“Oh my, would you look at the time?” Tabitha set her teacup down and pushed to her feet. “I am afraid we are late for another appointment.”
“What other appoint…?” Sophia began to ask.
Tabitha shot her a glare, and she slammed her mouth shut.
“Our apologies, Miss Jacobson,” Unity said earnestly as she stood up next to Tabitha. “Miss Sophia has not been feeling quite herself lately, and I am afraid she is not fully aware of her words.”
Miss Jacobson’s expression softened. “No need to apologize, Miss Unity. I understand. Younger siblings can be…trying.”
“Indeed,” Tabitha agreed, though in her mind she was applauding Sophia’s candidness. She wished she still possessed the luxury of youth, where she could be forgiven for speaking her mind so easily.
Sophia rose to her feet and glared at the ladies in the room.
“I said what I said.” With no further words, she turned and stormed from the richly decorated parlor.
Tabitha and Unity each shot apologetic smiles to the other ladies, though Tabitha made it a point to not look toward Miss Plain-Face Jane. She did not deserve any kind of apology. In Tabitha’s mind, she deserved far worse than a tongue-lashing from Sophia.
Tabitha and Unity hurried from the room after their sister. She was waiting for them by the door impatiently, her arms crossed and her foot tapping on the tile.
“What kind of display was that?” Unity demanded to know. “Why were you so exceedingly rude to them?”
“Did you not hear what Miss Plain-Face said?” Sophia snapped. “How she insulted our papa, and our family?”
Unity sighed, “Of course I did, but we cannot stoop to her level and retaliate like that.”
“Perhaps we should have this conversation in the carriage,” Tabitha said, shooing her sisters out the front door of the manor toward their waiting vehicle.
Once they were securely inside and the carriage lurched down the drive, Sophia hissed, “It is not fair that she gets to say whatever she wishes just because her family is higher in the nobility than ours. That does not mean they are better than us!”
“You are right, Sophia, it does not,” Unity replied in a tone she reserved for when she was attempting to teach a lesson. “It was very wrong of her to say that about Papa, but it was very wrong of you to say what you said in turn.”
“I do not regret a single word.” Sophia sat back in her seat with a stubborn huff.
Tabitha could no longer hold back her mirth, and released a snort of laughter. Both her sisters stared at her with wide eyes.
“What is so funny?” Unity demanded to know.
Wiping at her eyes, Tabitha said, “You must admit, the look on Miss Jane’s face was rather amusing. She did not look as though she knew how to handle Sophia’s words in the least.”
Sophia’s mouth split into a wide grin. “She did look rather silly, did she not?”
Tabitha and Sophia shared a giggle as Unity released an exasperated groan.
“You two are impossible,” she said with a shake of her head.
“Oh, come now, Unity,” Tabitha chuckled. “You cannot pretend you did not enjoy watching Miss Jane turn red with jealousy.”
Unity pursed her lips, and Tabitha could tell she was fighting a smile. At length, she nodded.
“Very well, I will admit it was rather amusing,” Unity conceded, her mouth curling.
All three laughed together for several moments as the carriage carried them away from their neighbor’s home. As their amusement died down, Tabitha felt her grin falter as she sat back in her seat.
She could not help but reflect on Lady Jane’s harsh words and scorn. If she ever were to enter into a courtship with Lord Morrington, or Unity with Lord Habtage, would people perceive them as unfortunate matches for the gentlemen?
Just because our noble stations are not so high does not mean we would make poor wives.
Tabitha blinked, surprised at the turn her own thoughts had made.
Matches? Wives?
Since when had the idea of marriage to Lord Morrington become a viable option in her mind? She did not even like him…at least, she did not think so.
I do not…dislike him.
That in and of itself was a significant admission. Yet, even if she was warming toward Lord Morrington and no longer viewed him quite as the cad she had after their first meeting, she did not like how anxious she felt when considering other people’s attitudes toward them. Throughout her life, Tabitha had spared very little energy worrying about the opinions of others, but now, the idea of someone believing she was not good enough for Lord Morrington grated on her nerves.
How dare they think I am not a match for him. I am more than a match! He would be lucky to call me his own!
Releasing a small gasp, she gave her head a little shake, as if that would dislodge the spiraling thoughts rushing through her mind. She was making herself upset over nothing. She and Lord Morrington would never be together, so why worry what others thought of the idea?
It was ludicrous. He may not be quite so bad a person as she originally thought, but they were still far too different to make any kind of partnership between them work.
She would not let those ladies and their hateful words bother her.
She would not let herself wonder if Lord Morrington worried at all about her lowly station.
She would not think about him at all. There was no point.
