Hardly a Husband (Free Fellows League 3)

Sarah's mouth fell open. "How did you know?"

"I've lived with you long enough to know that you're a hopeless romantic. I never told you the entire truth about my marriage because I wanted you to hold on to the dream of a great romantic love for as long as possible. I wanted you to have what you wanted. I hoped a young man would come along and sweep you off your feet and that you would be loved and cherished and protected, but that won't happen until you get Lord Shepherdston out of your heart."

"I don't want him out of my heart," Sarah protested.

"What if he doesn't want to be there?" Lady Dunbridge asked quietly. "Love can be a curse as well as a blessing. Believe me, I know. Loving someone who doesn't love you in return is miserable. And being loved by someone you don't love in return is equally wretched. You have loved Lord Shepherdston with the purity and passion and honesty of an innocent child for most of your life. But you're a grown woman now and adult carnal love is rarely as pure and honest as the love of a child. It's passionate and messy and until you experience it, entirely beyond your ken."

"I don't intend to go to my grave without ever having spent a night in Jarrod Shepherdston's arms," Sarah insisted.

"Can you settle for one night?" Lady Dunbridge questioned.

"It wouldn't be just one night."

Lady Dunbridge pursed her lips in thought. "Suppose it was. Suppose you had your night of passion and he still didn't love you? Can you spend the rest of your life watching him live his life without you?"

"No." Sarah got up from her chair and dropped her forgotten sampler on the cushion. "Because I know he loves me. I know that we're meant to spend our lives together. All I have to do is prove it to Jays."

"How are you going to manage that?"

"I have no idea."

Lady Dunbridge smiled. Sarah had always been loyal and stubborn to a fault. Once she had her heart set on something, she didn't let go until she achieved her goal. And Sarah had her heart set on marrying Jarrod Shepherdston. Unfortunately, he appeared to be as stubborn as she was. "Let's see what he wants." She broke the seal on the note and read it aloud. "Lady Dunbridge: I request permission to call upon your niece — "

Sarah's heart began to race. Was it possible Jarrod had changed his mind?

" — to discuss her present plight," Lady Dunbridge continued. "As we require a chaperone, I ask that you join us promptly at one o'clock this afternoon at the ladies' breakfast at your hotel. Shepherdston." Lady Dunbridge finished reading the note, then handed it to Sarah so her niece could read it for herself. "I certainly hope that's not Lord Shepherdston's idea of a love note."

Sarah read the note, then folded it in a small square and tucked it in the bodice of her dress above her heart. "Me, too." She giggled in spite of herself. "But I'm keeping it. Just in case."

"Well" — Lady Dunbridge rubbed her palms together in anticipation — "now that we have a time and a place to start, we must decide how best to proceed."

"You're willing to help me?"

"I'm willing to help you," Lady Dunbridge assured her, "so long as helping you consists of making Lord Shepherdston believe you've chosen to become a courtesan. Because I refuse to help you become one."

"I don't want to become anyone else's mistress," Sarah said. "I only want Jays to believe I would."

"All right," Lady Dunbridge said. "If that's what you feel you must do in order to gain his undivided attention, I suppose I might have an old friend or two in London willing to help you give a good imitation of it."

* * *

Chapter Eleven

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Believe one who has proved it.

Believe an expert.

— Virgil, 70-19 B.C.

Jarrod arrived at Colin and Gillian's town house at 21 Park Lane at a quarter past nine that morning. Britton, the butler, greeted him at the front door. "Good morning, Lord Shepherdston. May I say that it's a pleasure to see you again?"

Jarrod took off his hat and coat and handed them to Britton. "Thank you, Britton. It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Lord and Lady Grantham are expecting you, sir. They're waiting in the breakfast room." He stepped back to allow Jarrod to enter, then closed the front door and led the way to the breakfast room.

"Jarrod, come in." Colin stood up and motioned Jarrod to the table. "Pour yourself a cup of coffee." Colin nodded toward the sideboard. "Have you had breakfast?"