Tenacious Trents 03 - A Reluctant Rake (26 page)

She glanced over at the window again.
Perhaps a walk in the park. The fresh air would clear her mind and
calm her nerves. But what if she bumped into Millicent again?
Audrey was bubbling with news of Jordan wishing to marry her but
knew Millicent was the last person she should tell. She doubted
Millicent would be angry. Instead, she would remind Audrey that it
was only because Millicent was not available. She knew that was a
lie and Audrey didn’t wish to spend time with her former
friend.

The thought stilled her. Yes, Millicent
was a former friend. True friends did not suggest a lady wanted an
assignation in a garden. Millicent knew better. Just because she
flaunted and flirted, and who knows what else, did not mean Audrey
was free with her favors.

Heat scorched her cheeks as she
recalled the carriage ride and the way Jordan had kissed places
that were not in the vicinity of her lips. Well, she wasn’t free
with her favors with everyone. Just one particular
gentleman.

A smile curved on her lips. Once they
were married she would finally know the truth of what occurred
between a man and a woman. If it was half as enjoyable as what she
experienced in the carriage with Jordan, she couldn’t
wait.

The thought of being alone with Jordan
again and knowing they would share a bed when they married
increased her nerves. What if she was a disappointment? It wasn’t
as if she knew what was to happen and Jordan had been with scores
of women for over a decade now. Her mother certainly wouldn’t tell
her until the last possible moment and Audrey was uncomfortable
asking her aunt. Was a lady even supposed to ask such
questions?

Would he kiss her again, the way he did
yesterday? Would he touch her other places? Goodness she was
becoming warm just remembering the strange feelings that ran
through her body.

“Stop thinking about that,” she
muttered out loud, and jumped to her feet. She had to get out of
this house before she went mad. Hopefully it wasn’t too early to
call on Grace and just maybe her friend would tell her what would
happen when Audrey became a wife.

The woman didn’t hear him say the name,
but Jordan could not take his eyes of her. The mannerisms were
familiar from the tilt of her head to the gesture in the wrist.
They were so much like Adele. “Julia.” He said the name once again
but the woman didn’t react. Perhaps she hadn’t heard
him.

The woman’s hands were not gloved and
there were no rings, which meant she had not yet married. Julia was
five and twenty yet didn’t look as if she were old enough to be
considered on the shelf. Why hadn’t she married? Had Adele
prohibited it or perhaps Julia hadn’t been given the opportunity
because they had been hiding.

Jordan glanced around the market,
looking for an older version of Adele. There was no one to match
the description. Perhaps the woman had come alone. She did wear a
serviceable gown, certainly not something as fine as the ladies he
was accustomed to being around. Was she working as a servant? Was
she choosing flowers for the manor where she worked?

She went from one vendor to another,
comparing buds and fully bloomed flowers, to each other and in the
bunch, as if she were trying to make the perfect arrangement. He
didn’t know so much time could be spent on flower arranging. Yet,
hadn’t he just been contemplating which flowers would suit Audrey
best?

Jordan followed as she made her way
down the line picking, choosing, discarding choices. By the time
she reached the end of the row she had a full bouquet, well
balanced in color and size. An artist couldn’t have put together
something so well.

He was reluctant to approach her as she
was a stranger and Jordan chuckled to himself. Two years ago, when
he found a lady attractive, he presented himself without the
slightest concern for propriety, being introduced and all of
society’s silly rules. Yet, this circumstance was different. She
was a stranger but could also very well be his half-sister, but he
couldn’t very well go up and ask her. But, he could ask her
something else.

Jordan stepped into her path as she
turned to leave.

“Pardon.”

It was a French accent. As Julia had
been taken to France when she was almost three, her speech would
certainly be more French than English.

“That is one of the most beautiful
bouquets I have seen.”

Her grey eyes with a slight hint of
blue narrowed on him. Julia had clear, green eyes. Could the color
have changed as she grew older?

Jordan could well understand her
suspicion of him. He was a stranger presenting himself to her to
only compliment the bouquet she held. It sounded false to even his
own ears. “I was wondering if you might help me.”

She tilted her head in study, much like
Adele used to do. Should he just come out and ask her if she was
Julia?

No. She might run away, or deny the
connection. They had been hiding and he didn’t want to scare her
off. Jordan hastened to explain. “I recently became
betrothed.”

She seemed to relax, though only
slightly at his announcement, still wary of him.

“I am not exactly betrothed yet,” he
confirmed.

Her mouth pursed. She was a beautiful
young woman and was probably used to all manner of gentlemen
approaching her. Oh, if only Adele would have remained then Julia
would have had the protection of four older brothers and never have
to worry about rakes, rogues and the undesirables bothering
her.

