Maid to Be Mine: A Regency Cinderella Story (6 page)

* * *

“
Lord Charmington,” Robert announced, then stepped aside to let the earl make his entrance. As soon as Georgiana laid eyes on him, he took her breath away. He was so tall, he had to stoop to enter the room. His light brown hair was slightly wavy, and seemed to catch the light. He was dressed to the nines, in a black superfine greatcoat and well-fitting breeches. His eyes were intense and probably blue, though she could not be sure. The wide breadth of his shoulders, his muscular legs, his chiseled jaw—he was so handsome, Georgiana thought he would ruin her perception of what a man should look like. Now that she had seen him, no one else could possibly measure up to him.

As the butler excused himself, James Albray, Lord Charmington, stepped forward and said, “Thank you for the invitation, Lord Montforth. As you are my closest neighbor, I am happy to make your acquaintance.”

“
Likewise,” Rolly half-heartedly agreed. He rose from his chair and toddled over to Lord Charmington. His lips sagged into a prominent pout, if only because he knew he had been rendered lackluster in the presence of the sinfully handsome man. “Though I believe we've met before.”

“
We have?!” Lord Charmington was taken aback.

“
Yeeees. We have. Yuk yuk,” Rolly responded. “But it was very brief, and I did not have a title then. I did not expect you to remember me.”

“
My apologies, my lord. I am afraid my memory leaves something to be desired.” The earl turned his attention to Jemima, who was beaming at him like a fanciful schoolgirl. “And you must be the Lady Montforth?”

“
I am,” Jemima confirmed. “Until last week, my husband was Lord Montforth. I don't know if Roland told you in his letter, but I am recently widowed.”

“
So I heard. You have my condolences,” Lord Charmington said, then his gaze flickered to the younger women in the room. “And these must be your lovely daughters?”

“
Indeed.” Jemima stood behind her daughters as she introduced them. As she tapped Georgiana's shoulder, she said, “This is Georgiana, my youngest.”

Lord Charmington moved toward the settee, closer to the women. Georgiana nearly swooned as his eyes blazed down on her. They were definitely blue, but a darker blue, the color of midnight. Georgiana extended her hand, hoping he would grab it and kiss it, which he did. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Georgiana,” he said.

“
The pleasure it all mine, my lord,” Georgiana simpered at him as she spoke. “We are fortunate to have such an esteemed neighbor!”

“
I don't know if I would call myself
esteemed
, but I am certainly happy to be here! I have spent such a long time in London, I had forgotten how peaceful it is in the countryside.”

“
Georgiana is my heart's joy,” Jemima said, smiling as she sang her youngest daughter's praises. “I have not met another young woman who is quite as accomplished as she is.”

“
Oh, Mama! That's
too
much!” Georgiana said, feigning modesty. She tucked a black ringlet behind her ear, hoping she looked coy.

“
It is true, Georgiana!” Jemima continued. “Lord Charmington should hear you on the pianoforte. She has even composed a few of her own songs, the likes of which would rival the masters!”

“
Then I will certainly have to hear you play!” Lord Charmington exclaimed. “I am looking forward to it, in fact.”

“
Perhaps you can turn the pages for me?” As Georgiana made her request, she obnoxiously batted her eyelashes.

“
It would be my pleasure, my lady.” Lord Charmington turned his attention to the woman beside Georgiana, who had yet to be introduced. She wasn't as pretty as her sister, and she was likely much older, but he thought it would be rude to ignore her. “And your other daughter, Lady Montforth?”

“
Oh. This is Edith.”

“
Lady Edith.” Lord Charmington smiled at her, but she did not bother to return the gesture, nor did she meet his gaze. She appeared to be lost in her thoughts. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

“
Yes...” Edith quietly agreed. “And you as well.”

“
Do you happen to be a master on the pianoforte as well?” he asked with a chuckle.

“
No, my lord. Not remotely.”

James did not detect any rudeness in the older daughter, so he assumed her curt answers were an indication of shyness. But it was genuine shyness, unlike the other sister, who seemed to be going out of her way to act coy. When he looked at Georgiana, she was twirling a lock of hair around her finger and flashing an affected smile. She was pretty, to be sure, but he had already decided she was the sort of young miss he preferred to avoid.

Tess arrived with tea and biscuits, so Lord Charmington seated himself and indulged. For the next several minutes, the earls talked about politics and horses, which had Georgiana rolling her eyes. As she sipped her tea, she tried to think of a way to turn herself into the topic of conversation.

Fortunately, her mama was sharing the same thought. Jemima suddenly said, “You know, my lord, Georgiana is also a skilled painter.”

Lord Charmington's eyebrows were raised, as if he was impressed. “Really, Lady Georgiana? What do you paint?”

Georgiana's smile stretched from ear to ear. “I enjoy painting flowers, mostly. We have a beautiful garden, my lord. Before you go, you should really see it!”

“
Oh yes, that would be wonderful!” Jemima encouraged the idea. “You should take Lord Charmington on a stroll through the garden, dear.”

“
I would love to!” Georgiana cheered, and he knew he would have no say in the matter. “Will I need a chaperone?”

“
No, nooo!” Jemima waved her hands through the air, as if the idea was utterly preposterous. “I can see you from the window, darling. We have nothing to fear, as I am certain his lordship is the epitome of a gentleman!”

