One Night With You (The Derrings #3)(18)

"A sister?" Jane echoed, tearing off a tiny piece of biscuit and stuffing it into her suddenly dry mouth.

"Yes," Julianne released a rather wistful sigh. "Since he intends to take a wife this Season, he's making himself agreeable to Society." Her lips twitched. "Lucky him." With decided care, Jane set her saucer back down on the service and swallowed her bit of biscuit. She tried to think of an appropriate response to this news, but words failed her. Seth had come to Town to marry. It shouldn't come as a shock. Marriage was the natural course for any gentleman of means.

At the stretch of silence, Rebecca looked up from her knitting and studied her with a curious lift of her brows.

Feeling compelled to fill the gap in conversation, Jane opened her mouth to speak. "I—" her voice cracked. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "I am sure he will have no difficulty finding many an agreeable lady. His greatest challenge will be in choosing from the vast number of debutantes out this Season." To say nothing of the ones who had not wed last Season. Or the Season before. Or the many widows about Town looking for a new husband. Her heart sank. Heavens, her competition would be endless.

Competition? The thought brought her to a hard stop. She was not in the market for a husband. Especially when her relations kept her hidden from Society under a shroud of mourning, too happy to use her as their drudge. Besides, she had Matthew to consider. Someone needed to be home for him during school holidays.

"I fear he will be beyond selective," Julianne groused. "He has unreasonable expectations."

"Indeed?"

Julianne paused and bit her lip. Releasing it, she confessed, "He expects us to like each other."

"Oh." Jane blinked. "Well, that's considerate of your brother to consider—"

"No, you don't understand. That is quite nearly his only qualification. He wishes to wed a lady who likes me."

Jane stared in silence at the young woman, feeling decidedly confused. That a gentleman would only require that his bride like his sister was decidedly odd. As though reading her mind, Julianne explained, "I know it's strange, but when Seth returned home it was to find Albert dead and our cousin working to have Seth declared legally dead. We did not even know Seth had been transferred to service in China. I had assumed he was still fighting pirates and slave smugglers on the African coast."

"Tell the all of it. Tell her what that wretch Harold did," Rebecca exclaimed from her chair, working her needles with sudden force, as though the scarf taking shape was the wretch under discussion.

Julianne smoothed a hand over her elegantly arranged coiffure. Only the slight tremble of her hand indicated her next words gave her discomfort. "Harold petitioned to have me committed."

"Committed? In an asylum?" Jane sputtered in outrage.

Julianne nodded, tucking a wispy auburn tendril behind her ear.

"Blindness is not a mental affliction." Jane's hands fisted in her skirts at the injustice done Julianne. By a member of her family, no less.

Julianne shrugged one shoulder. "Harold wanted me out of the way. He probably would have succeeded if Seth had not returned."

"The blackguard!"

"Now you see why my brother is determined to marry someone who likes me." Frowning, Jane shook her head. "I fail to see the connection—"

"He needs to feel confident that his wife would look out for me and protect me from Harold if something should befall him."

Jane nodded slowly, understanding at once. Seth had no desire to marry. He married for the sake of his sister. No doubt his experience with her family had soured him to the notion of marriage. She would never forget his face that day, earnest and determined as he stormed into their dining room, bellowing Madeline's name, fists swinging at the footmen who tried to stop him. He had been convinced her sister was restrained somewhere within the house, that some force—aside of her own fickleness—kept her from meeting him as promised.

He had been wrong. Nothing had kept Madeline from him save her own ambitions to wed someone titled, someone richer—someone other than a second son destined for the navy. A portside cottage and naval lieutenant's trifling wages could hardly entice Madeline to go against their father and elope with Seth.

She did not see the unyielding man from the park succumbing to such sentiment again. His cold gaze and scant civility had chilled her. Softer sentiments were lost on him. The bronze clock on the mantel suddenly released a bell-like tinkle, alerting the hour. Jane rose.

"I must take my leave." Anna no doubt needed relieving from watching the girls. Julianne grasped a silver-headed cane beside her. "I'm so happy you came today. Meeting you in the park was purely providential."

"Indeed so," Jane replied with a smile, trying not to feel a stab of disappointment at not meeting up with Seth again today.

Julianne stepped forward, lightly knocking her cane about what was clearly still an unfamiliar room. "Allow me to walk you out."

Jane grasped her by the elbow. Rebecca tucked her knitting away into a basket and fell in step behind them. They had just cleared the threshold and entered the corridor when a deep voice reverberated over the air.

"Good afternoon, ladies."

The familiar voice slid through her like warm brandy, melting her insides.

"Seth," Julianne greeted warmly.