The Last Eligible Bachelor - Ashtyn Newbold Page 0,5

our planning in the morning. You may leave, Sherbrooke.”

I hurried out of her room, stopping outside the door. I pressed my back against the cool wall, and a shiver rolled through my body. Did Sophia not understand the pitfalls of this plan? How could I properly impersonate her for an entire month? There was still so little I knew of this entire ordeal. As Sophia had explained it, there seemed to be a female relative of hers who was intent on securing a match for this Mr. Hill, so she had invited several young ladies to come visit to see if he might select his wife from among them. It was strange, to say the least.

But Sophia was right. It would not be difficult for me to escape the gentleman’s notice among four other young ladies, if my first season in London was any indication. I had never been any man’s first choice. I squared my shoulders, taking a deep breath. If Sophia’s threats were true, then I could not tell anyone about her plan, not even Mama. Perhaps Mr. Sedgwick would see sense and not allow his daughter to travel so far with only her maid as a chaperone.

But all it would take was a flutter of Sophia’s lashes and her father would succumb. He always did. The most charming people were the most dangerous, and Sophia could charm her way to any place she wanted to go. Even the illustrious Hampden Park.

Chapter 3

Mama’s arms wrapped around me like the climbing vines on the garden archway. “I’ll miss you, dear Tillie.” She pressed a kiss against my cheek before stepping back. Mama stood just an inch or two shorter than me, with the same dark hair and dark eyes. Her brow creased with worry, even more so than usual. It was easy to guess what was worrying her now. She was likely worried that Sophia would marry this Mr. Hill, and that I would be kept as her maid and moved to Bibury forever.

I closed my mouth against the truth I so wished I could tell. Sophia would not be competing for Mr. Hill’s attention, I would. In fact, I would be doing quite the opposite—avoiding his attention at all costs. If Sophia’s confidence in me was well placed in any regard, it was in my ability to be invisible.

“I will miss you too, Mama.” I squeezed her hand. Letters would be too expensive to send and would take too long to arrive in Bibury. If Mama had any news about Papa, I wouldn’t receive them until I returned. My anxiety rose at the realization that much could happen in one month. Papa had been awaiting trial for three months, but that could change in an instant.

“Take great care in Mistress Sophia’s appearance,” Mama said in a firm voice. “You know how eager her parents are to see her succeed.”

“I will.” I gave a weak smile, ignoring the way my insides tossed and turned. I had only a few minutes to spare before it was time for my departure with Sophia. We had spent the last week rehearsing my manners and talents, most of which felt strangely unfamiliar. I was certainly out of practice. But after a few days, the skills returned to me as if they had never left. Since becoming Sophia’s maid, I had been doing all I could to present her in a way that involved coiffing and dressing and styling. But for the next month, I would be presenting her in a way I never thought I would. Every word I spoke would be hers, every movement, every mistake. To the guests in Bibury, I would be Miss Sophia Sedgwick.

Yet the two of us could not be more different. Sophia was blonde, blue-eyed, with porcelain skin. My hair was a dark coffee brown, my eyes the same, my skin marked with freckles. I had never carried myself with the poise and confidence of Sophia, nor had I spoken with as much rehearsed elegance while in social situations. Sophia assured me that all the guests were unfamiliar with the appearance or conduct of the Sedgwicks’ only daughter, but the fear persisted that I would be discovered immediately upon my arrival.

Mama pulled me in for one last hug before sending me toward the house. The carriage was already waiting, and I still had to help Sophia finish packing her final belongings. We had already packed her second trunk full of dresses for my use while in Bibury,