Free How Miss Rutherford Got Her Groove Back by Sophie Barnes Page B

heart?”
    Francis’s expression grew dark. He was a man of his word and he intended to keep it. “None,” he said flatly.
    “I didn’t think so.” Jonathan paused for a moment. Resting his elbows on the armrests of his chair, he arched his fingers below his chin. “So who could sponsor them? Doing it yourself is completely out of the question—I hope I don’t have to explain that much to you.”
    Francis frowned as he ran his fingers over the brim of his glass. Jonathan was right. It would be most unseemly for a gentleman to escort unmarried women about town when he wasn’t even related to them. And while Genevieve would ensure that nobody would frown at the fact that they were his houseguests, Jonathan did make a valid point—he couldn’t expect her to stay out until the early hours of the morning, when even he considered this to be somewhat grueling. But if not her, then who? For Claire and Emily, it would be their coming-out balls. They would need a woman of some degree of social standing to take them under her wing. He had given it some serious thought, and had decided that he had just the right person in mind. He turned his eyes on Jonathan. “Baroness Giddington,” he said.
    Jonathan gave Francis an immediate smile of approval, though it was tinged with a mischievous smirk. “You don’t think she’ll plow them into obscurity? The woman has a lot of presence.”
    “I know what you’re getting at, Jon, and I must admit that I did think about that possibility quite a bit myself.”
    “And?”
    “And I’ve decided that she’s still the best option. She’s a close friend of mine—with no children of her own—who loves to shop. She would jump at the opportunity, turning this into her very own pet project, I can assure you.”
    “Oh, I don’t doubt you for a minute, old friend. The woman takes great pride in being one of the most talked-about socialites in London. She attends every ball there is, never wearing the same gown more than once. One is truly inclined to pity her poor husband.”
    “Why? Lord Giddington is quite content with having a wife as lovely and charming as Veronica. And besides, she does her part, too, in order to finance all of those lovely gowns of hers. If it weren’t for her and her natural ability to connect with people, I’m quite certain that Giddington’s ventures wouldn’t thrive as well as they do.”
    Jonathan tilted his head to the side as he scrunched up his mouth, raising an eyebrow as if attempting to visualize Baroness Giddington escorting Beatrice, Emily, and Claire about town. “All right. Baroness Giddington it is,” he said firmly. “You ought to call on her as soon as possible to discuss the situation with her. What if she refuses?”
    Francis ignored the question as he picked up a random leather-bound book from the bookshelf and began leafing through it. “Why don’t you stop by her house tomorrow and invite her to join us for tea? The sooner we get started on this, the better.”
    “Y ou look nervous,” Francis said as he took in the scene. He had just come into the parlor to find the three sisters sitting stiffly, side by side on a scarlet chaise longue. “She doesn’t bite, you know.”
    “It’s Baroness Giddington,” Beatrice barely managed to get out. “Everyone has heard of her, even we who have been secluded in the countryside for the past six years. Of course we’re nervous.”
    “Don’t be,” he told them. “She’s a lovely lady and I’m sure she’ll be quite fond of you. However, you do conjure up the image of disobedient schoolgirls unhappily waiting to be scolded.” His attempt at lighthearted humor wasn’t lost on Emily, as she looked up at him with growing curiosity.
    Pretending not to notice, he rested his hand gently against the back of a cream dupioni silk chair. “Beatrice. Would you please come and sit over here? And Claire, why don’t you pick up your needlework from the basket over there. It will give your