by Jane Charles
“He has entered into a noble profession,” Lydell insisted.
“What is it he does?” Audrey asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
“He is a solicitor.”
There was certainly nothing wrong with being a solicitor. It was a worthy profession and much better than doing nothing with one’s life besides gambling and drinking, or visiting widows.
“I don’t believe you,” Millicent insisted. “I would have known.”
Lydell chuckled. “He kept it a secret from even his own family. His father would have never approved.”
They didn’t speak, nor did Audrey feel the need. Mr. Trent’s hand gripped hers with only the slightest bit of pressure, as did the hand on her waist as he turned and guided her from one end of the floor to the other during the supper waltz. She was simply enjoying the heat of his body and the sandalwood scent of his cologne. If he kissed her tonight would he taste like cake again?
A smile tugged at her lips. She had never given it much consideration but the two times they had kissed he had tasted of cake.
“Why are you smiling?”
His voice intruded on her thoughts and heat stole into her cheeks. Did she dare tell him she was thinking about kissing him? Her cheeks grew hotter. No. Until she knew if they shared a future, without widows, he had no right to know her thoughts.
Trent pulled her a little closer, yet not so much that he could damage her reputation and leaned in. “It must be wicked by the lovely shade of your cheeks,” his whispered.
Audrey blinked up at him and bit her bottom lip. She would not tell him. She would not.
“Must you keep me in suspense or is it truly too wicked to speak of.” He smiled down at her, the dimple appearing at the corner of his mouth and she had the sudden urge to lick it. Goodness, what had gotten into her.
“Tell me,” he insisted, humor dancing in his eyes.
“Did you know you taste like cake?” she whispered.
Trent threw back his head and laughed. Several people turned and looked at him. Audrey wished the floor would swallow her whole but Trent didn’t seem to care in the least that they had attracted attention
A slow smile came to his lips. “Ah, you were thinking about kissing me.”
“No,” she insisted. “I was thinking about cake.”
He chuckled and turned her at the end of the floor, her skirts bellowed out and soon they were moving back to the other end.
“I have a confession.” He leaned in and whispered.
“Yes?”
“I have a weakness for cakes, especially lemon.”
“Strawberry is better,” she insisted.
“Oh, I must disagree, Miss Montgomery. Once you’ve tasted Cook’s lemon cakes you will swear they are the best in the world.”
“Your cook?”
Trent shrugged. “Actually, she is the cook at Bentley Manor and has been there for as long as I can remember.”
“It is a shame she is so far away. I would have liked to sample these cakes.” Though tasting any cake from his lips would be more than pleasant.
“Perhaps you will one day.” His hand pressed into her back as he executed another turn. Her heart hitched for a moment at the possibility of one day visiting Bentley Manor. The only way she could foresee that happening was if she was his wife or Lord and Lady Bentley had a house party and invited her.
Audrey just as quickly squelched the idea. She did not want to become too hopeful or she would be all the more disappointed in the end if matters did not work out as she wished.
The music ended and Jordan stepped back and bowed before offering his arm and escorting Miss Montgomery into supper. He chose a smaller table tucked toward the back of the room in hope nobody would notice them and thus not intrude on their conversation. He was not finished with the topic of kissing or cake. Perhaps one day they would share a cake and then he could nibble at the crumbs on her lips. The only way he would ever enjoy such a pastime would be to marry her and Jordan fully intended to marry Miss Montgomery, but he was going to go about it in an honorable way.
He left her in the seat to retrieve plates of food only to find Lord and Lady Lydell seated at the table when he returned. He would rather have anyone else there but those two and why would Lydell even want to put his wife in the same vicinity after the scene at his brother’s house the other evening?
Jordan buried his irritation at the intruders and the disappointment of not having Miss Montgomery alone and took his seat. The only remaining one was between Audrey and Lady Lydell.
“I understand you are a solicitor,” Lady Lydell asked after a moment as she placed her hand on his thigh.
What was the woman doing? Jordan discreetly moved her hand from his leg and back to her own. She frowned up at him but Jordan ignored her and shot a glance at Miss Montgomery. Her smile was forced as if she didn’t wish to be in their company, or perhaps it was his profession. Well, she needed to know sooner or later though he was rather surprised if she hadn’t already learned.
Jordan turned back to Lady Lydell and answered her question. “Yes. I have been a solicitor for a few years.”
She let out a disappointed sigh. “That will not do.”
Jordan stiffened and looked around the table. Both Lydell and Miss Montgomery looked at her with expressions of confusion.
“A gentleman should not ever engage in trade. You must become a barrister immediately.”
This time Jordan chuckled. “It isn’t simple, Lady Lydell. Not like buying a commission to become a higher rank.”
She sat back affronted. “Why ever not?”
“A gentleman has nothing to lose by remaining a solicitor whereas a gentleman has much to gain in a higher rank in the military.”
