Chapter 4

Considering how little time the Weatherby sisters had to dress for dinner, Eleanor thought they looked remarkably well as they descended the staircase of Lady Milthorpe’s country house.

To be sure, Clarissa had managed to find the one and only dirt-colored dress in the stack of bright silks their hostess had sent over, and Kate’s blue gown matched not only her eyes but her mood.

But Pippa looked remarkably pretty in a mint-green dress that Lady Milthorpe’s daughter had worn a few seasons ago. And Eleanor thought she looked entirely presentable in a gown of raspberry silk.

As she had been doing for the last half hour, Pippa was chattering about Felix St. James. “I thought him very kind and very handsome. Did you not think him handsome, Kate?”

“Hmm?” Kate asked, blinking in a way that suggested she had not been attending.

“Very handsome,” Eleanor agreed for the sake of placating her sister.

“That’s what I thought as well!” Pippa said. “In fact, now that I think on it, he might be the most handsome man I have ever seen.”

“Which isn’t saying much,” Clarissa noted, “as there were only two eligible men in all of Boroughbridge.”

“Pippa.” Eleanor drew her sister to a halt just shy of the landing where the grand staircase split into two branches, one leading to the west wing, where their bedrooms were located, and the other to the east. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she said, “Lord Felix treated us all very kindly this afternoon. But I want you to consider the possibility that this was a mark of his gallantry and good manners, rather than an indication of a deeper regard, especially after so short an acquaintance.”

“Gallant—that’s just the word for him,” Pippa mused.

“Additionally, as Lord Felix himself mentioned, he will not come into his majority for another year. He therefore does not have control of his fortune. He is also too young to marry without his brother’s permission.” Eleanor took her sister’s hand and squeezed it. “I do not want you to be disappointed, dear, if, for one reason or another, he does not pursue a deeper connection.”

“Oh, gracious, no!” Pippa exclaimed. “Indeed, I had never imagined that so fine a gentleman as him would have any interest in the likes of me. Truly, I was not even contemplating it.”

Eleanor pressed her sister’s hand. “You are wise to proceed cautiously.”

“Yes, I have no expectations, none at all, where Lord Felix is concerned.”

Reassured, Eleanor turned to continue their progress down the stairs.

“But, as I was saying,” Pippa continued, “I cannot think of a single man of my acquaintance who is more handsome than Lord Felix. Do you not agree, Clarissa?”

Eleanor groaned as Pippa chattered on. Her sister might not be lying when she said she harbored no expectations. But it seemed she had developed hopes, whether she was ready to admit to them or not.

“What do you think, Eleanor?”

“Very handsome, yes,” Eleanor said absentmindedly.

While this was not by any means a lie, Eleanor had to own that Lord Felix’s particular brand of handsomeness was not much to her personal taste. Her preference was for a rugged sort of masculinity, as opposed to boyish good looks. Not that any man would ever look at her twice, but if she were given her choice, she would much prefer…

She glanced up at the sound of booted feet on the stairs opposite them, the ones leading to the east wing.

She would much prefer…

She would much prefer someone precisely like the man coming toward her right now.

He was tall and big-boned, with broad shoulders and a chest thick with muscles. His evening clothes were immaculate. Eleanor didn’t know enough about fashion to say if they were cut to the latest style, but they certainly looked expensive. He wore his dark hair cropped short, and although he was freshly shaved, you could still see a dark shadow on his imposing jawline. His nose was prominent, too, but unlike Eleanor’s, it somehow made him look imperious rather than unsightly. His brown eyes were alert, scanning the foyer, missing nothing.

Beside her, Pippa gasped, snapping Eleanor back to attention.

Felix had appeared at the top of the stairs. As he jogged down, the dark-haired man reached for his arm. “Felix, wait.”

“Leave me alone, Jasper,” Felix muttered, shaking him off. He hurried over to where the four Weatherby sisters were standing. “Miss Philippa,” he said, smiling at Pippa as he bowed over her hand.

Eleanor’s gaze shifted back to the man she now knew must be Felix’s brother, the Duke of Norwood.

She found him scowling at the sight of his brother, head tipped down solicitously toward Pippa. He seemed to sense her gaze because, for a split second, his eyes met hers.

He wrinkled his nose in distaste as he passed her on the stairs.

Eleanor drew in a shaky breath. Well, she knew precisely how Jasper St. James felt about his brother forging an acquaintance with the Weatherby Wallflowers. Not that his disdain came as any surprise. She had known this would be an uphill battle.

And besides, Eleanor was accustomed to the world’s derision. If Jasper St. James despised her, he was in good company.

Felix had offered one arm to Pippa and another to Kate. As they made their way down the stairs, he said, “Miss Philippa, this afternoon you mentioned owning three cats. I believe you said their names were Pepper, Ollie, and Crumpet. Won’t you tell me more about them?”

This, of course, was the perfect question, and Pippa responded eagerly. Felix was more than attentive, hanging on her every answer and asking interested questions that kept the conversation flowing. Not that any effort was required. Pippa could talk about cats for hours. But Felix seemed genuinely interested in what she had to say.

Perhaps he really was interested in the youngest Weatherby sister. Moments ago, Eleanor had been warning her sister not to get her hopes up.

But in the face of this encouragement, she decided to adopt a different strategy. She hated to think of sacrificing her youngest sister to Lord Oglesby.

But maybe she wouldn’t have to. Maybe Pippa could instead forge a happier sort of connection.

Eleanor decided right then and there that she was going to do everything within her power to promote a match between Pippa and Felix.

Based on the way Felix’s brother had scowled at them, he would probably do all he could to prevent the match. Well, let him try. Jasper St. James might be a duke, but he had never faced off against the likes of Eleanor Weatherby. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and nobody was more desperate than the Weatherby Wallflowers. Eleanor would stop at nothing to make sure Pippa won not only security but happiness.

If Jasper St. James thought he could stand in her way, good luck to him.

He was going to need it.