Look to the Stars Read online

  "Rough morning?" Leo's tone was dry, as he regarded the now empty glass in his hand. Perhaps it was too early to get drunk. He thought of the invitation to the duke's ball again.

  Perhaps not.

  Elston peered at him, shoving a tangled lock of dark hair out of his eyes.

  "Did you not—"

  "Oh, I did."

  Both men fell into morose silence, Elston trying to revive his limp cravat without much success. Leo gestured for more brandy, and another glass. If his young cousin continued to tug at his neckcloth like that, he was bound to strangle himself before long.

  "Will you be attending?"

  Leo glanced over, amused despite the situation. "Is there any other choice?"

  "Ah. I suppose not," Elston said, then took a large swallow of his brandy. He suddenly set it down on the table between them with a thump. "I'm in a pickle, Blakeley. I've set a foot wrong with Miss Humphries, and I cannot fix it—"

  "There's no such thing as an unfixable situation."

  "Oh ho! But there is this time." His cousin pinched the bridge of his nose, the tips of his ears turning pink. "I cannot discuss it. Just know... It is unfixable."

  Again, amusement washed through Leo at Elston's discomfort. Whatever his cousin had done must have been very dire. Or terribly embarrassing. Leo grinned, leaning back in his chair.

  "What's your plan, then, for avoiding the duke's notice now that you no longer have a Miss Humphries shaped shield to hide behind?"

  Elston's eyes took on a bit of a desperate look. "I've no idea. You?"

  "Perhaps." Leo's amusement faded.

  He'd be damned if he let the old man push him into an arrangement, or God forbid, an actual marriage. Elston had had the right idea, courting a woman he already knew and was comfortable with in an effort to avoid the duke's machinations. It had gone unspoken, but Leo had the impression his cousin had always felt the devil he knew was better than the devil he didn't. At least she was a woman he'd chosen, rather than having one presented to him like a Christmas ham.

  An idea started to emerge.

  There wasn't a woman in his own life that he could strike up a courtship with, but that didn't mean he couldn't find one. Not a serious effort, of course, but perhaps enough of one to keep Danby off his back. It was a dangerous game to play, giving the appearance of courtship, yet not raising a lady's, or her family's, hopes. However, his great-uncle's sudden appearance had left him with few reasonable options.

  After all, it was too late to leave the country, he'd already received the invitation to the ball.

  If the duke wanted to play games, well then by all means, let them play. Leo leaned forward in his chair. "The solution is simple."

  "It... it is?"

  "You've had it all along, Elston." Leo chuckled at his cousin's puzzled look. "Find a girl thoroughly beneath you socially, and court her. She'd never think you were actually serious, so there's no true danger."

  Elston looked as if he would object, yanking on that damned cravat again, but Leo held up one finger to forestall him.

  "If you do a convincing enough job of it, the duke will leave you alone, believing you have already taken care of the situation yourself. Then when he returns to the country, you gently let her down, as she expected all along, and get on with your life."

  He relaxed back into his chair. Truly, it was a solid plan. Brilliant in its simplicity.

  "That doesn't sound very honorable." His cousin looked troubled.

  "Really, you'd be doing everyone a service," Leo said. He stretched out his legs and crossed one booted ankle over the other. "You'd give the duke peace of mind, the lady gets a boost in popularity from being courted by someone so high above her station, and you walk away free and unfettered at the end of it all."

  Elston chewed his lip, deep in thought.

  "Perhaps, " he murmured, his gaze unfocused on the wall across the room.

  Well, Leo was no fool. He'd be putting his own such plan into action immediately. The trick was to find a lady who was of good family, yet not too high in the instep. Beautiful, well spoken, and fine mannered, yet not beset with suitors. Eligible, yet not desperate to marry.

  A girl with cool, dark eyes and a heavy coil of shining brown hair flashed through his mind.

  Miss Miriam Rosenbaum would fit the bill exactly. Yes, she would do quite nicely. As an American girl here for the Season, she must be rich, and she must be available. If she was staying with his mother, she was of good family. How convenient she had arrived in town just in time to save him.

  The best thing about the American girl wasn't her wealth or reputation. It was how she had looked upon meeting him earlier that afternoon. As if he was utterly replaceable. As if she cared not whether he came or went, if he spoke or stayed silent. Even when Leo had attempted to charm her with a smile, something he did without even thinking, she'd seemed...

  Unmoved.

  There was only one odd moment, when they'd both reached for the same biscuit. He'd thought she might have blushed, but it was probably a just trick of the afternoon light. Or his ego. There was something a bit disturbing about a woman would looked as though she'd just as happy alone as in one's presence. It made him want to try a little harder, to see just what it would take to draw out a smile.

  But in this case, of course, he would ignore those urges and concentrate instead on building a rapport with Miss Rosenbaum. It shouldn't be too difficult. She was here with her sisters for the marriage mart. He could make sure she received invitations to every event worth attending, introduce her to every person worth speaking to, and bring her to every London location worth visiting.

  In short, he would make her Season, and she would save his.

  Yes. She would do nicely.

  Chapter 3

  "Let's go riding."

  A chorus of groans met Ester's suggestion.

  "We just went riding yesterday." Riesa didn't look up from her writing as she spoke, a smear of ink over her brow.

  "The day is lovely, we should all enjoy it while the sun shines. I'll go riding, if you'd like," Fannie said, from her spot on the sitting room's sofa, busy with needlework. Ester arched a brow in triumphant at her other sisters, as she leaned over the back of the sofa to plant a loud kiss on the top of her twin's head.

  "Darling sister!"

  Miriam rolled her eyes as she flipped through the book of star charts she'd found in the earl's library, shoved between a treatise on dog breeding and the complete works of William Shakespeare.

