“Of course, I am disappointed,” Thomas said, “but I completely understand.”
“I hope you are not angry with me,” Jenny said shyly.
“How could I be? What happened was an accident. I can take no fault with that. And I wish your sister a speedy recovery.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.” Jenny took a small parcel out of her bag and offered it to Thomas. “We do not often have any unsold items left at the end of the day, but I have some day-old tarts. I offer these to you as a thank you gift for giving me this opportunity. I am just sorry I was unable to perform my duty.”
“Thank you, Miss Jenny,” Thomas said, taking the package and smiling, almost sorrowfully. “But what about your recipes—for my cook? How will she know how to make what you do?”
“Oh, I imagine she has her own. My recipes are no different from hers, I expect.”
“Very well, I shall let you work that out with her tomorrow.”
Jenny elbowed her father and they stood. “We had best be going. And again, I am so very sorry to disappoint you.”
Thomas led them out of the sitting room and to the front door. Jenny pulled her shawl over her shoulders and up around her neck, as it would be a chilly ride home.
Before turning to leave, Jenny said to Thomas, “I hope this has not ruined your trust in me. And if at any time in the future I might be able to assist you when you entertain again, I hope you will think of me.”
“Fear not, Miss Jenny, after becoming familiar with your wonderful pastries, you can be certain I shall remain a loyal customer,” Thomas said, taking her hand and kissing it, much to Jenny’s surprise. And she was surprised even more when she felt a shiver run down her spine—and it was not from the cold.
Chapter 20
Jenny’s cancellation had caused some consternation in the Duke’s kitchen. Cook needed to rework her scheduleandrearrange the assignments of her staff to accommodate for the loss of Jenny’s pastries.
“What is going on, Thomas?” Grandmamma asked at lunch after she had visited with cook in the kitchen. “Mrs. Stokes is fussing and cautions that there may not be enough time to get everything ready for the dinner.”
Thomas sighed. “Mrs. Stokes loves to fuss. Everything will be just fine for the ball. There was a little upset. But it is all in hand.”
Grandmamma poked at her Dover sole. “Well, I certainly hope so. We have received a great many RSVP’s, and we are going to have a full house.” She looked up to gauge how Thomas might take her next statement. “I know you would rather not discuss this, but I have been scheduling your dances for the evening. I want you to dance with all the lovely young ladies who will be lining up to dance with you.”
“As you like, Grandmamma.”
She was surprised he was so compliant, so she pushed a little harder. “You know Miss Cynthia the daughter of Lord and Lady Livingston from Winchester…”
Thomas stopped her. “I am sorry. I do not have time for this right now. I have a most important meeting shortly with George and Mr. Edgerton. I am afraid my mind is not on the ball just now. You must excuse me, Grandmamma.”
Now she was the one to fuss. “Well, I am so sorry to disturb you. After all, this is all being done for your benefit. But if you are too busy to care…”
Thomas reached across the table and took his grandmother’s hand. “I do care, and I want this to be a successful ball for your sake. But my future—our future depends on George and me being successful with our program.”
“And I believe your future also depends on the success of the ball. The perfect woman at your side will bring you peace of mind, a family, and a much-needed infusion of money into the family.”
“I know your motivation. But, as I have said many times before, I am not to marry a woman I do not care for. And right now, my most important task is to get our project successfully funded, and I am off to see about that right now,” Thomas said, standing and dropping his napkin on the luncheon table.
* * *
Earlier that morning, Thomas had received a note from George explaining that he had finally managed to get his father to come to a decision about investing in their project, and could he please be at their house at two o’clock. But the note said nothing about what that decision might be. But the fact that George did not know the answer did not bode well for a positive outcome.
As Thomas rode over to the Edgerton’s, his mind drifted to his meeting with Miss Barnett from the night before. At first, he had been shocked by her need to withdraw from making the pastries for the ball, but as she sat before him with the firelight playing across her face, he was once again taken up by her beauty—her honest simplicity and how much he found himself admiring her. There was no doubt he was going to miss having her at Pemberton this week.
But he had arrived at George’s house and was eager to find out what Mr. Edgerton’s thoughts were about investing in their project.
George came out of the house even before Thomas had dismounted.
“George, I was pleased to get your note, but it said nothing about what your father’s decision was.”
“And that is because he has not told me. He wanted to tell us together.”