“Does it bother you that gentlemen can purchase themselves up the ranks?” Miss Montgomery asked with a concerned look up on her face.
“Not at all,” Jordan assured her. “I believe it assures us that the gentlemen best suited for the station does achieve it. And, they cannot achieve a higher rank without first spending years at a lower rank, earning the respect of their superiors, confidence and knowledge.”
She simply smiled and nodded as if he answered correctly. Had he just passed some form of test?
“Really, Audrey,” Lady Lydell chastised. “Next you will be asking his thoughts on the Calvary. This is not about you, but Mr. Trent.” She turned toward Jordan. “I insist you become a barrister as quickly as possible. The longer you are in trade—” she whispered, “—the more damaging to your reputation.”
He wanted to assure Lady Lydell that being a solicitor was not the cause of his tarnished reputation amongst the ton but refrained as they were in polite company.
“I find nothing wrong with being a solicitor,” Miss Montgomery voiced.
Pride welled within him. He hadn’t realized it before how much he wanted her approval. He still planned on becoming a barrister, if granted the opportunity, but it was her opinion that mattered, not Lady Lydell’s.
“Of course it wouldn’t matter to you, Audrey,” Lady Lydell chastised. “Your father owns a stud farm.”
Jordan stilled and looked at his supper partner. In the time that he pursued her last year and since, he had never bothered to ask what her father did. He had met Mrs. Montgomery and had not liked the woman, but he hadn’t asked any questions of her father, assuming that when if the time came that he wished to ask for her hand, he would make the necessary inquiries. It wasn’t as if he was particular about rank and peerage. If he were going to marry, it was going to be a woman he could love and enjoy spending his life with, regardless of the circumstances of her birth.
“Which farm?” he found himself asking. As he knew, there were no Montgomery studs.
“Shadley Farms,” she answered with pride.
“Your father is Baron Shadley?” How did he not know this bit of information?
“Hardly,” Lady Lydell laughed. “Mr. Montgomery is the younger brother of Baron Sha
dley and named the farm after the title to anger his brother, who wished to distance himself from his father and brother’s passion for horses and racing.”
Jordan glanced at Miss Montgomery for clarification. She nodded and shrugged.
“Shadley Farms has a very fine reputation.”
“Thank you.”
“Enough about horses,” Lady Lydell insisted. “How does one become a barrister and how soon can you accomplish our goal?”
Silenced filled the table. Had she just said our goal? Lydell glared at his wife, Miss Montgomery paled and her mouth was slightly agape. Lady Lydell didn’t seem to understand she had said anything improper.
“While it is my goal to become a barrister one day. I am in no hurry.”
He placed his napkin on the table before Lady Lydell could say anything further and turned to Miss Montgomery. “Would you care for a walk about the gardens before the dancing begins?”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you. That would be delightful.”
“But we aren’t finished,” Lady Lydell insisted.
Jordan turned to the lady and bowed. “I believe we are.”
Audrey relaxed the moment she stepped out into the moonlit garden on the arm of Jordan Trent. What was it about Millicent that she could not let go of her attachment?
“You think being a solicitor is a worthy profession?” Trent asked her.
She glanced up and into his blue eyes. “Yes, it is. I had no idea it was your profession, however.”
He chuckled. “Few people do.”
He took a step further into the dark gardens. He had already been out here with one lady this evening and she was not going to be another conquest. She stopped just short of the light spilling forth from the doorway. If anyone were to come outside they would see a couple in conversation, well within view of anyone who wished to glance through a window or take a stroll.
“It is more pleasant amongst the spring buds.” He gave a gentle tug of his arm.
Audrey pulled her hand away from his arm. “It is pleasant enough here.”
“It is more private amongst the blooms,” Mr. Trent countered with a devilish smile, his dimple winked at her.
“Of that I don’t doubt. You seem to forget I have a reputation to protect.”
“I apologize.” He sighed and led her over to a bench. “Can I help it that I wish to be alone with you?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to ask why and for what purpose. If he would declare himself she would perhaps risk more. But he had done nothing but steal kisses when and where he could. How could she trust anything when she in truth, knew very little about him? She hadn’t even known he was a solicitor until little over an hour ago. How much of his reputation was truth or gossip? She sank onto the bench and left room for him to join her. If he did not wish for conversation then she knew he was no more serious about her than he was Millicent.
“Tell me about being a solicitor and how one becomes a barrister.”
He smiled and settled down beside her. “Being a solicitor is not as interesting as it once was.”
“How so?” She assumed it would be fascinating.
“I help with estates, draw up wills, that sort of thing. It is very dry and tedious.”
It did sound rather boring. “Then why don’t you do something else.”
“I find the criminal courts and cases quite fascinating.”
Audrey studied him for a moment and thought perhaps she understood why. “Because people are involved and not pieces of land?”
He sobered and looked into her eyes. “Yes.” He turned more fully toward her. “There have been innocent people punished for crimes they did not commit and guilty have been let free.”
