The Unlikely Lady (Playful Brides #3)(70)

Daphne pushed her small nose in the air. “Captain Cavendish makes me more angry than entertained. The man drives me quite mad.”

“I know the feeling,” Jane said on a sigh. When Lucy had informed Jane this morning that Upton would be announcing his engagement to Mrs. Langford, she’d done an admirable job of taking the news in stride. It was true she’d briefly lost her mind and fancied herself in love with the man, but after his quick defection to Mrs. Langford, he was no longer someone she even bothered thinking about … mostly.

It was her own fault, really, not Upton’s. Upton had never made her any promises. He’d never pretended to be anything other than who he was. If Lucy couldn’t change her ways, neither could her cousin. Jane never should have believed for one moment the man wasn’t a rake. While Lucy seemed convinced Garrett had somehow been forced into proposing to Mrs. Langford, Jane knew better. She’d seen Garrett’s attraction to the widow with her own eyes. God help her.

“I do adore Much Ado About Nothing, Daphne, but I cannot go with you to the theater. My reputation is in shreds. I’m sure to be treated like persona non grata were I to attend.”

“Oh, fiddle. You’ll be with me and no one will dare cut you. Not to mention you have the backing of the Countess of Swifdon and the Duchess of Claringdon as well.”

“But Lucy and Cass won’t be with me.”

Daphne threaded her arm over Jane’s. “No, but I will, and I’ll make Mother come, too, if it’ll help.”

Jane laughed. “There’s no need to drag your poor mother into it.”

“Please, Jane. Please come with me.”

Unwinding her arm from Daphne’s, Jane bent to pluck a violet from the path next to their feet. “I don’t know.” She smiled up at Daphne. “I’m still miffed at you for your part in all this, you know. Lucy told me she recruited you.”

Daphne returned her smile. “I can only plead that Lucy Hunt can be quite convincing when she wants to be. She told me I’d be doing you a favor to keep Mrs. Langford occupied.”

Jane stood and twirled the violet between her fingers. “Hmm. That part was true, actually. Perhaps I shouldn’t be miffed at you at all.”

“That’s right.” Daphne nodded happily and the two resumed their stroll. “If you don’t come to the theater tonight for yourself, do it for me.”

Jane blinked. “For you?”

A soft pink blush crept over Daphne’s cheeks. “I heard Captain Cavendish will be at the performance tonight and I…” Daphne bit her lip and glanced away.

Jane arched her brow. “Aren’t quite as indifferent to him as you’d like everyone to believe?”

Daphne shook her head and gave a miserable shrug. “Including myself.”

*

That night, Jane sat in the Earl of Swifdon’s box at the theater with Daphne Swift at her side. She could feel the disapproving eyes of the ton staring at her from the other boxes.

“At least a dozen sets of quizzing glasses are trained in our direction,” Jane said, wanting to slink back into the shadows.

“Ignore them,” Daphne replied. “Those awful people. If anyone has anything to say about you, they’ll have to say it to me first.” She nodded firmly.

Daphne fluttered her hand in the air. “Let’s talk about something ever so much more pleasant, like how lovely you look this evening.” She turned to give Jane a once-over. “Your hair is different, isn’t it?”

“Thank you.” Jane self-consciously pushed a curl away from her cheek. She’d asked Eloise to arrange her hair in a chignon tonight, not unlike the one she’d worn at the masquerade ball. She’d grown a bit tired of the severe topknot.

“And your gown,” Daphne continued. “It’s … not blue.”

Jane smoothed a hand down her pink dress. It was the softest shade of blush. She’d allowed Mama to purchase it, which that lady had done with great glee. Now Jane was feeling awkward. Blue felt like armor. Pink? Pink felt like … naked skin. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I thought I’d try another color for a change.”

“It suits you. You look beautiful. That’s probably why the quizzing glasses are trained our way. They’re all positively green with envy.”

Jane had to smile, though she also had to severely doubt it.

Daphne craned her neck to see out the side of the box. “Look, it’s Captain Cavendish. He’s only a few boxes down.”

Jane nudged Daphne with her elbow. “Go over and say good evening.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Daphne sat back down and pressed her hand to her throat. “If he doesn’t have the good grace to come and greet me, then I intend to completely ignore him.”

“You came here specifically to speak to him,” Jane pointed out.

“No.” Daphne shook her head and her blond curls bobbed. “I came to be seen by him. That’s quite different from speaking to him.”

“That makes no sense at all.”

The curtain behind them ruffled and Lord Berkeley poked in his head. “Lady Daphne, Miss Lowndes, may we come in?” the viscount asked.

Jane smiled widely at him. Lord Christian Berkeley was a friend of Lucy’s, well, Garrett’s really. In Bath last summer, Lord Berkeley had briefly and unsuccessfully attempted to court Lucy, but they remained friends. Berkeley had even made an appearance at last autumn’s house party where Cass had pretended to be Patience Bunbury. Berkeley was a good man and a tremendous sport.