"Please bring the lady a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits," Jarrod instructed the waiter.
"Anything for you, sir?"
"I've had breakfast," he told the waiter. "But you may bring another cup for the young lady who will be joining us momentarily."
"Sarah won't be joining us momentarily," Lady Dunbridge informed him. "She won't be joining us at all."
"Oh?" Jarrod arched his eyebrow but he couldn't conceal his disappointment in learning that Sarah wouldn't be making an appearance at the ladies' breakfast. "Why not?"
Lady Dunbridge smiled. "She's resting."
"Resting?" he repeated, sitting up straighten "Is she ill?"
"Just tired." Lady Dunbridge met his gaze. "She was out late last evening." She smiled at Jarrod. "Didn't return until dawn."
"I heard the Duchess of Sussex's party lasted well into the wee hours of the morning," he bluffed. "Most of London was in attendance. I hope Miss Eckersley enjoyed herself."
Lady Dunbridge gave him credit for
trying to protect her niece. "I believe you know better than that," she replied. "Since she spent a good part of her evening with you."
"I didn't attend Her Grace's gala," he said.
"Neither did my niece," Lady Dunbridge told him. "As you well know since she was at your house quite early this morning."
"You knew your niece sneaked out of this hotel and came to my house last night?" Jarrod was surprised.
"I knew," Lady Dunbridge told her.
"You knew what she intended and you didn't try to stop her?" Jarrod was shocked.
"I didn't stop her because she didn't tell me about her visit to Park Lane until this morning." Lady Dunbridge paused while the waiter delivered her tea and biscuits, then calmly poured herself a cup as soon as he departed. "And I must admit that I had to commend her for her courage if not her choice."
"You commended her on her courage?"
"Of course." Lady Dunbridge took a sip of her tea, then reached for a biscuit and nibbled on the edge of it. "You can't think it was easy for her to travel from this hotel to your house alone after dark." She gave a delicate shudder, then stared at the young marquess. "Why shouldn't I commend her on her courage? I believe that traveling alone in London at night took a great deal of courage."
"Especially in the rain and wearing what she was wearing," Jarrod added dryly.
Lady Dunbridge leaned forward. "Sarah assured me she wore her black velvet evening cloak for warmth."
"She did," Jarrod rushed to reassure her. "And she kept it on after she arrived even though I had a nice fire burning in the study." He saw no point in telling Lady Dunbridge that Sarah had kept her traveling cloak on right up until the moment she'd tried to tempt him into seducing her by dropping it on the floor of his study to reveal the nightgown she wore beneath it.
"I'm so glad!" Lady Dunbridge heaved a sigh of relief. "It was bad enough for her to pay a call on her own so late at night — even if it was to an old friend who has been like an older brother to her all these years. She is in mourning for her papa, God rest his soul. And I would so hate for her reputation to suffer. It would be so upsetting and such an inconvenience. You see, Lord Shepherdston, we've come to town to find Sarah a husband." She looked at Jarrod. "The magistrate said a guardian would do, but what do magistrates know? What girl wants a guardian instead of a husband?"
"I was under the impression that your niece does," Jarrod said.
"She may say that, but Sarah was meant to be married," Lady Dunbridge confided.
"I agree," Jarrod replied. "But apparently Sarah does not."
"She says she prefers to do her own choosing and would rather pursue a career as a courtesan than marry, but look where that's gotten her. She's had no practical experience with men other than her father. And her judgment is flawed. Sarah chooses with her heart instead of her head. Why else would she choose you? I know that she's known you for years and that she feels safe and comfortable with you. But that's no way to judge a prospective husband."
"She didn't want me for a husband," Jarrod said. "Only as a lover."
Lady Dunbridge threw up her hands and shook her head. "All the more reason for her not to do the choosing.
Lovers take what you have to offer and promise you the moon and the stars in return. But they rarely deliver the goods. And when the love affair is over, they fob you off with a few jewels and move on to the next conquest. Answer me this, Lord Shepherdston, what good would having you as a lover be for a girl in Sarah's position?"