They would never be together.
Chapter 23
The day of the ball arrived at last, and Tabitha found herself dreading the event with each minute it neared. Throughout the morning, she came up with several excuses she considered using to try and get out of going. She thought she could act as though she were ill, or pretend she had hurt her ankle while out walking.
At one point, she even thought about telling her papa that Lord Morrington had kissed her. He would surely forbid her from going, but the anger that would come bearing down on her would likely not be worth the reward.
She hated to admit how nervous she was to attend. It would be the first time she had encountered Lord Morrington since their kiss. She had no idea what she was supposed to say to him, or how she was supposed to act. She worried he may try to do it again.
What terrified her more, however, was the fact that she might want him to.
It was early afternoon, and Tabitha had locked herself away in her bedroom. She had claimed to have a headache in order to be left alone, and to set the possible groundwork she would need to escape her obligation to attend that night. Pacing back and forth across the room, she worried her bottom lip with her teeth as her mind spiraled.
She froze at the sound of a sudden knock on her door.
“Tabitha? Dear? Are you awake?”
Unity’s gentle tone was usually such a comfort to her, but today it only heightened her anxiety. She did not want her sister to know how frazzled she was, however.
“I am,” she called. “You can come in if you would like.”
The door opened enough that Unity could poke her head inside.
“Oh, good. You are up and about,” she said with a bright smile. She stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind her. “Are you feeling any better?”
Tabitha could tell her no and claim to still have a headache. She could avoid attending the ball if she maintained her ruse. However, as she met Unity’s trusting gaze, she could not bring herself to deceive her sister further. The lie died on her tongue.
“I am,” she admitted with a small nod. “I suppose I just needed some rest.”
“I am glad for that.” Unity clapped her hands together. “I was hoping you would be all right. Sophia and I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Tabitha frowned, wondering what in the world the two of them could have schemed up together.
“Yes, that is what I said,” Unity teased. “Now, you must come with me. The surprise is in our room.”
When Tabitha hesita
ted to move, Unity hurried forward, took her hand, and pulled her toward the door.
“Slow down,” Tabitha yelped when her sister yanked on her arm a tad too eagerly. “What are you in such a hurry for?”
“I am sorry,” Unity replied, though she did not slow her pace. “I am simply excited for what we have prepared for you.”
Her sister led her all the way down the hallway clutching her hand tightly. Tabitha did not think she could have escaped Unity’s hold if she wanted to. When they arrived at the bedroom her younger sisters shared, Unity opened the door and barreled inside, tugging Tabitha behind her.
“Oh, there you are!” Sophia exclaimed. She stood next to the bed, which was covered in a clean white sheet. Tabitha frowned, finding that odd. “I was beginning to wonder if I would have to come and help Unity drag you from your room.”
“What is all this fuss about?” Tabitha sighed with exasperation.
Neither of her sisters seemed to pick up on her less than cheerful mood. Unity released her hand at last and moved to stand next to Sophia.
“We have a gift,” her second youngest sister declared.
“A gift?” Tabitha was not sure if she should be excited or nervous.
Sophia nodded. “We know you are not truly looking forward to the ball this evening, but that you are going for our sakes.”
Guilt slammed through Tabitha’s gut in an instant. She had known this event was important to her sisters. As the firstborn, she was supposed to lead the way into society and marriage, and she had not always been so eager to take on that responsibility. They were able to go to the ball in part because she had agreed to go as well.
Yet, she had spent a good portion of the day wondering how she could get out of it. Her sisters would be crushed if she did not attend.
Forcing a smile for them, she said, “Now, that is not entirely true. I am not…dreading the event, so very much.”
A lie, and a bad one she feared, but her sisters smiled, appreciative of her efforts.
“Regardless, we wanted to give you something that would make you feel special tonight,” Unity replied. “To make you feel as beautiful as we all know you to be, inside and out.”
Her words made Tabitha’s heart ache. “You truly did not have to get me anything…”
With a flourish, Sophia pulled the sheet away from the bed. A gorgeous emerald green silk dress lay spread across the bedding. Tabitha gasped in amazement. It had a shallow round neckline and short puffed sleeves, a high empire waist with cream lace trim throughout the bodice, and a long sweeping skirt. It was fashionable and breathtaking.
“It matches your eyes,” Sophia said with a broad smile.
Tabitha was momentarily speechless as she gazed down at the dress.
At length, she stammered, “But…but I have a dress…”
Sophia made a sound that was very close to repulsion. “Your blue church dress is in no way suitable enough for tonight.”
“We wanted you to look ravishing,” Unity confessed with a secretive smile. “Eye-catching.”
