“Thank you very much, Mrs. Fleming. I do appreciate it.” With that, he excused himself and moved through the crowd, trying to make his way to the ballroom. If he knew anything about Yvette, it was that she had many admirers and loved to dance. He would more than likely find his future wife waltzing with a young man who had already lost his heart to her.
Paulette Hamilton Reeves, feeling a bit more weary than usual, had decided to rest in a quiet alcove bedecked with poinsettia plants, while her husband went to find her something to drink. This pregnancy, although still in its early stages, was quite different from her first and she grew tired much more easily. So Paulette sat peacefully and listened to the lovely music the orchestra was playing. She hadn’t the energy for dancing this evening and would probably make an early night of it, but she had never been to the Duke of Rathmore’s Christmas ball before and wished to stay as long as she could. She had never seen such beautiful Christmas décor!
“Miss Hamilton?”
Paulette was startled out of her thoughts by the short, balding man standing in front of her. He held a glass of champagne in his hand and stared at her intently.
“Forgive me for disturbing you,” the gentleman said, looking a little embarrassed. “My name is James Granger Eddington and you look so much like Yvette Hamilton that for a moment I thought you were her, but I see now that I was mistaken. You are one of the Hamilton sisters though, are you not?”
Paulette nodded in understanding. It was not the first time that evening that she had been mistaken for Yvette. People often confused the two of them, especially people who didn’t know them very well.
“Yes, Yvette is my sister. I am Paulette Hamilton Reeves, Countess of Cashelmore. And you must be Jeffrey Eddington’s cousin.”
Paulette had heard about Jeffrey’s cousin, the one who would inherit his father’s title and estate, but had never met him. Seeing him now she had to admit they looked nothing alike. She never would have imagined that this man was related to Jeffrey!
“I am quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Lady Cashelmore. And may I say once again, that you and your sister, aside from looking remarkably alike, are both very beautiful.”
“Why thank you, Mr. Eddington. That’s very kind of you to say.”
“And I see that you are acquainted with my cousin Jeffrey as well.” His bushy eyebrows furrowed.
“Oh yes, my sisters and I all adore Jeffrey.” Paulette smiled at him.
“Yes, I believe that I’ve heard that.” He looked somewhat displeased. “Are you enjoying the ball, Lady Cashelmore?”
“Yes, my husband and I are having a wonderful time. Everything is so beautiful.”
“I’m glad to hear it. My uncle does know how to throw a party, does he not?” He glanced around as if looking for something. “Have you happened to have seen my cousin this evening?”
“No, I haven’t. But I am certain Jeffrey is here somewhere. It is his father’s house, after all.” Paulette did not know why she felt the urge to point that out when the man clearly knew whose house he was in. But something in the man’s manner put her off. He had obviously been drinking. Feeling a little uncomfortable, she wondered what was taking Declan so long to return to her.
James Granger Eddington laughed a little at her remark, nodding his head. “It’s funny, you see. I was looking to find Jeffrey because we had a little wager regarding your sister. And I believe he has lost and he now owes me a great deal of money.”
“My sister?” Paulette echoed in surprise. What on earth was the man talking about?
He grinned rather smugly. “Yes, you see, I’ve heard that your sister is about to be engaged to Lord Shelley.”
“Well . . .” Paulette hesitated, unsure what to say next. She supposed it was not her place to inform this man that Yvette was actually going to marry his cousin.
“Jeffrey and I had a wager about that engagement.”
“You did?” Now very curious, Paulette eyed him carefully. She truly did not like James Granger Eddington, but now she had an uneasy feeling that she should listen to his story.
“It’s quite amusing actually. I bet him that Yvette Hamilton would be engaged to Lord Shelley by Christmas and he bet me that Yvette would be engaged to him by then. And well, now it’s almost Christmas and I believe my cousin owes me one thousand pounds!” He held up his glass of champagne and took a sip.
Paulette was stunned. What on earth was going on? Had Jeffrey only wanted to marry Yvette to win a bet? That simply couldn’t be! Nothing James Granger Eddington said made sense at all!
