It was a brisk December afternoon, and a light snow during the night had put a freshness in the air. Now it was sunny, and Amelia decided it was too nice to stay indoors. Despite the cold, she donned her cloak and took one of her new books, settling on a bench in the private garden behind her brother’s home.
She had just begun to read when a tiny fur ball dashed across her line of vision and scampered up into the wild pear tree growing next to her bench. It was Colette’s newest kitten, Sophie. Of course, once the little thing got up in the tree, she didn’t know what to do. Frightened, she howled for help.
“Oh, you poor dear,” Amelia crooned, setting down her book. “Let me help you.” She climbed onto the bench and reached up toward the branch. But the kitten backed away from her and climbed higher.
“Come here, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you,” Amelia cajoled.
Standing on tiptoe, she stretched her arm farther, but she still couldn’t reach the kitten. Exasperated, she stepped up onto the lowest branch, but the kitten was still out of reach. Worse yet, the little creature kept backing farther away. Amelia took a tentative step along the branch, and then another…
And then found she couldn’t move.
The lace of her petticoat had tangled in the gnarled branches of the tree, effectively pinning her in place. How would she get down?
“Lady Amelia? How ever did you get caught in that pear tree? Are you hurt?”
“What happened, Lady Amelia?”
Startled, she turned her gaze downward. The Duke of Bartlett and his niece, Laurel, stood next to her bench, looking up at her. Amelia was torn between relief at being rescued and chagrin at being caught in such a predicament.
“Good day, Your Grace. Please excuse my lack of manners, but I seem unable to curtsey at this moment. Mademoiselle Colette’s kitten climbed the tree and was too frightened to get down, so I came up here to rescue her. And yes, Laurel, I’m fine. I’m just… stuck, as well.”
Laurel tugged at the duke’s arm until he looked down at her. “Uncle Phillip, you must help her.”
Phillip nodded and stepped up onto the bench. His height allowed him to easily reach the branch that had caught her skirts. Leaning against the trunk for balance, he reached out and carefully detached her skirts from the tree’s grasp. As soon as she was free, she moved her foot to take a step down, but a pair of strong hands grasped her waist. Before she could utter a word, she found herself lifted off the branch and settled safely on the ground.
Amelia stammered her thanks, but Phillip climbed up into the tree and caught the kitten by the scruff of her neck. Holding Sophie carefully, he dropped lightly to the ground and offered the shivering kitten to her.
Amelia could barely meet her rescuer’s gaze. Heat flooded her cheeks — was it from embarrassment, or was it excitement from the physical contact with the handsome duke?
“Thank you again, Your Grace. And I know my future sister-in-law will be most grateful to you for rescuing her Sophie.”
Phillip bowed. “I assure you, it was my pleasure.”
Before Amelia could frame a response, Laurel took Amelia’s arm. “I’m so glad we found you at home today, Lady Amelia. I need to speak to you. I’ve talked to Uncle Phillip, but he says I need a woman’s view, so I asked him to bring me here right away.”
Amelia couldn’t imagine what advice she could give, but she gestured toward the bench and invited Laurel to sit.
“How can I help?”
The girl launched into her tale. “It’s Mama! She wants me to have a season next year, and she has lots of plans for dresses and parties, but I don’t need all that to find a husband. I don’t want to marry anyone but Nicky!”
Laurel’s anxiety tugged at Amelia’s heart. She could sympathize with the girl’s dilemma, having had wishes totally against those of her parents. Amelia’s own mother, rest her soul, had cried endlessly at her only daughter’s total lack of interest in the selection of eligible bachelors attending the balls during her season. A few of the gentlemen had even offered for her hand, but she simply hadn’t been able to muster enough enthusiasm for any of them and had turned them down. “Why should I marry simply because a man asks?” she’d said when her mother had pressed.
But now, Amelia needed to choose her words wisely. The young girl with hopeful eyes was the daughter of her close friend, and probably as close to a daughter as she would ever have. She needed to tread carefully.
“Have you explained how you feel to your mother? Does she know the young man?”
“She knows him, but she thinks this is simply a schoolgirl whim and that I should see what real gentlemen are like. Oh, Lady Amelia, I don’t need to see anyone else. No man would ever compare to my Nicky.”
She glanced at Phillip. “Nicky?”
The duke cleared his throat. “Nicholas Kentridge, second son of the Earl of Dunham.”
Though his voice had revealed nothing, his dark expression told Amelia exactly what he thought of the young man. Knowing the boy’s identity, Amelia had to agree. The earl was a rake, and according to rumor, his sons were cut from the same cloth. But the love-struck girl wouldn’t want to hear that.
Amelia covered Laurel’s hand with her own. “Does Nicky feel the same? Has he expressed a desire for the two of you to marry?”
“Well… no, but I’m certain he will. It just wouldn’t be fair for me to encourage anyone else.”
“You wouldn’t have to encourage anyone during your season. But if you go along with your mother’s plans, you can show Nicky exactly how lovely and suitable you are.”
“Nicky’s not interested in beauty.” Laurel’s eyes gleamed, and her posture straightened as she spoke of her intended beau. “He told me he admires my intellect and my artistic talent.”
Amelia noticed Phillip turn his head away and guessed it was to hide the derision in his eyes. Thankfully, Laurel was too lost in her own thoughts to notice her uncle.
“Perhaps not, but it would be a shame to deny your mother the joy of seeing her daughter as the beautiful debutante you would be.”
“But, Lady Amelia—”
“Hear me out. Even if your parents approve of — er, Nicky — you are not yet at the legal age of consent. Why not take a year and let your parents dote on you? I know you’ll have a lovely time.”
“But you didn’t enjoy your season,” Laurel protested. “I’ve heard you complaining about it to Mother.”
Amelia pursed her lips. Her family had always chided her about her runaway mouth. Now it could cause a problem for her friend.
She cleared her throat, hoping the inspiration would come. “Laurel, dear, I was wrong to protest against my mother. Had I simply gone along with her wishes, I would have made her happy, and she would have seen for herself how unsuitable the young men in my circle were for me. It would have saved us both a lot of unpleasantness.”
Laurel sighed. “So you think I should just let Mother have her way and make me spend an entire season being nice to mere boys in whom I have absolutely no interest?”
“Mmm, there are some good things to consider.”
“What would those be?”
“Well, as a debutante, you will be presented at court. That’s quite exciting.”
Laurel’s face brightened. “Oh, yes. I’d forgotten about that.”
“And you’ll have an elegant new wardrobe.”
“Well, that would be nice, but Nicky says I’m beautiful even without the fancy clothes.”
“That’s quite… gallant of him. But I still think you need to attend a few social events. Nicky will probably be invited to many of the same events as you, and then he’ll be able to see how lucky he is to have your affection. Besides, the season is only a few months. If you don’t do it, you’ll disappoint your mother, and you might regret it later. If you go through with your season and make her happy, you’ll also have some wonderful tales to share with your own daughter someday.”
The girl frowned. “I suppose you’re right. It is only for a little while. Nicky says he doesn’t enjoy the social life, but perhaps he’ll attend a ball or two to please me.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“I’m still not certain I should dance with other men besides Nicky, but I suppose I could go through with the presentation at court. Just to please my parents, of course.”
“Of course,” Amelia replied. “And I know they will be so proud of you.”
The girl surprised her with a quick hug and then launched into a flurry of plans, pacing excitedly in front of the bench. Amelia listened for a few seconds, but her attention was diverted when Phillip leaned close and whispered, “Well done, Lady Amelia.”
Despite the cool weather, Amelia felt a definite rise in the temperature.