A Gentleman for Lady Juniper (Clairvoir Castle #6)

Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

A visit to the house of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies hadn’t been something Jack expected to perform. Yet there he was, in the drawing room with his sisters-in-law and Emily, sitting in a chair with a plate of biscuits in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, utterly bewildered as to how one was supposed to eat a biscuit whilst retaining a hold of the cup of tea. He was only here because the contessa’s note to the ladies of his household had mentioned the conte wanted to speak to him about a particular matter.

The conte had yet to join them. He was, apparently, in meetings that morning.

Before her marriage Emma Arlen had been ward to the Duke of Montfort and remained the dearest friend of his eldest daughter—which explained how his sisters had obtained the invitation in the first place…even if that didn’t clarify why the couple had included Jack.

“I understand you had dinner with Lord and Lady Dunmore’s family last week,” Lady Atella said with a wide smile behind the rim of her cup. “They are lovely people. I am planning to host them here soon. ”

Jack shifted in his seat the moment that evening’s memory rose in his mind. A successful evening; even if he had been mercilessly teased for being the subject of a young lady’s painting, in a somewhat heroic pose that his brothers thought ill-suited to him.

When he had posed for Lady Juniper and her sister all those months ago, Jack never dreamed his family would one day see the painting. Even if he had, he would have agreed to stand as model for them. He had liked all three Amberton sisters, even then.

“Oh, we truly enjoyed our time with them,” his eldest brother’s wife Katherine said, seeming to feel more confidence when speaking of the mutual acquaintances. “We hope to return their generosity soon.” As Viscountess of Tenby, after all, she was a mere touch below the contessa in rank.

“The balance must always be kept,” Lady Atella said with a shrewd raise of her eyebrows. “But know this, Lady Tenby. You are among friends when you are with us. My husband and I have agreed to do all we can to ease your way into London’s elite circles. If ever you need help planning parties or dinners, or returning invitations, or anything, please do not hesitate to call on me. I absolutely delight in arranging social events. It is one of my favorite things about being married to an ambassador.”

Jack nearly smiled at that. He’d known the contessa for years, even if it had been a formal and distant knowledge. He’d joined the household before she’d come out into Society along with the duke’s eldest daughter, and she’d always been lively in spirit. Her enthusiastic offer didn’t surprise him in the slightest.

“I have a question, then, your ladyship,” Emily said with a little raise of her hand, as though reluctant to draw attention to herself. “As an unmarried lady, I know entertainments I organize must be smaller and given with the permission of my mother. But am I permitted to do more than invite other women to tea or on an errand? ”

“As long as you are not planning parties, of course. And you cannot invite men to spend time with you without parental approval and chaperones.”

Emily blushed and laughed softly. “I have not met a man I would like to go to all that trouble for. Yet.” Jack’s protective instincts stirred briefly. “However, I would like to have Lady Juniper and Lady Betony join me of an afternoon. Merely to talk, you understand. I quite like them.”

“They are of equal rank to you, too, so it would be beneficial to you to do something in public with them.” Lady Atella gave an enthusiastic nod of her head. “They are enchanting women. You could not ask for better friends. That all three of you are out in Society is excellent, too. They may go wherever you are permitted in your shared unmarried state.”

“Would it be permissible for someone like my brother to join us, should we wish to wander about in shops or go to Gunter’s for ices?” Emily slanted a look toward Jack. “As an escort, of sorts.”

Something about her tone made Jack take notice and focus on her expression. The question seemed pointed. Specific. What was she up to?

With a shrug of her shoulders, Lady Atella answered, “I do not see why not. Brothers accompany sisters all over London, when they are not getting up to their own mischief.”

Katherine gave her brother-in-law a well-meaning grin. “I am not certain Jack knows how to get into trouble.”

“I think he would laugh at the mere idea of being involved in any sort of ill-doing,” Emily agreed. “Or any sort of amusement, too, which is why I wish to drag him about with us. He will think himself a particularly effective escort, but I am secretly forcing him to enjoy himself.”

“Not so secretly it seems, given you are plotting right in front of him.” Lady Atella chuckled with amusement. “You sound as if you mean to torture your poor, well-meaning brother, Lady Emily.”

Susan, his brother George’s wife, had been shyly quiet for the visit thus far. But here she perked up somewhat. “I think it a good idea. Especially if you include the Amberton sisters. They are pretty ladies. Perhaps they could encourage our brother-in-law to be freer in his comportment.”