Tabitha furrowed her brow and glanced from the dress to her sisters.
“Why?”
Unity and Sophia shared a glance, and Tabitha had her answer without them saying a word.
“You want me to catch Lord Morrington’s eye,” she sighed.
Unity appeared bashful. “That was…mostly the reason.”
Tabitha frowned. “What was the rest of the reason?”
“We wanted Miss Plain-Face Jane to regret what she said at tea the other week,” Sophia blurted.
Tabitha could not help her grin. “I must say, that is shocking. I would expect such vindictiveness from you, Sophia, but Unity? How very unkind of you.”
“Oh, do not tease me,” Unity huffed. “I think it would be very fitting that Miss Jane learn her lesson when Lord Morrington finds you irresistible.”
Tabitha arched an incredulous brow. “I do not know that such a thing would be possible, even in that lovely dress.”
“You underestimate your own appeal,” Sophia said, picking the dress up from the bed with ginger fingers. “You will be a goddess in this, and Lord Morrington will want to worship at your feet.”
“Sophia!” Tabitha cried, shocked. “What a scandalous thing to say!”
Her youngest sister blinked at her and shrugged. “What? It is true.”
Tabitha closed her eyes and prayed for patience. “Sophia, you really must learn not to say everything that pops into your head.”
“Perhaps if you were more open to speaking your mind, you would not need Unity and I to help you nab Lord Morrington,” Sophia shot back.
Tabitha opened her mouth to sharply retort that she did not wish to nab Lord Morrington, but then let it fall shut without a word. As she was no longer really sure what she wanted from the gentleman, she did not think it worth the argument that would no doubt ensue with her sister should she deny her claim.
“Oh, just give me the dress,” she growled.
Unity and Sophia both giggled with glee.
* * *
The manor was already crowded with people, and Edwin was ready to leave. Unfortunately, he could not leave, as this was his ball, in his godmother’s manor. He stood with Habtage, greeting people as they came through the large ballroom, smiling and laughing as if he were having a marvelous time.
In truth, he hated the spectacle. He was not averse to balls and social gatherings by any means, but this was not merely an event to entertain and enjoy. This was a show they were putting on to try and defend his reputation when it was inevitably called into question. He hated that he was being forced into this state of deception, backed into a corner by the gossipmongers of the ton.
Several of them were here already. More of the London elite had descended upon Laurelborough within the past few weeks, and he was forced to come face-to-face with them. For every bright, warm smile he received from his guests, there was a look of derision, or a barely concealed scoff of disgust. As if any of the people who judged him were so saintly themselves.
Habtage suddenly patted him on the shoulder.
“You are doing well, my friend,” he said softly. “I know this cannot be an enjoyable time for you, at present.”
“No, it most certainly is not,” Edwin replied with a groan. He forced a smile and nodded at an older, Laurelborough couple that walked by him.
“Ah, I believe the night just took a turn for the better.” His friend’s voice was low and strangely awed sounding.
Edwin frowned and glanced toward him. “What…?”
Habtage grabbed his arm and turned him to face the main entrance to the ballroom. It took several moments for Edwin to comprehend what was before him, but when he did, his jaw dropped.
The Walters sisters were walking into the room with their father, and it was as though the crowd parted for them as they passed. Miss Unity and Sophia each looked lovely, but he was stunned by the sight of Tabitha.
She stood between her sisters, wearing the most incredible emerald green dress. It brought out the color of her eyes, and made her red hair stand out brighter. Her curly locks were piled elegantly onto her head, and he was struck with the urge to let it down in order to run his fingers through the silky strands. She looked like a queen, so regal and glamorous.
No, not a queen. A siren or woodland nymph tempting me to come and claim her for my own.
As the sisters walked, he noticed that all eyes seemed to be drawn to them. It was no wonder, as they were each among the most beautiful ladies present, but he did not like the way the other gentlemen appeared to be devouring Miss Walters with their gazes.
He glanced toward Habtage, afraid that his friend might also be captivated by her. To his relief, however, he found that Habtage appeared to only have eyes for Miss Unity. Edwin sighed at that small relief. He would so have hated to have to challenge his closest friend to a duel.
“We should go and greet them,” Habtage murmured, the urgency in his tone reflect
ive of the urgency Edwin was feeling to be near Miss Walters.
Yet, surprisingly, reason prevailed and he replied, “They are coming to us. Best not to draw too much attention to them right away, my friend.”
He knew Miss Walters would hate it, and he could only imagine what rumors would be started if he and Habtage lost their heads over the ladies in front of everyone present. His friend released a breath of frustration.
Improperly Enticed By The Rascal Earl (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 18
