Saving Lord Berkshire - Laura Beers Page 0,12
to ride with,” Amelia remarked as she piled her plate with food.
“I am just worried I won’t be able to keep up with you.”
“I have little doubt of that. You are a competent rider, as well,” Amelia replied as she headed towards the table.
Amelia had just claimed the seat next to her when Hannah walked into the dining room, dressed in a white gown.
“Good morning,” Katherine greeted her cheerfully.
Hannah let out a yawn, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. “What is so good about it?” she questioned. “It is much too early.”
“Is it?” Amelia asked, picking up her fork. “I have already been on a morning ride.”
“And I have been up reviewing files for hours now,” Katherine added as she held up a file from the table.
Hannah walked over to the buffet table and picked up a plate. She placed a piece of toast on it and joined them at the table. “The birds outside my window woke me up this morning. Their warbling was incessant.”
“I find the birds chirping outside of my window charming,” Amelia remarked.
Hannah picked up a napkin and placed it on her lap. “I daresay that I might shoot them, one by one.”
Amelia laughed. “We both know that you wouldn’t shoot innocent birds.”
“True,” Hannah muttered, picking up her toast. “But that doesn’t stop me from imagining it.”
Katherine glanced between her sisters. “Now that you both are here, I wanted to inform you that we have taken on a new client.”
“Already?” Amelia asked as a footman placed a cup of chocolate in front of her. “We still have two clients that we’re working with.”
Katherine nodded. “That is true, but I don’t believe adding one more would be too taxing. Do you?”
Amelia shrugged. “I suppose not.”
Katherine opened the file and placed it on the table. “Our new client is Lady Kitty; she is the sister of Lord Berkshire.”
“May I ask why you selected Lady Kitty?” Hannah asked as she reached for her teacup.
“You may,” she replied. “She is nineteen years old and is terribly shy.”
“Can you define ‘terribly shy’?” Amelia asked. “She couldn’t possibly be worse than Lady Alice.”
“I’m afraid so,” Katherine responded.
Amelia’s lips parted in disbelief. “How is that possible? Lady Alice was almost an impossible case.”
“That is true, but, last night, I witnessed Lady Kitty attempting to speak to a gentleman, and she refused to even make eye contact,” she explained. “It was quite painful to watch.”
“And you think we can help her?” Hannah questioned.
Katherine bobbed her head. “We were able to help Lady Alice overcome her shyness when it came to conversing with gentlemen. I have no doubt that we can do the same for Lady Kitty.”
“You have always been too much of an optimist for my taste,” Hannah muttered.
“Are you afraid of a challenge?” Katherine asked with a smile.
Hannah shook her head. “I am not, but I am also pragmatic. There are some people that we won’t be able to help.”
“Don’t you think it is at least worth a try?” Katherine pressed.
Amelia interjected, “I think it could be fun.”
Hannah frowned. “I have no choice in the matter, do I?”
“Not anymore, now that Amelia has sided with me,” Katherine remarked. “Besides, if we secure a match for Lady Kitty, her brother will pay us £3,000.”
“£3,000,” Hannah repeated slowly. “That is a small fortune.”
“Lord Berkshire offered to pay us three times our normal fee if we agreed to help his sister,” Katherine shared.
“But our normal fee is only £500,” Amelia pointed out.
Katherine smiled smugly. “But Lord Berkshire didn’t know that when we were negotiating the terms of the contract.”
“Do you think that is fair to demand such a high fee?” Hannah questioned.
“Yes,” Katherine replied quickly. “I had initially rejected Lady Kitty as a potential client, but Lord Berkshire was quite insistent.”
“May I ask why you originally rejected her?” Amelia inquired.
“Lord Berkshire attempted to secure our services on her behalf without her knowledge,” Katherine explained.
“Ah,” Amelia said. “I see the problem.”
Katherine closed the file. “Furthermore, I should note that Lord Berkshire is rude, condescending, and a despicable scoundrel.”
Hannah gave her a curious look. “Then why did you agree to bring his sister on as a client, assuming this Lord Berkshire is as awful as you claim he is?”
“Because he offered us a ridiculous amount of money,” Katherine replied.
“Is that the only reason?” Amelia asked, watching her with interest. “After all, you have never seemed to be motivated by money before.”
“That may be true,” Katherine responded, “but I also want to see if we can help