His eyes narrowed, but Jack calmly took a drink of his tea. He didn’t mind in the least that they talked about him and around him as though he were not present. He almost preferred it—it was hardly a new sensation. But hearing plots against him was somewhat disconcerting.

“Lady Juniper would certainly try,” Katherine said somewhat dryly, drawing Jack’s attention to her as she nibbled a biscuit.

Whatever could she mean by bandying about Lady Juniper’s name that way? He needed to say something, even if he disguised it with confusion. “I am uncertain what you meant to imply with that remark, Katherine.”

She smirked and made eye contact with Emily, raising her eyebrows. “Merely that she seemed quite invested in whether or not you enjoyed yourself at dinner last week.”

Had she? Jack sorted swiftly through his memories from that evening again, this time as rapidly as he’d once rehearsed battle plans to himself. Try to remember every detail; discard the unimportant . He had to slowly shake his head. “I cannot think what you mean. She paid particular attention to Emily which I thought kind of her.”

Lady Atella’s eyes sparkled with delight. “I wonder if you were focused on the wrong details that evening, Mr. Sterling. Knowing what I do of your former life, it would not surprise me if you were too occupied with assessing for threats that you missed a lady offering an allyship, of sorts. I do not know Lady Juniper as well as I know her older sister, the baroness, but I do believe she’s regarded as a quiet, steady sort. You would do well to secure her friendship.”

He almost responded, almost contradicted a countess in her own home to say, I would have noticed someone as lovely as Lady Juniper casting her eyes in my direction, surely . Yet he’d spent most of the previous summer in her presence, assigned to watch over the Amberton women during their stay at Clairvoir, and had actively reminded himself on a daily basis that he couldn’t stare at her all day. He hadn’t any right to smile when he saw her or chuckle at her quips.

He had closed every part of his mind to her except the dutiful, protective part…or tried to. A man would have to be blind to avoid noticing how beautiful she was, how softly she spoke, how brightly she smiled. A servant—even a guardsman—and an earl’s daughter couldn’t have the barest of acquaintance without crossing dozens of lines.

Except… He wasn’t a servant anymore. Nor was he a guardsman.

Jack’s mind was doing something strange. It shifted, his thoughts realigned, settling rather firmly in the knowledge that Lady Juniper and himself were now…equals.

No. That was ridiculous. She’d always be a touch above him, no matter their stations in life.

Susan raised her eyebrows and murmured softly, “Jack, assessing for threats? Goodness, you do know him well.”

That brought him back to the conversation as nothing else would. His circumstances had changed, and so had his duty. His family needed him. “I have a responsibility to keep my family from harm. All sorts of harm.”

Emily tapped her finger to her chin. “Lady Juniper offered to assist us. Well—she and her sister offered.” She looked to Katherine. “And I agree with you. She paid pointed interest to Jack, too. ”

“And heaven knows he needs help,” Susan muttered behind the rim of her teacup. “Poor old soldier.”

What could she possibly mean by that? He was clearly the most well-equipped in the family to make it through their coming social trials. London was filling up to the brim with lords, ladies, and gentry, the first round of balls beginning in a week’s time. He’d secured a dancing master, at high cost, to begin working with them two days before. What had they done?

Jack stiffened somewhat and put his cup down.

Perhaps they had seen Lady Juniper paying attention to him. Perhaps he’d missed it, and she had looked at him with pity due to his lack of experience in the world she’d lived in all her life.

A humiliating thought.

“I think you have offended him,” Lady Atella remarked with a teasing grin. “He looks more fierce than usual.”

He fought to appear more relaxed. “I am not in the least offended, Lady Atella. Merely perplexed by the observations made by my sisters.”

All four ladies started to laugh or giggle, and he had to shake his head in complete confusion. Fortunately for him the door opened and in walked Lord Atella, the ambassador. He greeted them all politely, his wife warmly, and then motioned to Jack.

“Ah, Mr. Sterling. Again, it is good to see you. I am grateful you have come. Ladies, I must steal this gentleman away. I have wished to discuss matters of embassy security with someone as knowledgeable as Mr. Sterling for months now.”

Jack winced and looked at the ladies from his household, and all of them raised their eyebrows at him. As far as they knew, he’d been nothing more than an upper-footman in a duke’s house. His military career long in the past.

He cleared his throat. “This old solider is happy to be of assistance in whatever way I can, Lord Atella.” He would have to tell the ambassador to avoid speaking of his former occupation, even if it was among people who had reason to know the duke employed a private militia in the guise of servants.