“You worry about the innocent.” There was more to Trent’s heart than she suspected. Is this concern for others and having so little control what she glimpsed last spring? Rarely had she heard a gentleman express compassion for others, especially those considered to be of a lower station. She had the sudden desire to ask how she could help him.
“If I am to become a barrister, I wish to be with the criminal court.”
She had never seen him so earnest about anything. Jordan Trent flirted, danced and kissed divinely and Audrey felt as if she was getting a first glimpse at the true passion of his soul. “Then I believe you should.”
He laughed. “If only you were the one to make the decision it would be so much easier.”
“What needs to be done?” She knew very little of the court system. Her life had been in Grosmont on a stud farm. If anyone were to ask her about horses or racing she could talk for hours. The doings at the Inns of Court might as well be a foreign language.
“I would need to do a pupilage for at least a year, but I may be able to do it in less time.”
“What is involved?”
“For six months I must attend court and observe my mentor, which I do not have at the moment. However, I have been to court many times over the past five years simply observing.”
“Is it very exciting?” Audrey often wished she could do something more exciting but her life revolved around London and balls during the spring and fall. In the summer she helped her father with the horses. He had even allowed her to race and test their stamina but that was all.
He grinned at her. “It can be. I’ve viewed some very interesting cases.”
“But you need a mentor?”
“Or supervisor or any criminal barrister who wishes to teach me. Besides observing him in court, I would assist with paperwork and such. Sometimes I’d have my own cases, which I must present to the court. ” He grimaced. “Often there is no pay involved.”
Audrey frowned. It didn’t seem right that a man should work and not earn pay. Could Mr. Trent afford to go without an income? From what she understood he was rich, but perhaps he was deceiving everyone. If one looked about the ballroom and at the various clothing and jewels, one would assume everyone within was plump in the pocket but she also knew that was not to be true. Is that why he had not gone further toward becoming a barrister? Could he not afford to do so?
“What else is needed to become a barrister?”
“I must be called to the bar” He chuckled.
“You simply wait for someone else to decide to make you a barrister.”
“In a way. One of the requirements is to dine with lawyers and barristers so that they can come to know you. It is referred to as to eating your terms and most participate for at least three years.”
It sounded all very simple to Audrey but she was certain much more was involved. “That is all?”
Mr. Trent shrugged. “I have not really been taken note of.”
Audrey pulled back. Why hadn’t he participated in something so simple as eating?
“I didn’t want my father to learn because he did not approve. After his death I began making my appearance.”
“That was a year ago?”
“Yes.”
She grinned. “Then you only have two more.”
Mr. Trent laughed. “Yes, I suppose so.”
“Well, if that is what you must do, I suggest you continue to eat your terms.”
His laugh was relaxed. Once again Audrey suspected she was seeing a side of Jordan Trent that he showed to few people. Why did he hide himself behind a shield of debauchery when it really wasn’t who he was?
She glanced toward the ballroom. Most of the guests had returned and the musicians had begun again. Mr. Trent stood as did she and he offered his arm. She thought he was to lead her back into the ballroom, but once again he turned toward the gardens. Audrey stopped and would not move forward and simply shook her head. No matter how much she wished to feel his lips on hers, or his arms wrapped around her waist, it would not come to be until she knew for certain what role she was to play in his life. And, if it was simply to play with her heart, or to provide some entertainment this Season, then she would not be kissing Mr. Trent again.
Jordan closed the door on his chamber and
leaned against it. Miss Audrey Montgomery was going to lead him on a merry chase of that he didn’t doubt. But, it would be an enjoyable one and he would be the victor. A grin pulled at his lips as he recalled the two times she had avoided being in a position when she very well knew he wished to kiss her. What was her game? Did she wish him to beg or ask?
No, she didn’t strike him as the type of woman who would play such games. If so, he would have tired of her already. Well, whatever she was about, he would do what was necessary to earn a taste of those lips once again and perhaps they would share a bit of cake beforehand.
One part of this evening did disturb him however. Though he should have never mentioned money to a lady, he had let it slip that there was a chance he would not get paid for his work. There was something about Miss Montgomery that made him guard his words less than he would with anyone else. There was a comfort in talking with her. But had she frowned because he would not be paid or did she think he would have no money in which to support himself? He should have asked but it was too early into this odd courtship to speak of such crass matters and usually those discussions were left between the potential groom and the bride’s father.
Jordan pulled away from the door and began loosening his cravat. It wasn’t as if he needed to earn a living. He was filthy rich, thanks to his father. Yet, there was pride in actually earning his own way and perhaps that is what pushed him to become a solicitor in the first place.
An envelope was set on a stand beside the door and he paused to tear it open and read the message. No sooner had he shut the door Jordan was opening it again and trying to repair the damage to his cravat as he made his way down the stairs. What did Stanwick need?
