was good in a lot of
regards,” Chloe, who’d been silent up to now, spoke up. “You are
fortunate that way.”

“Yes,” Regan acknowledged, “I was, and I
still am. Leonard is a wonderful reminder of him.”

“Are you ready to marry again?” Helena asked.
“In your heart, I mean.”

Regan nodded as she took a sip of her tea.
“It’s been three years since his death. I’m ready, but I want to
make sure I do what’s best for my son. If it turns out there are no
suitable gentlemen, then I would rather you tell me than arrange a
marriage with someone who doesn’t like children.”

Helena rubbed her large belly and smiled. “I
understand. I think it’s a mother’s natural instinct to want the
best for her child, even if she has to sacrifice what she wants for
it.”

“But there’s no reason why you need to
sacrifice a husband in this situation,” Melissa said. “I have the
perfect gentleman in mind for you.”

“Melissa,” Helena began, “we all need to
choose him. It can’t be just you who does it.”

“A mere formality,” Melissa whispered to
Regan. “But I know he’ll be the one.”

“He’s good with children?” Regan asked.

“Oh, yes. I know this for a fact.”

Helena let out an exasperated sigh. “Even if
you think you know someone is the right one for her, we need to
learn more about Regan in order to make sure she’s a good fit for
him.”

“I already know she is,” Melissa replied.

“Let Chloe and I make that determination
first,” Helena said.

“Unfortunately, I have to do it Helena’s
way,” Melissa told Regan as she picked up a crumpet. Glancing at
Chloe, she added, “Go ahead and ask her questions.”

Chloe picked up the quill. “Regan, what are
your interests?”

Getting comfortable, Regan set her mind to
answering all the questions they had for her.

***

“The Duchess of Ashbourne wishes to have a
word with you,” Malcolm’s butler said the next day.

Malcolm looked up from his ledger. The
duchess already picked out a lady for him to marry? He rose from
his chair and shut the ledger. “Show her into the drawing room and
bring her whatever she wants.”

“Yes, Mr. Jasper,” the butler said then left
the room.

Malcolm straightened his cravat, surprised
his pulse had sped up. He was about to find out who the future Mrs.
Malcolm Jasper was going to be. Taking a deep breath to calm his
nerves, he told himself all he was going to do was find out who he
was to marry. He wasn’t actually going to marry her today…or meet
her. Unless the duchess brought her over to introduce them. No, the
butler didn’t mention two ladies. He’d only mentioned one.

His pulse slowing down, he left the den. It
wouldn’t do to look too excited. When he reached the drawing room,
he was the perfect image of calm. Though the tea had been placed on
the table in front of the settee, the duchess hadn’t bothered to
touch it. In fact, she hadn’t bothered to sit down.

Surprised by her serious expression, his
steps slowed. Maybe this was bad news. Maybe she couldn’t find
anyone for him. If that was the case, this wasn’t going to go at
all like he’d expected. While he could have the satisfaction of
telling his father marriage was a useless point, the sting of
regret told him he would have preferred to marry after all.

The duchess offered a polite smile. “Good
afternoon, Mr. Jasper. I hope you don’t mind I came so late in the
day.”

“No, I don’t mind, Duchess.” He gestured to
the tea. “You didn’t need to wait for me to come in before
drinking. I assure you I only get the best tea.”

“I have no doubt your tea is delicious, but I
try to watch how much I drink when I leave the house. I really
shouldn’t even be out considering my delicate condition.” She
rubbed her belly. “Did you not receive my missive requesting you
come to my townhouse?”

“I did, but my sister said all you wanted was
to hand me some questions.”

“Yes. These questions are very important.
Your sister, Lady Reddington, and I want to make sure we get the
very best match for you. I would feel better doing that if you came
by to answer our questions. If you would rather fill them out here
and send them to me, I put them on your desk.”

His gaze went to the desk she motioned to,
and he shook his head. “My sister knows me better than anyone. She
can answer those for me.”

“While I appreciate your faith in your
sister, I advise you to reconsider. We don’t often know people as
well as we think we do.”

He waved aside her warning. “That may be true
for most people, but Melissa and I are different. We have a strong
bond. Ever since she was born, I took her under my wing and
protected her. We agree on everything.” At least everything but
Logan. “Believe me, Duchess, she will answer those questions in the
same manner I would.”

“I urge you to reconsider.”

“There’s no need.” He collected the papers
and held them out to her. “I trust Melissa implicitly to do what’s
best for me.” When she looked as if she was going to protest again,
he added, “I have a dinner party at Lord Steinbeck’s this evening.
Tomorrow, I am going to meet with a businessman who stands to make
me a good profit in my investments. I’m an important gentleman. I
don’t have time to fill this out. That’s why I told Melissa to do
it for me.”

After a moment, she closed her mouth and took
them. “As you wish, Mr. Jasper.”

Satisfied, he smiled and wished her a
pleasant day before seeing her out.

Chapter Four

R
egan arrived at her mother-in-law’s townhouse and knocked on
the door. She’d given herself permission to go to the seamstress’
after her appointment with Helena, so she could get started on her
wedding gown. There had been an inner debate for a good five
minutes over whether or not she should get a special gown, and in
the end, hope won out.

She’d decided from here on out, she would
expect the best. This would work out. Helena, Melissa, and Chloe
would find her a husband who had a good heart and would treat her
son well. So it was with a light heart she followed the butler into
the drawing room where her mother-in-law, Eloise, was reading a
book to Leonard who was snuggled up with her in a chair.