A Viscount's Heart for Christmas (Book 5, Age of Innocence)

by Debra Elizabeth

  When they arrived home, Hannah was in the parlor. “Did you have a lovely visit?” she asked when Katherine and Courtney joined her.

  “We did indeed,” Katherine said.

  Courtney plopped down next to Hannah. “Violet is wonderful. I’m ever so glad to meet her before the Season starts. She loves music as well, and we spent most of the visit discussing it.”

  Hannah gave Courtney’s hand a gentle squeeze. “I’m so pleased for you. Now there’s no reason to be nervous about the upcoming Season.

  “Are you feeling well, my dear?” Katherine asked.

  “Better every day, thank you. I longed for a change of scenery and wanted to check on the progress on the presents for the foundling house.”

  “Hannah, would you help me with a special project?” Courtney asked.

  “Of course. What did you have in mind?”

  “I want to make cloth dolls for the little girls.”

  Hannah clapped her hands. “What a wonderful idea. How many do we need to make?”

  “We’re waiting for a reply. Mama sent a letter to Mrs. Hastings, asking for the number of children residing there and their ages.”

  “You may definitely count on my support. I’ve been known to pick up a needle and thread now and again,” Hannah said with a chuckle.

  Courtney hugged her sister-in-law. “Thank you, Hannah.”

  “I’ll send Gray to the dressmaker for some muslin and scraps of satin for their dresses. Will that do?”

  “Oh yes, that will be perfect. I can hardly wait to begin.”

  Chapter 11

  IT HAD NEARLY BEEN A week since meeting Violet and her sisters, and Courtney could hardly contain her excitement as she finished dressing for her visit to the British Museum. Camden was escorting her, and they were meeting Lord Edgerton’s party at the museum. She took one last look in the mirror while she smoothed down the elegant blue day dress. The color matched her eyes, and a navy pelisse completed her outfit. She hoped that Lord Edgerton would take notice and spend some of the visit with her. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear and left her bedchamber.

  Her brother was waiting in the foyer. “There you are. Are you ready?”

  Courtney hurried down the stairs. “I apologize if I’ve kept you waiting,” she said, accepting her bonnet and gloves from Nell.

  Hannah was standing next to Wetherby. “Enjoy your visit.”

  “Are you not able to join us?” Courtney asked.

  Hannah shook her head. “Thank you for thinking of me, but no. It will be too much and I’ve been to the museum before. I plan to catch up on some correspondence. Besides, my parents should be arriving from the country today. Enjoy your day.”

  Wetherby bent his head and kissed his wife. “Don’t overdo it, my love. I’ll see you later.”

  Hester opened the door, and Courtney swept through it and down the stairs to the ducal carriage. The footman handed her up, and Wetherby climbed in after her.

  “I’m so excited—today will be such excellent adventure. Thank you again for agreeing to accompany me.”

  “My pleasure, dear sister.”

  It wasn’t long before their carriage pulled up at the museum. Edgerton’s carriage was there as well, and all the sisters piled out.

  Violet hurried over to Courtney. “I’m so happy to see you again,” she said, hugging her.

  “It’s wonderful to see you, Violet.” She slid her gaze to Edgerton as he exited the carriage. Her heart did a somersault when he flashed her a smile.

  “Good morning, Lady Courtney,” he said.

  Julia grabbed Edgerton’s arm. “Come, Edgerton. We’re most anxious to go inside.”

  He shrugged. “Of course you are. You’ve been chatting nonstop about it since we entered the carriage. Lead the way.”

  Julia took Emma’s hand. “Come, Emma. I don’t want to waste any more time.”

  “Julia, slow down before you trip on the stairs.”

  Violet and Courtney hurried up the stairs after Edgerton, and Wetherby trailed behind. Once inside, Lord Enfield intercepted Wetherby.

  “Your Grace, may I have a word?” Enfield asked.

  “I’ll join you in a moment,” Wetherby said to Edgerton.

  Edgerton moved off, keeping close to his party and enjoying their enthusiasm, especially Julia’s.

  “Edgerton, look at this. It’s amazing,” Julia said.

  He went to the glass case Julia was standing in front of. “I agree.”

  Violet and Courtney came up beside them. “I’d really love to see the Egyptian exhibit,” Violet said.

  “I would too,” Julia said, nodding vigorously, and headed off to that section.

  “Come then, we’ll all go that room,” Edgerton said.

  WETHERBY REJOINED THEM IN the Egyptian room. “That was unexpected,” he said to Edgerton.

  “Oh? What did Enfield want?”

  “It took him a few minutes to get to the point, but he’s looking for my support on a bill before Parliament. I haven’t seen it yet, so I told him I’d consider it once I had a chance to review it.”

  Edgerton spotted Red Knight entering the exhibit. “That’s not good,” he whispered.

  Wetherby saw the spy too. “I’ll keep our party engaged while you attend to business.”

  Once everyone was busy looking at the different exhibits, Edgerton wandered over to his spy and whispered, “What are you doing here? We had no meeting scheduled.”

