“Did I?” Jeffrey had not realized he had been so transparent.
Colette laughed. “Oh, yes. But the best part of it all is now we get to keep Jeffrey as one of our own.”
“And we don’t have to entertain Lord Shelley,” Lucien added with relief.
Colette eyed her husband carefully. “You really didn’t like him, did you?”
“I don’t not like him,” Lucien amended. “But I’d rather have Jeffrey as my brother-in-law than William Weatherly.”
“I heartily agree,” Harrison added. “I think it’s a wonderful turn of events.”
“I suppose it will just take some getting used to,” Juliette said slowly. “Again, I’m sorry for how I acted, Jeffrey.”
“You’re forgiven.” Jeffrey had to forgive Juliette. After so many years, he knew her too well and loved her too much to hold anything against her.
“Thank you.” Juliette gave him an apologetic smile.
“It’s going to be quite an eventful Christmas ball, what with your father’s momentous news and your engagement to Yvette,” Colette said with excitement.
“I don’t usually enjoy those types of social affairs, but I wouldn’t miss this one for the world,” Juliette added.
Jeffrey wondered just how much of the old scandal his parents’ marriage would resurrect. People didn’t tend to forgive and forget as easily as his father would like to think. He doubted his mother would be welcomed into society with open arms either. It would not be easy, but his father didn’t seem to care. Neither did Jeffrey, for his part. He did worry what effect the scandal would have on Yvette. She could marry the very respectable Lord Shelley and live a life in the upper echelons of society as an elegant duchess. Instead, Yvette was marrying the scandal-ridden bastard of a duke.
He wished he could do better by her.
“Well, I think it’s time we all go to sleep,” Colette announced with a little yawn. “It’s past midnight. Are you coming up with me, Lucien?” she asked her husband.
“Yes, I am,” Lucien said. “I’m quite tired myself.” They rose and said their good nights, leaving just Harrison, Juliette, and Jeffrey in the study.
“It’s still such a surprise to me Jeffrey . . . you and Yvette,” Juliette remarked with a heavy sigh. “When are you planning to marry?”
“We’re not sure yet, but sooner rather than later,” Jeffrey answered. “I’m getting a special license tomorrow and we might wed as soon as next week.”
“Next week?” Juliette suddenly looked horrified. “Oh God, you’re not in a hurry to get married because the two of you . . . Yvette isn’t—”
“No,” Jeffrey interrupted. He shook his head emphatically. That was not a rumor he wanted bandied about. “Absolutely not. I have not touched your sister.”
“Good lord, Juliette!” Harrison exclaimed, laughing in amusement. “You give yourself away asking such questions! Please forgive my wife, Jeffrey. She often speaks without thinking first.”
“Well, what was I to think?” Juliette protested. “I’d have thought Yvette would have wanted an extravagant and grand wedding with all the world invited. Besides, Jeffrey somehow knows everything about all of us. He understands why I’d ask such a question, don’t you, Jeffrey?”
“Yes. Yes, I do.” Jeffrey nodded with a slow, secret smile. He knew entirely too much about the Hamilton sisters, all because he’d been trying to protect them. Still, he didn’t feel comfortable talking to Juliette about his personal relations with her sister.
“You’re a good man, Eddington.” Harrison lifted his glass in tribute. “I wish you all the best with your Hamilton sister.”
Jeffrey raised his glass as well. “Thank you, and I wish you the best of luck with yours. You need the luck more than I do.” He winked at Juliette and she rolled her eyes at him.
The door to Lucien’s study opened again. This time Yvette walked in. She was dressed in a white silk nightgown, with a long fur-trimmed robe wrapped around her. Her blond hair hung completely loose. She looked like an angel, all ethereal and soft. Jeffrey’s mouth went dry at the sight of her.
“I thought I heard your voice, Jeffrey.” She hesitated before stepping farther into the room.
“Yvette.” He set his drink down on the end table, rose to his feet, and walked to her. “I thought you’d gone to bed.” He took her hands in his, fighting his desire to wrap his arms around her and carry her back upstairs.