He’d never seen a reason to make his family worry over his safety. After all, they’d done enough of that during the war with the French. All anyone needed to know was that he’d worn the duke’s livery for several years. No further details were necessary.

He followed the conte out of the drawing room and to his office and attempted to put the idea of Lady Juniper showing him any sort of extra attention, be it critical or otherwise, out of his mind.

“You like John Sterling.”

Juniper froze where she stood, a collection of Erasmus Grey’s novels in her arms, and turned slowly on her heel to see Betony standing in the corridor behind her with arms crossed and a wide grin on her face.

Best to pretend ignorance. “I beg your pardon, Betony. What was that you said?”

“You like him.”

“Who do I like?”

Her younger sister wasn’t one to take a hint, apparently. “You are nursing feelings of tenderness for the former guardsman. You admire him, you think of him often, you like Mr. John Sterling. It took me all week to think it through, but now that I have, it is the only thing that makes sense with regards to how odd you acted during dinner and in the days afterward. Even now—” She pointed to the stack of books Juniper held. “You have gathered those up from all over the house and have reorganized the shelves in your room at least three times. You are attempting to distract yourself from something. It isn’ t working.”

Juniper swallowed. “Perhaps I wish to distract myself from the mortification that lingers from you showing my less-than-perfect portrait of Mr. Sterling to his entire family.”

“They all loved that painting and you know it,” Betony said with mock severity. “You are not unhappy about that, even though you blushed all evening. No, I think you like him.”

Unfortunately, Betony saw far too much and knew too much about Juniper. Denying her supposition more would do nothing but goad Betony into stubbornly proving her theory.

There was nothing for it.

“How did you know?” Juniper asked instead, voice soft as she hugged her stack of books to herself.

Betony’s eyebrows raised and her focus narrowed on Juniper’s. “I suspected it at dinner. Every time I looked to see what you thought of something our guests said, you were glancing at Mr. John Sterling from the corner of your eye, if not outright staring. But I knew it for a fact when I brought out that portrait.”

Her stomach swooped. “I have had that portrait for ages. How did that give anything away?”

“Juniper, my darling sister, you blushed like a rose. I have never seen you react that way to sharing your art. You are delightfully confident in your artistic abilities, usually. I knew something was amiss at once.” Betony grinned broadly. “And, as I said before, you have been distracted ever since that evening. Too distracted.”

Juniper went to her bedchamber door and opened it, beckoning Betony with a little movement of her chin. Once they were both inside, Juniper nudged the door shut with her hip before hurrying to put her books on the shelves.

“You haven’t told anyone about this, have you?” she demanded, turning again toward her sister. “Not Ivy? Or anyone else?”

“Of course not. I might ask you about your feelings, and have my own thoughts on them, but I am not the sort to run off and tell anyone else your private thoughts or emotions.” Betony clasped her hands beneath her chin, her eyes bright with interest. “This is adorable, Juniper. I cannot think of a time, besides that summer we first met Fanny’s family, that you looked at a boy with anything other than polite indifference.”

Her words brought up a memory of Juniper, all of fourteen years of age, following about their sister-in-law’s younger brother, trying to imagine him as a hero from one of her books. The boy turned out to be rather full of himself, and Juniper had swiftly realized she liked fictional gentlemen better than the reality.

Her present-day cheeks flushed. “I am not certain I wish to be called adorable. I feel rather foolish, in fact.” Juniper sank into one of two matching chairs in front of her fireplace. “Because Sterling—Mr. Sterling said almost nothing to me. He barely looked at me. Understandably, of course, he is in the midst of an enormous change. His family needs him.”

Betony sat in the other chair, her expression one of pure delight. “How long have you liked him? Since the summer? Or only after his family rose in rank?”

“It…it would have been inappropriate to look at a servant with any sort of feeling beyond general human decency.” Juniper hadn’t ever allowed herself to look at servants, at employees in the households she’d lived in or visited, with any degree of personal interest. The indecency of the suggestion made her frown, even if she had rather liked watching the former guardsman as he moved about the castle, or stood stoically in place until called upon. “And you had better not ever entertain such a thing, Betony Amberton.”

“Never.” Betony put her hand to her chest. “I am well aware of the imbalance between ourselves and those who are in service.”

Juniper sighed, her gaze drifting momentarily towards the neatly arranged novels before meeting her sister’s eyes. “A lady of our position must never entertain such thoughts toward a servant. It’s not merely frowned upon; it’s a breach of decorum which could lead to scandal, ruining the lives of all involved.”