  Red Knight continued looking at the exhibit as if Edgerton hadn’t spoken to him. They couldn’t risk anyone connecting them. “There’s a complication,” he said, keeping his voice low, but loud enough for Edgerton to hear where he was standing a few feet from him.

  “What complication?” Edgerton asked, groaning softly.

  “The magistrate will not accept the sentences as directed.”

  Edgerton clenched and unclenched his fists. Of all the letters he’d written on behalf of the Home Office to the various parties about this situation, he’d not anticipated trouble from the magistrate. “What does he propose?”

  Red Knight leaned forward to examine the exhibit closely. “Twelve months for Joseph Perkins, the leader, and six months each for the other four men. If you don’t accept this, he’ll rule transportation for them all.”

  Edgerton seethed with frustration. This wasn’t the outcome he’d wanted and certainly not a result that would quiet the commoners, but he had no choice in the matter. He could not publicly confront the magistrate without implicating his own connection with the Home Office. “That will put Perkins’ family in grave peril. His son is only twelve years old and can hardly take on the task of planting the fields and then harvesting, even if his mother helps. I like this not.”

  The two men continued to wander around the exhibit as more spectators came into the room.

  “I understand, sir. May I propose a solution?”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I can sign on as a farm hand for room and board and get the planting done at the Perkins farm. At least that would help with getting the family back on track. The locals have gotten used to seeing me in the area, so my helping the family should not arouse any suspicion. Once Perkins is released, he’ll need time to recoup his strength. It would help the family tremendously if he didn’t have to worry about them.”

  “Have you ever planted before?”

  Red Knight nodded.

  “You continue to surprise me. I don’t want any more time to pass before the sentences are handed down, and if you’re willing to be a farm hand, I won’t challenge the magistrate’s ruling. I’ll send him a note letting him know that the Home Office is most displeased that he’s gone against their directives. In the future, he may not like it if he ever seeks help from the Home Office and none is forthcoming. Be sure he understands this.
”

  “Yes, sir.” Without another word, Red Knight slipped into the crowd and disappeared from view. Edgerton wasn’t looking forward to informing Jeffries of this latest development. He needed to talk to Wetherby before meeting with the director. He wandered over to Violet and Lady Courtney.

  “My lord, have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” Lady Courtney asked.

  Edgerton turned toward Courtney and smiled at the beautiful young woman standing next to him. “I must confess I have not.” Every time he saw Courtney, he became more and more entranced, and the blush that graced her face at his compliment gave him hope that she might be developing feelings for him.

  “Are you enjoying the museum?” Edgerton asked.

  “Very much so. Thank you for suggesting the visit. It’s everything I dreamed of.”

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  Edgerton moved to stand closer to Wetherby. “There’s a complication with Red Knight’s mission,” he whispered. “Once we drop the ladies off, will you meet me at the club? I’ll need a strategy for briefing Jeffries since you have more experience with that than I.”

  Wetherby nodded. “Of course.”

  After two hours of strolling through the museum, Edgerton handed Emma and Julia up into his carriage.

  “I’m delighted we could spend the morning together,” Courtney said to Violet, giving her friend a quick hug. “I hope I’ll see you all very soon.”

  “As do I. I’ll speak to Mama about another visit,” Violet said.

  “That would be wonderful,” Courtney said. “Goodbye, my lord,” she said, with a curtsy to Edgerton.

  “Good day, Lady Courtney,” he said, reaching for her hand and brushing a kiss against her knuckles before following Violet into their carriage.

  “Oh Camden, what a wonderful time I’ve had,” she said as he handed her into the ducal carriage.

  “Good to hear,” Wetherby said getting into the carriage. “I’m happy you enjoyed yourself.”

  “I can’t wait to tell Mama about the exhibits. Perhaps she’ll change her mind and wish to see them herself.”

  Wetherby chuckled. “That remains to be seen.”

  It was nearly an hour before Wetherby was able to join Edgerton in a cozy corner at the club. “Sorry for the delay,” he said, sitting down in one of the leather chairs. He motioned to the footman for a brandy. “What’s the problem?”

  Edgerton told him the latest news about the situation in the north. “What is that magistrate thinking, challenging the directives I sent him? Jeffries isn’t going to be happy.”

  Wetherby took a healthy sip of his brandy. “Do you want me to send a missive to the magistrate? Remind him how tenuous his position is?”

  Edgerton shook his head. “No. It would make the situation even more curious if the Duke of Wetherby had an opinion on the matter. Jeffries wants this to go away with as little fanfare as possible, and your involvement would not accomplish that.”

  “I understand. I don’t believe there’s any way to downplay this new development to Jeffries. Be prepared for a dressing down.”

  “Not looking forward to that, but I suppose there’s no help for it now. I plan to focus on Red Knight’s willingness to help the Perkins family.”

  “Yes. Good idea. Very generous of him, by the way,” Wetherby said.

  “It is indeed.” Edgerton leaned back in the chair and sipped his brandy. He’d been sitting there for the past half-hour, debating whether or not to talk to Wetherby about Courtney. He had hoped to get a moment alone with her at the museum, but with Red Knight’s unexpected appearance, a private conversation with Courtney was out of the question. He wanted to find out if she had any interest in him before speaking to her brother.

