Page 3 of The Lyon and His Promise
A sigh left her. “Does it matter? There is no one outside these walls whom I need to impress,” Josephine complained. She watched as Cassandra and Patience each did their best to hide their smirks of amusement. “What is with you two this morning? What schemes are hatching in your heads?”
Patience clapped her hands together in excitement. “It’s your turn, Josephine!”
Josephine calmly set her cup down and folded her suddenly shaking hands in her lap. “My turn for what, exactly?”
“You are going to have so much fun,” Patience cried out only to begin laughing.
Josephine turned her attention to Cassandra. “Well? Are you going to fill me in or is Patience having a breakdown of some sort?” Josephine prompted again waiting for a reply.
Cassandra took a deep breath before she plunged right in to giving Josephine her answer. “As you are well aware, in Moriah’s case, I made a certain arrangement with Mrs. Dove-Lyon who runs the gambling establishment, the Lyon’s Den. Gambling may be mostly what her customers go there for, but her underlying business and true moneymaker is the matchmaking she does behind the scenes. Most of thetonwho frequent her den are more than well-aware that the games are rigged in her favor and still they make the most outlandish bets.”
Josephine shook her head. “Just because everything turned out well for Moriah and she is now a marchioness, doesn’t mean the rest of us will fare the same.”
“Mrs. Dove-Lyon only hires the best and those who are invited into her establishment have been vetted to ensure they are more than capable of holding their heads up within theton.” Cassandra appeared as though she was pleased with herself for what was to come.
“What does that have to do with me? I am tarnished goods and not worthy to be welcomed back into Society. I have no hope left to find some perfect match with a titled gentleman.” Josephine grimaced at the thought of being looked down upon amongst those who she used to call friends.Friends… the only people she could call friends these days were sitting across from her—plus Moriah, but even she kept her distance these days at Cassandra’s urging. Everyone who was anyone knew Josephine had run away with Raphe without her brother’s blessing, but it was her arrangement in Bath with Adrian that had truly ruined her reputation. It would take something truly extraordinary to restore her to good Society after that. If her own brother wouldn’t accept her, there was no reason for Cassandra to think the rest of thetonwould.
Cassandra waved her hand as though this was of no consequence. “You all seem to forget that we were once very well respected within Society. If Mrs. Dove-Lyon can match Moriah with a marquis, then I have every hope she can find suitable husbands for us so that we will once again be accepted back into the arms of the elite.”
Josephine rolled her eyes. “I don’t want another husband.”
Cassandra took another sip of her tea. “Of course you do in order to return to Society where you have always belonged.”
“Will I be next, Cassie?” Patience said with a happy smile.
Cassandra patted her hand. “Yes, of course, darling, but first I must see Josephine wed to a suitable match.”
Cassandra continued to tell Josephine of her plans to take her to the Lyon’s Den in a few days. She then clapped her hands and said to grab their parasols because they were going shopping for new hats and it would be Cassandra’s treat. Josephine cringed. She hated shopping but it was just like her friend to think that any situation could be made brighter after a shopping spree. To Josephine, the day began to take on a new light with the prospect as to what her future may hold. Maybe there was some hope after all…
Chapter Three
Gyles stared outthe window of his carriage to see how many carriages were ahead of his own. There were several others—and he couldn’t repress a grimace when he saw the carriage belonging to the Dubois family. Lady Juliet Dubois was the woman his mother favored as a possible wife for him. He had no such feelings for the woman, but she was pleasant enough and he had shown her the courtesy of dancing with her at other balls. Perhaps that, in itself, was the problem. The lady now behaved as though they had some unspoken arrangement that she would one day be his wife. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Ah, it seems that your regular dance partner will be in attendance,” Asher said after he, too, peered out the window to see their progress to the front of the townhouse.
Gyles sighed, knowing a long evening was in store for him. “I don’t know why I caved in to my mother’s demands to dance with her in the first place. Now she expects it every time we meet.”
“As does Lady Maribel from me, I suppose,” Asher replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Although they are well respected within Society, we best rethink who we dance with tonight unless we wish tofind ourselves trapped into marriages we don’t want.”
Gyles chuckled. “You’ve spent too much time with Lady Maribel, of late, Asher. If you’re not careful, thetonwill begin to think of you as a couple, and you’ll have to do the honorable thing or else you’ll wind up in theTeatime Tattler.”
Asher cursed beneath his breath. “Well, whatever happens, it’s too late to decline the invitation to tonight’s ball. Hopefully, we can hide away in the men’s salon with a drink and a good game of cards.”
Gyles’s carriage finally came to a stop in front of the townhouse and a footman opened the door. He stepped down and waited for Asher to join him and they began to proceed up the steps to stand in another line to greet the host and hostess. Lady Juliet and Lady Maribel came to stand next to them and each gave a curtsey while the men bowed.
“You both look lovely this evening, ladies,” Gyles mentioned putting a smile upon his face as they stepped forward as the line moved.
“And you look very handsome, my lord,” Lady Juliet replied with a soft purr to her voice.
Once they had greeted their hosts, they moved forward into the next room, and Lady Juliet placed her hand in the crook of his arm.
A heavy sigh threatened to escape him, and he plastered what he hoped was an acceptable smile on his face. Lady Juliet gave a bright laugh in response to whatever Lady Maribel had said. Honestly, it hardly mattered. As long as he wasn’t required to add to the conversation, he paid little-to-no attention to it. Clearly, he was in an irritable mood but he could not say why. Perhaps the woman who pressed herself into his arm was the cause. She certainly was bold enough this evening.
Gyles raised his eyes to Asher, who only shrugged. No help would be coming from his friend. His arm was suddenly caressed, and he attempted not to cringe as he tried to remember his manners. She was beautiful but so were a multiple of other ladies of his acquaintance.
“If you continue to frown so,mon cher, you will get wrinkles on your handsome brow,” Lady Juliet purred in her soft French accent. “What is troubling you so?”
He patted her arm in the hopes to placate her. “Nothing, my lady. Business matters from earlier today.”
