Gentleman's Guide 01 - His Impetuous Debutante

Also by Jane
Charles

A Gentleman’s Guide to Once
Upon a Time Series

His Impetuous
Debutante

His Contrary
Bride

His Not So Sensible
Miss

The Wiggons’ School for
Elegant Young Ladies

To Walk in the
Sun

To Love a Governess
Novellas

Sacked

Handfasted

Ruined

A Summons From His
Grace

Regency Christmas Summons
Collection 4

Compromised for
Christmas

His Impetuous
Debutant

A Gentleman’s Guide to Once Upon a Time
novel

By

Jane Charles

The characters and events portrayed in
this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or
dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the
author.

His Impetuous Debutant

Copyright © 2011 by Jane
Charles

Cover Design by Jerrica
Knight-Catania

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical
means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles or reviews—without written permission.

For more
information:
[email protected]

http://www.JaneACharles.blogspot.com

Dedicated to

Julie Brown –who shares my love of
romance novels, was the

first to read
His Impetuous Debutant
(though called something different back then)

and encouraged me to
continue.

April, 1810

London, England

Lady Phoebe Johansen stood
at the top of the grand marble staircase and looked down on the
throng of people mingling at the Sanderson Ball. There were well
over one hundred people in the room. Her stomach clenched and her
fingers tightened on the arm of her step-brother, Noah, Marquis
Felding. He patted her gloved hand in what she assumed he probably
thought was a comforting manner. It wasn’t and Phoebe feared she’d
be ill. It would not do to cast up one’s accounts in front of
the
ton
at the
first ball of the Season. On the other hand, she would be noticed,
and ruin any chances of securing a husband. Perhaps becoming ill
had its benefits.

An array of colors swarmed
before her eyes. Pastels on the pretty, young debutantes, and
bolder colors on the matrons. Phoebe longed to wear a gown of deep,
emerald green, but it would be scandalous to do so at the age of
twenty while still unmarried. If she ever did marry, that would be
one of her first purchases. The problem lay in the
if
. Noah promised not to
force a union with a man who cared only for her dowry. Her mother
added that unless Phoebe curbed her reckless nature, Noah may not
have a choice.

It wasn’t that she was against the
union, and children would be wonderful, it just wasn’t practical.
Who would take care of Mother and Phillipa, her youngest sister,
once Noah and her other sisters married? Someone needed to remain
home and she would not leave the care of her family in the hands of
servants. If only Noah and her mother would agree, she could simply
enjoy her Season and get on with her life.

Noah squeezed her hand and she looked
up at him. “Are you ready?”

She wanted to scream no, and run from
the room. “Don’t forget your promise to me.” She wanted that last
assurance before she stepped into the lion’s den, that he would not
make a contract without her input. She also idly wondered if her
father would have given her the same promise, but he died little
over a year ago, right before she was originally to make her debut.
Also, if her father were still here, her concerns would be more
focused on finding the right husband and not so much on her
mother’s and sister’s futures.

“
Do you promise to heed
Victoria’s warning?” He countered as he began to lead her down the
stairs.

Noah’s father had married Victoria
when Noah was only seven and she insisted Noah call her by her
first name because she never wanted him to think she was trying to
take the place of his own mother. “Of course,” she snapped.
“Besides, what could possibly happen at a ball?”

Noah stopped and turned to her. “Do
not make light of anything your mother warned of.”

The urgency and seriousness of his
tone took her back. “I promise, I don’t. I’ll try and remember all
the rules mother drilled into my head these last weeks.”

“
See that you do.” Once
again he began to lead her down the stairs. An attractive couple
stood at the bottom and watched their approach. As they came
closer, Phoebe amended her opinion. The woman wasn’t just
attractive, she was beautiful. Her auburn hair and clear blue eyes
gave her a striking appearance. The gentleman beside her was tall,
his dark hair streaked with grey, though his face was as youthful
as Noah’s. As Phoebe was introduced to the Earl and Countess of
Meadows, the woman leaned in. “You can call me Janine and this is
Martin.” She bestowed a warm friendly smile on Phoebe, her eyes
glittered.

The Earl took her hand and bent to
kiss it. Janine linked their arms, led Phoebe away from her
brother, and began introducing her to the haute monde.

*

Taylor Qualls, Lord Sandlin, stood
with a group of friends, waiting for Felding to make an appearance
with his reckless sister. When pressed, Felding simply explained
that Lady Phoebe was naïve, saw only the best in everyone and that
he was afraid she wouldn’t recognize the danger of a situation
until it was too late. Felding was probably just overly protective
since this was his first of four younger sisters to be presented,
all for whom he was responsible.

“
They are finally here,”
Meadows muttered and pulled his wife away to go greet Lady Phoebe.
Taylor looked up the stairs to see his friend and his breath
caught.
That
was
Felding’s younger sister? He couldn’t take his eyes away from the
dark-haired, porcelain skinned, petite beauty as she made her way
down the wide staircase into the ballroom.