“She has agreed, but my appointment
with her uncle is not until this afternoon.”

One light auburn eyebrow rose and she
studied him.

“As this might be the day of my
official betrothal I thought to take her a beautiful bouquet but
the choices are overwhelming and I don’t know where to
begin.”

A small smile pulled at her
lips.

“You seem to have a gift for putting
blossoms together and I had hoped you might help me.”

The young woman pursed her lips and
studied him. “Tell me about her?”

Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. She
was speaking to him and perhaps when they were done he would know
for certain whether she was Julia or not. “She has the blondest of
hair and the warmest brown eyes. Though her skin is pale, her
cheeks and lips match the bud of that rose.” He pointed to a small
rosebud of the barest pink.

“You are in love?”

The question took him by surprise. When
he thought of Audrey, he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his
life with her and he certainly wanted her in his bed, but he had
never attached an emotion to anything. Was he in love? Could he
imagine going through life without Audrey?

No. Last year had been hell, losing her
and not knowing why.

He focused on her light grey eyes. “I
believe I am.” Something inside him lifted. Something he could not
put a name to, but he was lighter, happier, freer. He was in
love.

“It would be my pleasure to help you.”
She smiled at him. “She is a lucky lady. I’ve rarely seen someone
so happy at the thought of marriage.”

“I sincerely appreciate your
assistance.”

“Now, what color is best on her and is
there a scent she wears.”

“Blue,” he answered automatically. “She
has this lovely pale blue dress.” Jordan stopped speaking because
she was laughing at him.

“You truly are smitten, are you
not?”

Heat rose to his cheeks. “Yes. I
suppose I am.”

He spent the next half hour following
the woman around the flower market, wanting to ask her name and all
manner of things, but he could not bring himself to. Jordan wasn’t
sure if it was because he was afraid she would quit making his
flower arrangement for Audrey, or that he would learn that the
woman was not Julia.

The time ended too soon and after he
paid for the last of the arrangement she placed it into his arms
and walked with him out into the less crowded area. It was now or
never.

“You remind me of someone I knew when I
was a child.”

“I can assure you that we did not know
each other as children. I was raised in France.”

“What is your name?” He blurted the
question out.

“Genevieve.”

Disappointment shot through him. He had
studied her while she picked the blossoms and he suspected that she
may be younger than six and twenty, yet he had still held out hope.
Her mannerism and confidences lended them to someone who was older,
but the texture of her skin led him to believe she was
younger.

He had never been good at guessing a
woman’s age. The closest he ever came to being correct was when a
lady was first presented and he knew they usually weren’t above
seventeen or eighteen. Once they passed their twentieth year, he
stopped trying to guess and assumed most were younger than he. The
woman helping him could easily be Julia’s age or five years younger
or older.

“I thought perhaps you were the
daughter of someone who had been very important to me at one
time.”

Her light eyebrows drew together in
concern.

“Her name was Adele and she had a
daughter, my step-sister actually, named Julia.”

Genevieve straightened and all color
left her cheeks. “I do not know an Adele or Julia,” she
insisted.

Her demeanor changed so abruptly that
Jordan was certain the names meant something to her. “Perhaps you
knew them in Paris?” he insisted.

“No.” Genevieve shook her head and
began backing away. “I really must go. Congratulations on your
betrothal.” With that she turned and rushed back through the
market, which had grown even more crowded than it had been when he
arrived. He wanted to go after her, but she was lost in the crowd.
Genevieve knew something about Adele and Julia and he needed to
find out.

He turned to return to his carriage. As
he approached he called up to the driver. Take me to my brother,
Bentley.”

“Audrey, please come in,” Grace
welcomed her into the parlor.

“I am sorry to call so early. I just
couldn’t remain at home a moment longer.”

Grace frowned with worry. “Has anything
happened?” She turned toward the footman and requested tea and
biscuits before returning to the sitting area.

Audrey faced her. Did she tell Grace
that Jordan was going to talk to her uncle? What if he hadn’t said
anything to his brothers yet and Grace was married to one of those
siblings. Yet, Grace was her dearest friend and she had to talk to
someone. Could she ask Grace to keep it a secret from her husband?
Was it even right to do so?

“Audrey, what is the
matter?”

“What if my uncle or father says
no?”

“To what?” Grace practically
cried.

Audrey took Grace’s hands in her own
and a deep breath. “Your brother-in-law wishes to marry me.” Giddy
excitement rose up within her just saying the words. For a moment
she was transported back to when she and Grace were just
discovering that boys were not such vile creatures after all and
that they could be rather cute and sweet on occasion.

Grace chuckled. “I am
assuming you mean Jordan, since the other two are married. It would
simply be bad
ton
if one of them proposed.”