“Please sit down, Mr. Eddington.” Paulette motioned to the empty side of the velvet settee upon which she sat. “I must admit that I’m curious to know more about this bet you made with Jeffrey regarding my sister.”
“Please, Father, just hold off announcing my engagement until the end of the evening.” Jeffrey had finally managed to get his father alone. “All I’m asking of you is not to do it until later tonight.”
Maxwell Eddington looked confused and not a little disappointed. “I don’t see why. It’s such perfect timing. I wanted to share your good news when I shared mine.”
Jeffrey hesitated, hating to dash his father’s plans. It was something he rarely did. “Please, you have to trust me on this. Could you just wait until I tell you it is okay?”
Crestfallen, the gray-haired duke reluctantly agreed. “But that means I have to wait to share my news as well.”
“No, no, not at all. Go ahead and announce your marriage to Mother. That’s fine. You just can’t tell anyone that I’m marrying Yvette Hamilton until later.”
His father looked at him curiously. “Why on earth not?”
Jeffrey gave a heavy sigh. “Because Yvette still has to inform Lord Shelley that she is not marrying him after all.”
“Oh, I see now.” Maxwell Eddington winked at his son conspiratorially. “I didn’t know the way of things. I always believed that Yvette Hamilton was a little heartbreaker. You stole her away from old Shelley, eh?”
“I wouldn’t put it quite that way, but yes, in a manner of speaking. So will you wait?”
“I will wait only until midnight. Will that give her enough time?”
“Yes, I think so. Thank you, Father.”
“Then we shall all meet in the gallery at midnight for the announcement,” Maxwell Eddington declared. “And don’t be late!” He patted Jeffrey on the shoulder before returning to his guests.
Jeffrey was flooded with relief. Now he just had to find Yvette. He felt dreadful about how he’d left things with her. She was right, of course. Yvette should be the one to tell Lord Shelley, not him. He had reacted jealously and now he felt like an ass.
As he walked to the ballroom, he ran into his cousin, James Granger Eddington.
“Jeffrey! I’ve been looking for you, old boy!” James called to him.
The last person he wished to speak to this evening was his cousin, who sounded as if he’d been drinking. Jeffrey had much more pressing matters to deal with. Pretending as if he hadn’t heard him, Jeffrey continued to make his way through the crowded ballroom. But James followed him.
“Did you forget about our little wager regarding Yvette Hamilton?” James whispered furtively. “I certainly didn’t! You’ve lost, Cousin! And you owe me money!”
Jeffrey came to an abrupt halt. He turned around and stared at his cousin in bewilderment. Good God! He’d completely forgotten about the idiotic bet he’d made with James. He had a sudden sinking feeling in his gut that this evening might not end well at all.
32
Lords a’Leaping
“We are so pleased to meet you again, Lord Shelley!” Lady Cecilia Hamilton fairly glowed with happiness and pride, as she stood beside her husband. She had stopped William Weatherly on his way to the ballroom. “It’s good to see you looking well again.”
“Thank you. It’s nice seeing you both as well.” William answered her somewhat distractedly. His eyes were busily scanning t
he crowd for Yvette’s pretty face.
“Your mother seems to be looking remarkably well this evening too,” Cecilia Hamilton continued, eager to maintain any type of conversation with him.
“Yes, she’s feeling much better, as am I,” William said.
“Glad to hear it,” Lord Randall Hamilton said. “We were a bit worried about you that night at the theater.”
“Thank you for your concern.” William paused before asking, “Do you know where Yvette is?”
Cecilia Hamilton looked confused. “Haven’t you seen her yet tonight?”
“Not yet, I’m afraid.” William shook his head in frustration. It was the damnedest thing. He still had not laid eyes on Yvette Hamilton all evening. “I think we may be walking in circles around each other.”
