Last Dance in London (Rakes on the Run #1) - Sydney Jane Baily Page 0,31
silent for a moment.
“What were you doing upstairs?” she asked, at last, her eyes wide.
“Looking for you,” he confessed before thinking better of it.
Her expression changed in a blink. She smiled, and his heart seemed to skip a beat. Then Miss Sudbury jumped up and rushed at him, causing him to clasp her in his arms before she knocked him over.
“Oh, sir! You were like a knight of yesteryear. I was in such a state last night, I am not sure if I even thanked you properly.”
“Thanked him for what?” came an unfamiliar voice. “And, by the way, Marshfield, take your hands off my sister.”
JULIA SIGHED AND STEPPED away from the earl, who looked entirely unruffled by being caught holding her. She supposed keeping his cool was a practiced talent.
Turning to Sarah, whose head had appeared around the door followed by the rest of her, Julia asked, “Are you properly acquainted with the Earl of Marshfield?”
“No, not personally,” Sarah said, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Julia, staring up frankly at the earl.
Lord Marshfield, playing the perfect gentleman, took her sister’s hand and bowed over it before releasing it promptly.
“Lady Worthington, you are looking well.”
“Am I?” asked Sarah.
Julia wanted to elbow her for being even the slightest bit rude after how he’d saved her from ruin the night before. But she could never say that.
“By the way,” the earl added, “in case any nasty rumors are about to start or I am to be badgered into marriage for being found alone with your sister, Miss Sudbury’s hands were on me and not the other way around.”
Julia couldn’t help smiling at his defense.
“Hm,” Sarah said. “From what I understand, being alone with a young woman and declaring yourself wholly innocent of any wrongdoing are nothing new for you.”
Julia rolled her eyes at her sister’s overprotectiveness. It was broad daylight and they had been standing in the middle of the drawing room. Not even on the sofa where mischief could certainly occur, as she was well aware.
Regardless, willingly, Julia backed him up. “It’s true. The fault is mine. I was being overly enthusiastic.”
“Yes, you were,” Sarah said, a frown on her forehead. “Why? What were you thanking his lordship for?”
Julia caught her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was delve into the previous evening’s misfortune. Sarah would guess instantly what she’d been doing on the upper floor as they’d discussed it at length before. Then her sister would know Julia was still attempting to be Robin Hood.
Into the hesitation, Lord Marshfield spoke. “We were at the same ball last night. Her chaperone was concerned about her, but since I had noticed Miss Sudbury going into the ladies’ retiring room, I mentioned it to ... Mrs. Zebodar, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Sarah said, sounding doubtful.
“Otherwise,” Julia chimed in, “she was ready to call out the Bow Street Runners. Besides, she would have been terribly cross at my disappearance and probably wouldn’t want to accompany me to any more balls, not even to Almack’s.”
“You’ve never had an interest in Almack’s,” Sarah reminded her.
Julia realized she might have laid the marmalade on a bit thickly. Her sister was right, however. Since her present purpose was neither to dance nor to find a husband, and as there were no unattended jewels at the assembly hall on King Street, Almack’s held absolutely no enticement for her. Not that she would qualify for a coveted ticket in any case.
“I shall take my leave,” the earl said, obviously wanting to escape before any brewing tension became a messy argument.
It was Sarah’s place as mistress of the house to urge him to stay. Naturally, she didn’t. And Julia didn’t either. She still hadn’t answered him as to why she truly was on the Chandrons’ private floor, and she had no intention of doing so. Besides, at any moment, Sarah would ask why the earl had dropped by.
Glancing at Lord Marshfield, she urged him to speed away.
Too late! Sarah was still questioning.
“Did you come all this distance in order to receive an earnest thank you from my sister? And what demonstration of gratitude might you be hoping for?”
“Sarah,” Julia said sharply. Then tried to soften her tone. “His lordship has kindly invited me to ... to...,” trailing off, she looked again at the earl for assistance.
“I came by to invite Miss Sudbury to Lord’s Cricket Ground,” came his swift reply.
“The what?” both girls asked in unison before Julia recalled she was supposed to already have been invited.