Page 38 of Her Rake Fiancé

He looked around and, seeing that Ruby was a few steps away and there was no one else in earshot, reached into the pocket of his waistcoat, retrieving a paper.

“I don’t think I should keep this from you,” he said.

With trembling hands, Jane took the paper. When she unfolded it, she recognized the uneven, childlike script. She had taught the man who’d written it to write. The duke is taught a lesson at your request. A complication occurred. More later. Reuben.

She looked up into Richard’s eyes. “It’s Reuben…” she whispered. “Not Atticus.”

Not only had he protected her at Madame Dubois’s, proving he was a good man, just as she had thought, but he’d now shown her the note.

“Will you do something with this against my brother?” she asked.

He shook his head as he gently took the note from her fingers and hid it in his pocket again. “I don’t want to and am not planning to at the moment, Jane. But I can’t promise you I never will. It will depend on what happened to my brother. Therefore, we must find Reuben and hear what he has to say.”

Jane nodded. Even though he hadn’t promised he wouldn’t hurt Thorne, a fragile sense of trust returned, and she knew she forgave him in her heart.

“We will find Reuben tomorrow after school,” she said, “and talk with him in private. He has always looked out for me.”

“I will pick you up then. But for now, I have another idea about your dress and tonight’s soirée. Please come with me.”

17

They arrived at Sumhall, and Richard guided Jane into the spacious entryway, the marble underfoot echoing the clicking heels of their shoes.

“Teanby,” Richard addressed the butler, “would you please inform my sister that her presence is requested here? And this is Miss Grant’s maid, Ruby. Would you please make sure she gets tea in the servants’ hall?”

“Of course, my lord.” Teanby bowed and looked at Ruby, who lingered behind Jane, then he swiftly exited the room.

They waited in the beautiful drawing room where only a few days ago Jane had met the Seatons. Jane tried to smooth out the creases in her dress, her fingers trembling slightly. Richard reached out and took her hand as if to offer comfort, though the contact made her feel even more unsettled. She was nervous to see Calliope once again. Richard’s sister knew him very well and could uncover their lie with just a few good questions.

Soon, the sound of rustling silk signaled Calliope’s arrival. A vision in a cream-colored dress, her auburn hair curled softly around her face, she entered the drawing room, head held high, bright eyes scrutinizing Jane.

“Miss Grant,” Calliope greeted with a polite smile. “Richard, you called?” she asked, her voice laced with intrigue as she reached them.

“Indeed, Calliope,” Richard said. “We find ourselves in need of your assistance.”

Calliope’s eyes flicked from her brother to Jane to their clasped hands, barely restrained curiosity infusing her expression. “And how may I be of service?”

Richard’s grip on Jane’s hand tightened reassuringly. “Jane requires a dress for tonight’s soirée. We encountered some…difficulty with the modiste in town. I wondered if you might have a frock Jane could wear tonight, something that can be altered for her, of course. It’s short notice, I know, and you must be busy, but—”

A look of concern crossed Calliope’s face as she turned her attention back to Jane. “Oh, how dreadful! Well, we must rectify that. I would be more than delighted to assist you, Miss Grant.”

Jane’s heart swelled. She liked Lady Calliope more and more, though she reminded herself to be wary of the woman’s sharp mind. “No, please, I’m sure Lady Calliope is busy,” Jane said.

“Oh, please call me Calliope,” she said. “We’re about to become sisters!”

Jane smiled at her. No, they weren’t. But Calliope didn’t need to know that. “In that case, please call me Jane.”

Calliope reached out to Jane and squeezed her free hand. “I have several that will suit your pretty coloring. You’re shorter than me, and a little smaller in the bust and shoulders, but that’s better than if you were bigger. I’ll call on my modiste, Mrs. Newman. For a good price, she’d be happy to lend a hand or send one of her girls. They’re all excellent. She’s not as fashionable as Madame Dubois, and she doesn’t come from Paris. But she’s fast, and her dresses are just as good. And she’s a joy to work with. Teanby!” she called the butler.

Before Jane could protest that she didn’t need to be fussed about like that, Teanby entered the room, and Calliope asked him to send a footman in the carriage with a note and instructions not to leave without either Mrs. Newman or one of her ladies.

Then she asked him to send her lady’s maid up to her room along with any other maids that could be spared and to bring a tray with tea, lemonade, biscuits, and sandwiches enough to keep them all afloat for hours of work.

“And after the ball, I will make an appointment with Mrs. Newman, and she will prepare all the dresses you need.”

Something thawed in Jane’s chest. It was heartwarming that not only Richard cared for her but also Calliope. She wasn’t being rejected by all the ton, after all. These two, as well as the dowager duchess, seemed to have welcomed her with open arms. It would take a little longer to win over the duke himself, but, understandably, his issue with Jane wasn’t her background. Rather, it was that Thorne was directly mixed up in Spencer’s disappearance.

They went up to Calliope’s bedchamber, and Jane immediately felt at ease there. It was a large and pretty room, set in very pale orange and green tones that complemented Calliope’s blue eyes and auburn hair. And just like in Jane’s room, there were shelves of books. She’d always known having a bookcase in her bedchamber was an eccentricity, but Thorne allowed it, wanting Jane to feel welcome and at home.