The Footman and I - Valerie Bowman Page 0,16

the daughter of the Duke of Montlake and the sister of Frances’s friend, Mary. Lady Julianna was gorgeous, with blond hair and light-green eyes. She was also tall and thin and proper. In fact, she was so wealthy, popular, and beautiful that the Times had followed her debut and subsequent courtships. Abigail and Mama had been positively on tenterhooks reading the stories. Frances remembered bits and pieces of their gossip. Apparently, the year before last, when Lady Julianna had made her debut, there had been rumors that she’d caught the eye of the elusive Duke of Worthington, but no one had truly believed that. Worthington was dashing and exceedingly handsome by all accounts, but he was also an established rake and a notorious gambler. He’d never been one to frequent the events of the ton. Still, the rumors had been given some credence. After all, if Worthington was planning to finally marry, Julianna Montgomery certainly would be the sort of young woman who could manage to bring him to the altar. Surprisingly, Lady Julianna had remained unattached her entire first Season, but this past Season, she’d made an excellent match. She’d become engaged to the Marquess of Murdoch. The marquess was young, rich, handsome, and the heir to the Duke of Murdoch, his childless uncle.

Frances took a sip of wine and eyed Lady Julianna from behind her glass. The blonde was here at the house party with her mother and younger sister, who’d just made her debut this Season and had yet to secure an engagement. Lady Julianna was everything Frances was not. Regal. Poised. Charming. Gorgeous. How she managed to always keep a serene and inviting look on her face, Frances would never know. No doubt about it, Lady Julianna was a diamond of the first water. Surely her dowry was indecent. And Frances was entirely certain that Lady Julianna never did anything inappropriate such as bringing up politics to potential suitors. No wonder the Marquess of Murdoch had come calling.

When Lady Julianna suddenly turned and met Frances’s gaze, Frances nearly dropped her wine glass. She quickly looked away. Perfect. Now she’d been caught staring at Lady Julianna Montgomery. What more rude behavior could she display this evening? She glanced at the clock that rested on the mantelpiece in the center of the long room. That clock had to be the slowest contraption in history. She sighed under her breath. She’d be forced to sit here for at least two more hours, if not three. These sorts of formal affairs were ever so lengthy and tedious. Especially when the talk was as trivial as it was at present. Mama was chatting with the woman on the other side of her about Sir Reginald’s imminent arrival. Frances was already bored, and the knight hadn’t even arrived yet.

The only thing that was keeping the evening from being completely wasted was the fact that the extremely handsome footman who’d helped with the trunks and asked for her name this morning was serving the table. She’d been unable to keep her gaze from him all evening. Was it her imagination or had he just glanced at her? Lucas was his name. Mr. Lucas. He’d been awfully kind to her. He’d even tried to give her back her coin. She’d never known a servant to do such a thing. She’d also never known a servant to be as handsome and well-built as he was. In addition to being tall, his broad shoulders filled out the black jacket he was wearing perfectly, not to mention his—Good heavens, her cheeks were heating. Mama would have a conniption if she knew the impure thoughts Frances was having about a footman. She hid her smile behind her napkin and tried not to glance at Mr. Lucas. Much.

Moments later, Sir Reginald came hurrying into the dining room. “I’m awfully sorry to be late, my lady,” he said to their hostess, “but I received a letter from the Prince Regent, and well, one does not wait to read a letter from Georgie.” He pretended as if he only meant Lady Clayton to hear, but his words had been loud enough to reach the entire dining room.

Frances couldn’t help it. She glanced at Mr. Lucas. Had he just rolled his eyes? That was interesting. She took another sip from her wine glass to keep from smiling again.

Sir Reginald soon located the empty chair to Frances’s right and proceeded to seat himself. He was just about to open his mouth to speak