“
I would like to think I am,” James agreed. In the corner of his eye, he observed Lord Montforth, who had his pinkie finger buried in his nose. He did not want to draw attention to it, so he added, “Your daughter will be in good hands with me, I assure you.”

“
Wonderful!” Jemima exclaimed. She gave Georgiana a little shove, and her daughter immediately went to claim the earl's arm.

“
And what about your sister?” Lord Charmington asked. “Would she like to join us as well?”

Edith's eyes widened, for she didn't expect to be included in the conversation. She was quite content to fade into the background. “Oh, no, I--”

“
I insist!” Charmington exclaimed, ignoring Georgiana's groan of disgust. “I would be thrilled to have your company as well.”

Edith glanced at her mother, who looked cross enough to have steam exploding from her ears. “I... don't know...”

“
Please.” He held out his other arm, the one that wasn't in Georgiana's clutches. “Please, Lady Edith...”

Edith thought she saw a hint of desperation in his eyes, and in that moment, she understood exactly what that desperation meant. He did not want to be left alone with Georgiana—and she could hardly blame him!

“
Very well.” Edith rose from the settee and shyly took his arm. “Lead the way, my lord.”

Chapter Seven

“
Do you like horses, my lord?” Georgiana asked. She was walking arm-in-arm through the garden with the handsomest man she had ever seen—surely it was a dream come true! All she needed to do was ignore the fact that Edith was clinging to his other arm, then her day would be perfect.

“
I do. Who doesn't like horses?”

“
Edith doesn't like horses. Not very much, anyway. She got thrown from a mare when she was fourteen, and she never quite recovered. If you see her limping, that might be the reason.”

“
I don't have a limp,” Edith defended herself. “Not anymore.”

“
You might think that, sister, but I still see you hobbling from time to time. If it still pains you, my heart goes out to you. Really, it does! Your lameness shatters my heart!” Georgiana melodramatically clasped a hand over her chest. When Edith looked over at her, Georgiana was clinging to Lord Charmington's arm so tightly, her fingernails were sure to leave marks on his skin. “As for the subject of horses, you should see our stables, my lord. Our stepfather has the finest horseflesh in the county! When I was only ten years old, my father... my
real
father... took me to Tattersall's. It was the most amazing experience of my life. Edith, as I'm sure you can imagine, did not accompany us. At that time, she already had an aversion to horses. She is much older than me, you know, so when I was ten, she must have been... hmm... I suppose she was eighteen? Goodness! There really is a significant gap between our ages, isn't there?”

When Edith saw the glazed-over look in Lord Charmington's eyes, she had to suppress her laughter. From the looks of it, he had no idea how to respond to Georgiana's ramblings.

“
While I still consider myself quite young, I have no intention of owning to my age,” Georgiana said.

“
I am one and thirty,” Edith shamelessly confessed. “There you have it, my lord. Now that Georgiana revealed the gap between our ages, a simple calculation should reveal her age.”

“
Edith!” her sister gasped. “How wicked of you! I think I might never forgive you!”

Under her breath, Edith whispered, “
and I think I might not care
...”

“
Well, my lord, now that my sister has unceremoniously revealed
my
age, it is only fair that you should have to tell us yours!” Georgiana insisted. She laid her cheek against Lord Charmington's arm, but only for a few seconds, for fear that she might look too brazen. “Rolly said you were still young. And you look young, if I may say so.”

“
I am nine and twenty,” he answered softly.

“
There! I knew it! You are still quite young. A man of nine and twenty would be perfect for a lady of... say... three and twenty. Wouldn't you agree, Edith?” Georgiana looked over at her sister, but Edith did not respond. She did, however, happen to notice that Edith was rolling her eyes. “What do you think of the new Lord Montforth, my lord? I'm talking about Rolly, of course. I know you did not have an opportunity to talk to him for very long, but isn't he quite... obnoxious? He alluded to the fact that he was younger than you, but I hardly believe it!”

Edith was chuckling as she exchanged glances with Lord Charmington. It seemed ironic that Georgiana would refer to anyone as
obnoxious.
Georgiana herself was the very definition of the word!

“
He seemed... pleasant enough,” James quietly gave his answer.

“
Well, he pales in comparison to our stepfather, that's for certain. Oh, if only you could have met the man! He was warm and caring and charitable. When he passed away, it... it...” For dramatic effect, Georgiana sniffled a few times. “It truly wrenched my heart!”

Edith groaned. She did not want to sound insensitive, so she held her tongue. But she knew her sister's sadness was a lie.

“
I'm sorry to hear that, Lady Georgiana. It must be difficult for you.”

“
It is! I miss him so!” Georgiana started fanning her cheeks with her hand. “Do you have a handkerchief, my lord? I feel as if I might need to... to dry my eyes!”

Charmington whipped a handkerchief from the pocket of his greatcoat and held it out to her. “Here.”

“
Thank you, my lord. You're my savior!” Georgiana used the cloth to dab her eyes, even though there wasn't a tear in sight. “I do not mean to dissolve into a fit of vapors in front of you, but the wound is still so fresh! I am sure you understand...”

“
You have my sympathy, my lady,” he said.

“
You're very kind.” She sniffled a few more times, waited a few seconds, then asked, “Would you like to go to the stables, my lord? We should go for a ride... without Edith, of course, since she doesn't often ride. However, do not be surprised by the absence of a groom. Our stepfather didn't keep too many servants. He always thought... well... if there were only a few servants, that you could treat them like family!”