Betony nodded solemnly, her earlier excitement dimming in the face of the reminder. “I know. The lines between us and those who serve us are not just lines of employment but of entire worlds apart. To cross them...” She paused, searching for the right words. “To cross them is to risk everything—our reputation, our social standing, even our family’s name.”

Juniper’s expression grew stern, reflecting the seriousness of their conversation. “Exactly, and it’s not just about us. A moment’s folly could ruin lives.”

“I follow all the rules, Juniper, you know I do,” Betony murmured. “But we are not speaking of the things that have ruled us since birth. We are speaking of something entirely different.” Her earlier levity didn’t return, though a more reflective expression appeared on her face, her smile slight and her eyes thoughtful. “Is this why you are struggling, Juniper? It’s a lot to carry, knowing you could feel something for someone who was once a servant. But now, with Mr. Sterling’s rise in fortune...”

Juniper’s lips curved in a small, thoughtful smile. “Yes. I know it’s different now. His father’s elevation changes things.” She glanced at her books and her heart sank. In novels a heroine would catch the eye of a man such as him, likely by doing nothing more than standing in a perfect beam of sunlight through a canopy of leaves. Unfortunately, Juniper doubted her ability to orchestrate such a scenario in her favor at all let alone in midwinter, as much as she doubted the moment’s ability to be as effective in life as in fiction. “But it hardly matters if he isn’t paying me any attention.”

“You have met him but once since his rise in station,” Betony pointed out. “And as you said, he is absolutely consumed with his family’s entrance into Society.”

“Yes.” But Juniper shook her head as her thoughts caught up with her. “No. That is—I cannot blame his lack of notice on his family’s situation. It is as likely that he does not find me of interest. Perhaps he remembers too well what it was like to follow us about, making certain we stayed out of trouble. Perhaps I remind him of a time he’d rather forget, in service to another.”

“That is a great deal of supposition.” Betony pointed to the books on Juniper’s shelves. “What would your heroines do if confronted with such a thing?”

“Oh, them.” Juniper wrinkled her nose and sank deeper into her chair. “They have never had such a practical problem. None of them, in any of those books. It’s all treasure maps and mad uncles and thunderstorms.” For the first time, her books had failed her. In truth, the heroines of her favorite stories tended to swoon when things became interesting—or get kidnapped. She didn’t foresee herself having either of those issues in the near future. “I am afraid I am left to my own devices when it comes to my interest in a gentleman. Any gentleman.”

“But we are discussing a particular gentleman.” The glitter of mischief in Betony’s eyes made it quite clear that she would not allow the subject to drop until she had solved the problem Juniper faced. “We should go visit the Sterlings. Today.” She rose from the chair. “Get dressed, properly I mean. At once.”

“Wait. What?” Juniper remained sitting, mind whirling. “Why are we going to visit? And without knowing if it is their at home day?”

“It hardly matters. We already promised we would help the Sterling ladies to acclimate to London society. We can begin today. Come, I can be ready in a quarter of an hour.”

Startled by her sister’s enthusiasm, Juniper had barely risen from her seat before Betony opened the door. “No, Betony— wait! We cannot barge into their home, uninvited, merely because you want to tease me about a gentleman!”

“Teasing you is an unlooked-for bit of fun.” Betony wriggled her eyebrows up and down. “Yet I am also helping you. You will sit about for the rest of the Season, reading your books and doing nothing if I do not prod you at least a little. And we did offer our friendship and help to Lady Emily. We must make good on that promise.” She tossed her head and raised her nose in the air. “We will teach her exactly how to behave as a proper lady, and then tell her all the ways she can break the rules, too.”

Juniper’s startled expression made Betony giggle before she darted out the door. Nothing about the situation made her want to laugh as she scurried through her room, readying herself for a visit to the Sterling home. Chances were excellent she wouldn’t even see him there, if they went primarily to see Lady Emily or the other women in the household. Yes, she was unlikely to see him—and they had promised to help Lady Emily.

“Right,” Juniper murmured to herself as she put her bonnet on her head, looking in her mirror. “I likely will not even see him. Which is good. I need to focus on the sister.”

That little touch of self-reassurance steadied her enough that she had regained her composure by the time she met Betony in the foyer for their walk to the Sterling home, a maid ready to accompany them.

Of course, the somewhat alarming gleam in Betony’s eyes brought back a touch of worry. Though the older of the two, Juniper knew Betony’s ability to promote a touch of chaos and possessed a healthy respect for her sister’s abilities in that regard.

Oh dear.