Cecilia Hamilton laughed rather shrilly. “You must be! I just saw her not two minutes ago in the hallway. And I must say my niece is looking exceptionally lovely. Would my husband and I be presuming too much if I were to inquire if you will be asking a certain question to my niece this evening?”
William smiled kindly at her. “You are not being at all presumptuous, Lady Hamilton. As you know, my illness has preempted my plans for your niece. I am hoping to rectify the matter as soon as possible. Hopefully this evening.”
“Oh, that is the most wonderful news!” Her thin smile beamed with delight.
“Yes, well if you will excuse me, I would like to find Yvette somewhere in this crush,” he said. With a smile, he left her aunt and uncle and went in search of Yvette Hamilton in the ballroom.
Yvette stepped through the crowded hallway after leaving the ballroom, her frustration growing. She still couldn’t find Lord Shelley anywhere. Where was he?
“Yvette!” Lisette called to her, with a wave of her hand. “Come here!” Her sister motioned for her to follow her.
She left the hallway and caught up with Lisette. “What is it? Have you seen Lord Shelley? I still haven’t been able to talk to him.”
Lisette took hold of her arm and pulled her into a small anteroom. Paulette was already inside. Lisette said, “Never mind about Lord Shelley right now. We have to tell you something.”
Yvette looked between both sisters and their worried faces. Something was obviously wrong. “Well, what is it? What is the matter?”
Paulette hesitated, her eyes worried. “I learned something tonight that I found a bit unsettling. At first I wasn’t going to tell you, but Lisette thinks you have a right to know.”
“I have a right to know what?”
Paulette looked quite reluctant, sitting there in her red silk gown, her hand over her midsection. “I’m sure it’s some sort of silly joke. You know how Jeffrey is.”
“It’s about Jeffrey?” Yvette was confused and she didn’t have time for this right now. She must go find William! She wasn’t sure when the Duke of Rathmore was going to make his announcement, but she had a feeling she was fast running out of time.
Lisette prompted, “Tell her already.”
Paulette began slowly, “I learned something about Jeffrey, and I don’t think you’re going to like it.”
A thousand thoughts flooded Yvette’s mind and her heart began to race. What could Jeffrey have said or done that she wouldn’t like? Her first reaction was a gut one. “Is it another woman?”
“No.” Paulette shook her blond head, looking more than a little grim. “But you should definitely ask him about this matter.”
“What matter?” Yvette was quickly losing all patience with her two sisters.
Paulette exchanged a pained glance with Lisette before beginning. “Well, I was talking to Jeffrey’s cousin, James Granger Eddington, a little while ago. And he told me that he and Jeffrey had wagered a bet for a large sum of money on who you would marry.”
Yvette suddenly felt dizzy. “What?”
“Yes.” Paulette’s voice was quite low. “It seems James bet that Jeffrey couldn’t get you to marry him instead of Lord Shelley and Jeffrey bet that he could get you to marry him by Christmas.”
The room spun around her and Yvette’s legs grew weak. She closed her eyes. Surely it was some kind of prank? Clearly her sister was confused and must have misunderstood what Jeffrey’s cousin had said. Jeffrey would never wager on her in such a way! Would he? She touched the diamond ring that adorned the finger on her left hand. He did love her, didn’t he?
“Help her to sit down!” Paulette cried to Lisette.
Yvette was aware that Lisette guided her to a chair and she sat down woodenly, but she still could not speak. She could barely take a breath.
Jeffrey had wagered that he could get her to marry him by Christmas?
Her mind raced wildly, filled with doubts and confusion. Was it all just a bet? Did he really love her?
Jeffrey’s mother had told her that he was in love with her. But Jeffrey had never actually said the words to her. He’d never said that he loved her, but he was quite insistent that she not let Lord Shelley propose to her.
Was that how he planned to win the bet?
Had he any intention of marrying her at all? With his reputation, it wouldn’t be difficult to believe. It was a shock to everyone that Jeffrey wanted not only to marry Yvette, but that he wanted to marry at all! How could a man like him ever settle for one woman? Was he going to beg off at the last minute? How did she know if he had really obtained a special license? Had that been a ruse to get her to say yes? Was that also the reason he wouldn’t bed her? Because he knew he was not going to go through with it and was never planning to actually marry her?