“I did, but I couldn’t sleep at all.” She looked up at him, her eyes luminous.
“You must be exhausted,” he said.
“We were just talking about you, Yvette,” Juliette called to them.
“You were?” Yvette asked, as Jeffrey took her hand and led her back toward the sofa.
Juliette continued, looking somewhat contrite. “Yes. I was just telling Jeffrey how sorry I am for how I behaved earlier when you first told us your wonderful news.”
Yvette looked to Jeffrey, her eyes questioning, and she asked in a whisper, “Did she really?”
He nodded, glad to see the relief on Yvette’s face. He knew that Juliette’s reaction had upset her just as much as it had upset him.
“Yes, I really did,” Juliette added. She rose from the sofa and hugged Yvette tightly. “I am happy for you. And I apologize for being such a horrid brat.” She then hugged Jeffrey. “And I’m so thrilled that you’ll always be a part of our family, Jeffrey. I love you both very much.”
“Oh, thank you, Juliette,” Yvette cried. “It means so much to me to have your blessing.”
“It’s still hard for me to imagine my little sister with Jeffrey, but you couldn’t have chosen a better man to marry,” Juliette said, becoming a little teary in spite of herself.
“Well, now, on that happy note,” Harrison began, rising to his feet, “I think it’s well past time to call it a night. Let’s go upstairs, Juliette.”
“All right, Harrison,” Juliette said, wiping her eyes. “I’m turning into a watering pot anyway.”
“We’ll leave you two to say your good nights in private,” Harrison said before dragging Juliette from the study.
When they were alone, Yvette asked, “Did everything go well?”
“Everything went great.”
“Lucien didn’t hit you?” she asked, her eyes twinkling.
“No, he didn’t even come close. Apparently, the more everyone thinks about us together, the more they like it. Even Juliette.”
She smiled happily at him. “Even Juliette.”
“So now everyone is happy for us.” He eyed her carefully. “Except poor old Shelley.”
Yvette frowned at him, her eyes reproachful. “He’s not that old. And he’s going to be terribly hurt when I tell him about us. I feel very badly about it all, as if I’ve led him on.”
“There’s always Jane Fairmont, but that’s poor consolation for losing you. I do feel badly for him too.”
“I know you do.”
“You’ll tell him tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’ll send a message to ask him to come to Devon House for tea.”
“I don’t like the thought of you seeing him again, but I suppose it can’t be avoided in this case.”
“I owe him that much at least. He can’t just hear about our engagement at your father’s Christmas ball. That would be cruel.”
“You’re right.”
She smiled. “I know.”
“But do you know how beautiful you look right now?”
“Jeffrey . . .”
“Just one kiss before I leave . . .” He drew her into his arms, and kissed her. The feel of her body beneath the thin silk material, free of all the heavy layers of her usual dress, was intoxicating.
She melted against him and it took all his self-control not to take her to the sofa and have his way with her right then and there. But he was determined to do right by her.
“Good night, Yvette,” he whispered in her ear.
“Good night, Jeffrey.”
30
Yvette was worried. The letter she held in her hand did not hold good news.
She had been trying for three days to talk with Lord Shelley and now she had received yet another letter telling her that he was still suffering from influenza and not well enough to come to tea at Devon House or receive visitors at his home. He hoped to be sufficiently recovered in time to attend the Duke of Rathmore’s Christmas ball tomorrow evening and was greatly looking forward to seeing Yvette then.
“Just go to his house and tell him what happened, whether he’s ill or not,” Paulette advised as she and Lisette sat together in Yvette’s bedroom discussing the situation.
Yvette shook her head. “Even if I were daring enough to go over there, how can I see him when he is not receiving visitors?”
“It is a tricky problem,” Lisette added.
The Duke of Rathmore’s Christmas ball was tomorrow night and Yvette simply had to speak to William before then. She could not let him find out she was marrying Jeffrey Eddington in such a publicly humiliating manner and she couldn’t write the news to him in a letter either. He deserved the decency of her telling him in person that her feelings for him had changed.