Felding led her to Martin
and Janine, who waited at the foot of the stairs. At the greeting,
Lady Phoebe smiled brightly, warm and welcoming. An unusual
expression amongst the
ton
. Meadows made a grand show of
bending with a flourish over Lady Phoebe’s hand before releasing
her to his wife.

A smile pulled at Taylor’s mouth as he
watched Felding watch his sister. If she were his sister, Taylor
wasn’t so sure he would let her roam too far away. Not in a venue
full of gentlemen who would first note her beauty and consider her
connections and worth later. Felding remained in his spot a moment
longer before he and Martin turned in his direction.

“
I daresay, Felding, you
had best have a drink.” Sir Richard Lavins handed Noah a glass of
champagne when he reached their group.

Felding tossed it back, practically
swallowed the contents in one gulp before he glanced at their group
of friends, Lavins, Dillon Chambers, Marius Parker and Taylor. They
had known each other since Eaton and attended Oxford together.
There were few secrets between them and Taylor knew Felding counted
on these very friends to protect his sister.

“
Thank you,” Felding
grunted and turned to study the occupants in the room. Taylor
followed his line of vision and soon began observing as well. As he
anticipated, several men, young and old alike, had taken interest
in the new arrival. The young woman in question appeared oblivious
to it all, for not once did she show favoritism when introduced or
even seem to notice the many pairs of eyes watching her proceed
around the perimeter of the ballroom.

“
You could have warned us,
you know,” Parker offered, barely keeping his chuckle
hidden.

“
I told you gentlemen may
find her attractive,” Felding retorted, not bothering to look at
his friends.

“
Exactly,” Dillon Chambers
agreed. “You just didn’t explain how attractive.”

Felding turned sharp eyes on him.
“Exactly what are you saying?”

“
Your sister might be one
of the loveliest young ladies yet to be presented. I fear your
brotherly affection makes it impossible for you to see her for the
beauty she is.”

“
Am I going to have to
worry about you as well as the others?” Felding asked, without any
humor.

“
Not at all.” Dillon threw
up his hands and took a step back. “I have no wish to become leg
shackled. I was merely pointing out a fact that you appear to be
unaware of.”

Taylor watched the exchange. While
Dillon may not wish to be married, it was a requirement for Taylor.
He returned his attention to the ladies crowded into the ballroom
once again and wondered which one he would make his Countess at the
end of the Season. He had no choice in his fate, only who would
share it with him.

The orchestra tuned their instruments,
prompting the gentlemen to begin their hunt. Taylor lifted a glass
off the servant’s tray closest to him and moved to his designated
section of the room – the doors leading to the back gardens. At one
point in his life Taylor had wished for siblings. Now, after
witnessing Noah’s tense stance and clenched jaw, he was rather glad
he was an only child. Noah’s usual good humor disappeared in the
face of the many gentlemen who asked for an introduction to Lady
Phoebe.

A country dance began and a young man
led Phoebe to the dance floor. Taylor leaned back against a marble
column and checked on the actions of his friends, and noted they
had all moved to separate doorways or alcoves as ordered. Each of
them had been assigned an area to watch, in the event Lady Phoebe
found herself innocently led into a dangerous situation or at least
ruinous to her reputation.

Those actions had not gone unnoticed
either. Several of the matrons conversed behind fans but Taylor
didn’t have to be a mind reader to know the topic of discussion.
They either nodded or pointed to Lady Phoebe, Felding or one of
their friends, Taylor included. When Lady Pratt looked directly at
him, Taylor merely smiled and inclined his head. The biddy’s nose
rose in the air and she returned to her gossiping
friends.

He still thought this was a bit much.
Lady Phoebe was a lovely young debutant and would gain the
attention of several gentlemen. Those same gentlemen would
honorably pay a call on her at the appropriate time, not try to
whisk her away to ruin her. After a few balls he was sure Felding
would relax so he and his friends could return to their own
entertainments, such as dancing or seeking a wife, and guarding
Lady Phoebe would be a slight memory of the Season.

*

Overheated, Phoebe refused another
dance and stood with Noah. She had been here for two hours and had
never been so hot in her life. Sweat trickled down her back and she
wished to lean against the corner of the wall to relieve herself of
the itch. The drips would probably not disappear until she was away
from these people and this room.

She placed an empty glass on a table
against the wall and fished a handkerchief out of her reticule.
Very delicately she dabbed the moisture from her upper lip. If it
would not ruin her, she would wipe her entire perspiring face.
There had to be a way to escape the oppressiveness of this
room.

Phoebe clutched the handkerchief,
straightened and looked around. People were everywhere. She wasn’t
even sure if it was possible to make it to the other side of the
ballroom and into the hall, let alone the retiring room. Good thing
she did not have that need because if she did, the feat would be
near impossible.

Phoebe was about to ask Noah if he had
any suggestions and stopped, intrigued for a moment. Across from
them a voluptuous, beautiful redhead watched her brother with
poorly hidden humor. Phoebe turned and was about to ask who she
was, but found her brother in deep conversation with an older
couple. Turning the other direction, she realized that Janine and
Martin had taken to the dance floor. She shrugged. She would find
out later.