Terrible, terrible doubts and fears now tormented her.
Had Jeffrey only wanted to marry her by Christmas to win a wager?
Yvette didn’t know what to think anymore. She was in love with Jeffrey and thought he was in love with her. Now she didn’t know what to believe. There had to be some logical explanation. Perhaps his cousin was lying. But Paulette must have found a ring of truth to it and seen reason enough to be concerned or she wouldn’t be sitting here now.
She could not have been that big of a fool! Jeffrey would not do that to her. She could not have lost a chance to become a duchess for the humiliation of being merely the instrument of winning a wager?
“Are you all right, Yvette? Can we get you some water or anything?” Lisette gently patted Yvette’s shoulder and glanced at Paulette. “She’s so pale.”
“I’m so sorry, Yvette, I didn’t mean to upset you with this.” With regret written all over her face, Paulette looked on the verge of tears. “Lisette and I thought you should ask Jeffrey about it.”
“It can’t be true,” Lisette said, with a shake of her head. “There must be some misunderstanding. Jeffrey would never wager on you!”
“Not about something as important as marriage!” Paulette agreed.
Yvette stared at her sisters mutely. She took a deep breath.
“Please say something, Yvette,” Lisette begged.
“You’re right. There must be some mistake,” she finally murmured. Once again, she stared at the diamond ring on her finger.
“That’s what we thought too.” Paulette nodded her head emphatically. “You must speak to him and clear up this matter.”
Yvette rose to her feet, trembling. Torn between a growing anger and a deep hurt, she held her head high. “There had better be some mistake, or Jeffrey Eddington is going to be very sorry he ever met me!”
With that declaration, Yvette stalked from the room intent on locating her fiancé, leaving her two sisters standing there open-mouthed.
Jeffrey finally caught a glimpse of Lord Shelley’s fair-haired head on the other side of the ballroom. Yvette was not with him and he doubted she had been able to talk to him yet, judging from the contented expression on his face. Lord Shelley stood chatting with the Earl of Babey, a glass of champagne in hand.
Jeffrey knew he had to find Yvette right away and tell her about that ridiculous bet he made with his cousin months ago. James had consumed mor
e than enough liquor for one evening and heaven only knew to whom he had been shooting off his mouth. If Yvette had even caught one whiff about his wager to marry her, she would be utterly devastated. Where was she? He hadn’t seen her since their little encounter when she’d first arrived.
Then he saw her, heading away from him. He hurried in pursuit, catching up to her at the end of the hallway. “Yvette!”
She turned to stare at him, her expression furious. He knew at that moment she understood all about the wager with his cousin and he felt like the biggest fool.
“Yvette, I’d like to speak to you in private.”
Giving him a hard stare, her blue eyes glittering, she said, “I’m sure you would.”
With a sinking heart, he guided her to the small room they had been in earlier. After he slid the double doors closed, he faced her, the beautiful woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
“I’m so upset,” she began, her voice tremulous, “I don’t even know what to say to you.”
“Yvette, whatever you have heard, you have to hear my side of the story first,” he said.
“Yes, I would have preferred to hear it from you rather than my sisters.” Yvette crossed her arms in front of her chest.
“So you have heard about the wager with my cousin, James?” A knot tightened in Jeffrey’s stomach. It was such an unfortunate set of circumstances. He’d forgotten all about the foolish bet weeks ago, when he’d fallen in love with Yvette. However, he knew it didn’t look good and it was quite clear that she did not find it the least bit amusing. He had the hope, however farfetched, that she might see some humor in it. But in fact, it was the opposite. Her face was too pale and she looked stricken.
She whispered low, “Then it is true? You did wager on me? About . . . marrying me?”
He gave her one of his best smiles, hoping to soften the words. “Yes, but it’s not at all what you think—”
His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) Page 26