And changed they certainly had.
It was then that Colette entered the bedroom, joining the three sisters. She asked Yvette, “Have you decided what gown to wear to the ball?”
“No. I keep changing my mind.” Yvette shook her head, and gestured to the two sumptuous gowns that were hanging from her wardrobe doors. “I can’t decide between the red silk or the emerald.”
“I think I like you in the emerald silk best,” Paulette chimed in from where she rested on the velvet chaise. “But can I borrow your beaded wrap, Yvette? I left my favorite one in Dublin and I need something to cover up my expanding waist.”
“I have a pretty one you can wear,” Colette offered. “But one could hardly notice that you’re expecting at all, Paulette.”
“Do you really think so? I feel quite round already.” Paulette rested her hands protectively over her midsection.
“Honestly, Paulette, you haven’t the faintest hint of a belly,” Lisette said from her perch on the window seat. “Are you wearing your gold satin, Colette?”
“Yes, I think so, because my new blue gown with seed pearls won’t be ready in time.” Colette frowned in disappointment.
“Can you please tell me what I ought to do?” Yvette cried from where she sat at her writing desk. She still held the letter from Lord Shelley in her hand.
Just then Juliette entered the bedroom. “What are you all doing in here?”
“Talking about gowns,” Lisette said. “Do you know what you’re wearing tomorrow night?”
“I have a burgundy silk and black lace dress I had made in New York by a seamstress from Paris. It’s beautiful. Wait until you see it!” Juliette said, her eyes twinkling.
Lisette smiled with glee. “I’m so excited that we shall all be attending the same ball together. And the Duke of Rathmore’s Christmas ball is spectacular. Do you remember when Jeffrey escorted me to his father’s ball? That was the first time I went.”
“Oh, yes, I remember because I went with you too,” Juliette said with enthusiasm. “It was the first time we ever met Quinton.”
“I’ve never been able to attend before,” Paulette said. “That’s why I’m so excited.”
“I believe Aunt Cecilia and Uncle Randall will be there as well,” Colette pointed out to them.
“Oh, wonderful!” Juliette rolled her eyes, never having been fond of their aunt and uncle. “We get to spend the evening with Uncle Randall watching over our every move and criticizing our behavior.”
“Do you think Cousin Nigel will be there?” Lisette asked. “I haven’t seen him in ages, but I’ve been hearing some rather scandalous things about him.”
Juliette asked, “Such as?”
“Nothing as scandalous as it will be if I jilt a future duke at the Christmas ball!” Yvette cried in an attempt to catch her sisters’ attention. They turned to stare at her.
“Whatever on earth is the matter, Yvette?” Colette asked in dismay.
Paulette answered for her. “She still hasn’t been able to see Lord Shelley to tell him about her engagement to Jeffrey. He’s too ill to pay calls or receive visitors.”
“Yes,” Yvette continued, her frustration growing. “And I simply must tell him before the Duke of Rathmore announces it at the ball tomorrow night.”
“I told her to go right over to his house and just insist on seeing him,” Paulette added emphatically. “She has to let him know!”
“She can’t do that if he’s too ill to see her!” Lisette cried.
“No, she can’t do that,” Colette agreed with Lisette, while taking a seat on the edge of the four-poster bed.
“So what should I do?” Yvette asked again. Tomorrow night would be absolutely dreadful if she did not tell William Weatherly that she had promised to marry Jeffrey Eddington.
“Well,” Juliette began slowly, “maybe you could arrange to see him as soon as the ball begins and tell him before they announce it.”
Yvette was almost ready to cry. “I can’t do that either. I should let him know before we’re at the Rathmore townhouse.”
“You could postpone the announcement of your engagement,” Lisette suggested softly from the window seat.
“Yes, I could . . .” Yvette said with reluctance. “But I don’t wish to do that either. Jeffrey’s father is so looking forward to announcing both his marriage and our engagement. It is his Christmas ball and he’s so happy about Jeffrey and me.”