  “You look like a man with something more on his mind,” Wetherby said.

  Edgerton gulped the rest of his brandy. “Not at all.”

  Chapter 12

  THREE DAYS AFTER THE MUSEUM visit, Courtney paid a call on Violet. She was shown into the parlor, where all three sisters were sitting around the room. Violet was knitting on the sofa, Emma was reading in one of the wing chairs opposite, and Julia was walking around the parlor, talking about their visit to the museum regardless of whether either sister was listening to her.

  “Good morning. I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Courtney said.

  Violet put her knitting aside and came over to hug her. “Courtney! What a wonderful surprise. Come sit with me. Would you like tea?”

  “That would be lovely, thank you. The cold has a way of invading every layer of clothing I have on today.”

  “Julia, would you go to the kitchen and ask for a tea tray?” Violet asked, glad of an excuse to keep her younger sister busy.

  Julia nodded and left the room.

  “Hello, Miss Emma. What book has you so engrossed?” Courtney asked.

  Emma looked up. “Oh, Lady Courtney, I apologize for not greeting you. This book is quite entertaining.”

  “Please, no need to be so formal. Please call me Courtney.”

  “Then you must call me Emma.”

  “Emma, did you hear Courtney’s question? She inquired what book you’re reading,” Violet said.

  “Oh, I apologize,” she said, holding up the book. “It’s Persuasion by Jane Austen. I do love her novels, and this one is about a lost love. Have you read it?”

  Courtney shook her head. “I have not. Are you enjoying it?”

  Emma nodded. “Immensely. If you’d like, I would be happy to loan it to you when I’m finished.”

  “That would be lovely. Thank you, Emma.”

  Courtney took a seat next to Violet on the sofa. “What are you knitting?”

  Violet picked up the ball of purple yarn. “I haven’t decided yet, but I couldn’t resist this beautiful color.”

  Courtney nodded. “Perhaps you’d like to join my mother and I in making Christmas presents for the children at the foundling home. With only a fortnight until Christmas, your help would be most welcome.”

  “Really? I’d love to.”

  Courtney fingered the soft yarn. “This would make a beautiful scarf for one of the older girls. Would you like to come around and see all the items we’ve made so far?”

  “I would indeed. I shall ask Edgerton when the carriage is next available.”

  Before Courtney had a chance to ask if Edgerton was in residence that morning, a maid brought in a tea tray, followed by Julia.

  “You may put the tray on the table, Mary,” Violet said.

  Mary put the tray down and with a quick curtsy left the room.

  “I’m so glad you came today,” she said when she handed Courtney her tea.

  “As am I. Will your mother be joining us this morning?”

  Violet shook her head. “No. Mama had a morning call to make.”

  “Good morning, Lady Courtney,” a deep baritone voice floated in from the doorway.

  She knew that voice and flashed Lord Edgerton a brilliant smile before standing and curtsying. “Good morning, my lord. It’s a pleasure to see you again,” she said, looking into his eyes. He looked so handsome in his navy jacket, blue waistcoat, and breeches. She found it hard to look away.

  “The pleasure is all mine,” Edgerton said, striding into the room. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles lightly, holding her gaze.

  Her small hand fit within his, and even through her gloves the contact scorched her, igniting every fiber of her being. She wanted more of his touch, although she wasn’t sure what that entailed. She only knew that she longed to spend more time with him and wondered what it would be like to kiss him?

  “Brother, you must join us for tea,” Julia said, breaking the spell between them.

  Edgerton relinquished Courtney’s hand and turned to his younger sister. “I would like nothing
better, but I have an appointment this morning that I must attend to.”

  Courtney wanted to mirror Julia’s pout. She was hoping he’d stay.

  “Good day, ladies. Enjoy your visit, Lady Courtney,” he said before quitting the room.

  For the next half-hour, Courtney and Violet discussed gifts for the children at the foundling home. Eventually, she took her leave, gathered her outerwear, and left the townhouse. During the ride back to the ducal residence, she replayed her encounter with Lord Edgerton over and over in her mind. Was that sparkle in his eyes just for her?

  When she returned home, she found Hannah in the parlor holding Finlay. Courtney sat beside her on the sofa. “He’s getting bigger and bigger every time I see him.”

  Hannah cooed at the baby. “I agree.”

  “May I hold him?”

  Hannah nodded and placed the baby in Courtney’s waiting arms.

  “Hello, Finley.” He seemed to gurgle on cue. “Do you think he knows me?”

  Hannah nodded. “I believe he does, especially since you spend time with him almost every day.”

  “He’s such a darling baby.”

  “Thank you. I think so, but then, I think all mothers feel that way about their babies.”

  “I had a lovely visit with Violet and her sisters today.”

  “How are they?”

  “Violet would like to help us make Christmas gifts for the children at the foundling home. She has the most beautiful purple yarn, which will make a lovely scarf and mitten set for one of the older girls.”

  “That’s wonderful. The more hands helping, the better.”

  Courtney gave the baby back to Hannah. “Speaking of, I should get busy myself. I’m almost finished with the scarf I’m working on.”

  There was a knock on the parlor door. “Enter,” Hannah said.