“It’s going to create another scandal, the two of them marrying after all these years,” Colette said.
“Yes, and so will the fact that the infamous rogue Lord Eddington is finally settling down and marrying the youngest of the Hamilton sisters!” Paulette exclaimed.
“I still don’t know how I missed a romance between the two of you,” Lisette marveled aloud. “Especially when I was here with you both for most of the time!”
“It’s understandable considering you were preoccupied with the baby and worried about mother,” Colette said kindly.
“I suppose.” Lisette sighed heavily with a little shake of her auburn head. “Yvette is marrying Jeffrey.”
Juliette added, “It’s so strange.”
“It’s not that strange,” Yvette retorted. Honestly, they acted as if she were marrying a man with two heads. “Please, what shall I do about Lord Shelley?”
“I’ll see what Lucien can do to help,” Colette said. “Perhaps he could send word to Lord Shelley?”
Yvette glanced back at the letter in her hand. “Yes, perhaps.”
“She said Jeffrey is quite skilled at kissing.” Paulette’s words from the depths of the chaise brought the conversation about Yvette’s dilemma with Lord Shelley to a standstill.
“Well, that’s not surprising in the least,” Colette said with a little smile.
Yvette eyed Colette in amusement. Her sister would certainly know if Jeffrey was a good kisser, but she kept her thoughts to herself.
Lisette giggled like a schoolgirl. “You must tell us, Yvette. We’re all dying to know.”
“I think I may already know the answer to this, but—” Juliette, who still stood near the doorway, stepped back and quickly closed the bedroom door. She joined Colette on the edge of Yvette’s large four-poster bed. “Now we can talk.”
With her four older sisters staring at her, Yvette suddenly didn’t know what to say. She had always been the one asking them the questions!
She knew about relations between a man and a woman, of course. Yvette had secretly read the medical text in their father’s bookshop, just as her sisters had. She had overheard them whispering about it when she was younger for it was the worst kept secret in the family. They had all furtively read A Complete Study of the Human Anatomy and All Its Functions by Doctor T. Everett. Although the book describe
d events in great detail, Yvette longed to know how it felt to actually do those things with a man. From what she had gathered from her sisters, the experience was incredibly wonderful. And judging by the way they were looking at her right now, they assumed that she had already done with Jeffrey those things depicted on page 232 of the book.
Slowly, Yvette shook her head. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there’s really nothing to tell. Jeffrey has been a complete gentleman.”
Paulette sat up on the chaise, her face registering her disbelief. “With his infamous reputation with women, you mean to say he hasn’t seduced you yet?”
“No.”
“Not even while we were all away and you were alone in the house together?” Colette asked, quite incredulous.
“No.”
“I thought for sure something must have happened then.” Colette eyed her with some suspicion.
“No,” Yvette repeated with conviction.
“And nothing happened when you went to his father’s estate in Berkshire for the wedding and were gone overnight?” Lisette asked eagerly.
“And came home engaged?” Colette added.
Again Yvette shook her head. “No.”
“Oh, I don’t believe it!” Paulette cried out in astonishment.
“Yvette’s telling the truth,” Juliette said softly. When they all looked at her in awe, she added, “As shocking as it may sound, Jeffrey said as much to me the other night. He hasn’t touched her. And Jeffrey never lies.”
“What did Jeffrey say to you?” Yvette’s heart raced.
“He said nothing untoward had happened between you and him,” Juliette explained, “when I suggested that the two of you were marrying quickly because something had happened between you.”
Yvette lifted her chin. The way that Jeffrey treated her made Yvette feel wonderfully cherished. “He wants to wait until we’re married. He’s being quite proper because he doesn’t want a hint of scandal.”
“Oh, my,” Lisette murmured softly.
Paulette giggled in amusement. “Well then, we must be quite a scandalous bunch, because that is more than any of us can say.”
Lisette added, “I think it’s very sweet of him.”
His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) Page 24