  "Just because she was born four minutes earlier than you doesn't mean you always must do as she wants."

  "No, that's not it at all," protested her youngest sister. "I truly think a ride would be nice. We've been cooped up in here for days. As beautiful and spacious as the countess's townhouse is, I'm ready for a change in scenery."

  "We're in Mayfair, Fan. I'd say there's been quite a change of scenery already." Riesa frowned at the paper in front of her, then sighed and continued writing.

  "Yes, true. Such a far way to come to meet eligible men. I suppose we should be grateful Father was willing to put up the funds to do so."

  Travel all the way to England merely to meet men who hadn't heard of the Madcap Rosenbaums and their escapades. It was ridiculous.

  Miriam sniffed. Perhaps it wasn't exactly proper to partake in racing one's own horse or apply for admission into the all-male Astronomical Society of New York, and other similar acts. But was it truly as scandalous as all that, to ruin their prospects and set everyone gossiping?

  Apparently it was. At least it was to the people who seemed to designate who was acceptable, and who was not. It hadn't been so terrible when it was just Miriam alone, though she'd spent many an evening sitting with the chaperones instead of dancing. But once the sisters were out in society full force, well... The invitations continued to arrive, no one was fool enough to insult Abraham Rosenbaum's daughters so blatantly. They weren't by any means the only Jewish family moving through high
society, but they did rather make a splash without meaning to. Their reception had been met with chill indifference, or worse, cruel amusement.

  It wouldn't bother her in the least, Miriam would consider herself well washed of them, if it weren't for Fannie.

  The sister in question bit her lip, fingers pausing their work again.

  "I do worry, however, that the expense of our trip might not be worth it after all. Have we received any invitations yet?"

  London was not New York, and no one here depended on Rosenbaum funding for their ships and trading expeditions.

  Ester perched on the top of the sofa, one leg swinging back and forth, and shrugged one shoulder. "Not that Lady Blakeley has relayed, but it's only been a week since we arrived. Mama doesn't seem concerned."

  "Would she show it, even if she was?" asked Fannie. All the sisters paused for a moment, even Riesa's pen stopped its scratching. The answer was no. Their mother was the epitome of grace under fire, and would never for a moment show even a flicker of distress.

  Of course, she'd learned to shield her emotions from the caprice and whims of others over the years, and taught her daughters the same. There would always be those in society who disdained Lydia Rosenbaum for marrying a Jew. Miriam knew from her own experience that many didn't bother to hide their derision, but never had she seen her mother falter under censure and sly remarks.

  And while Miriam would swallow an insult or cut direct to herself, she would rake anyone who dared to do the same to her sisters from head to toe with her claws. Perhaps she had contributed a bit to the grist of the gossip mill once or twice, in such situations. But degradation of her family was not to be borne.

  If only she could hit people in the mouth, like her older brother Armand did. It must be lovely to be a man at times. She imagined Armie must enjoy fighting, he did it so often. It was positively unfair he was patted on the back and chuckled over for his recklessness and quick mouth, while his sisters were labeled harridans for theirs.

  "Still..." Fannie began sewing again, her gaze on the pile of material in her lap. "If we do not receive invitations to balls and recitals and such, it would a disappointment to Mama. I could not bear it."

  The masculine clearing of a throat had them all looking toward the doorway.

  Miriam yelped in surprise and dropped her book directly on top of her slippered toes. She bent to retrieve it with an irritable, "Wear a bell, would you?"

  Once again, Mr. Blakeley appeared unannounced, looking as handsome and disheveled as when she'd first met him. Though he was less dusty this time, his brilliant blue eyes shining against his matching silk waistcoat.

  "What was that, Miss Rosenbaum?"

  "Nothing at all, Mr. Blakeley," she replied, snatching up the book. Lord, he set her askew, all flushed feeling and fumbley. A rather disconcerting ability. One she was not fond of, to be quite honest.

  "Hmm." He just looked at her for another moment, then smiled around at them all and stepped into the room. "Well, ladies, perhaps I could help with your lack of activity today. It's a beautiful afternoon for a drive through the park."

  "Fannie, Ester, Riesa, this is Mr. Blakeley, our hostess's son. We met yesterday, in Lady Pennyworth's drawing room." With murmured greetings, the girls all dropped into varying degrees of curtsies. Pride swelled in Miriam's breast. Perhaps they were not society's ideal young women, but they accounted for themselves well enough when the situation demanded it. "Mr. Blakeley, my sisters."

  "Charmed," he said, and swept into a deep bow. Ester snorted, Fannie blushed, Riesa sighed, and Miriam just rolled her eyes. Tousled hair or not, he was a bit of a peacock. It should have taken the edge off his charm, but it only seemed to add to it, drat it all.

  "Did you say a ride through the park?" Ester sidled a little closer, her gaze bright.

  "I did."

  "In a carriage or on horses?"

  "Open barouche." He tapped his gloves against one strong thigh—not that she was noticing his thighs!— and looked around at them agreeably. "Five on horses, plus groomsmen, would be a bit much to handle on our first foray into Mayfair, I believe. My mother has a large enough vehicle to hold us all comfortably."

  "Oh." Ester looked disappointed.

  "It's better than sitting inside, Essie," Fannie pointed out. As one, the twins turned to Miriam, faces hopeful. Being the eldest, she was usually the authority on yea or nay when their mother was absent.

  The idea of being trapped in a conveyance for an hour, even an open one, with Mr. Blakeley made her uneasy in ways she'd rather not examine. Miriam glanced over, to find he was already watching her, a small smile playing about his lips.

  As if he knew how uncomfortable he made her, and was daring her to prove him right by turning down his offer.

  "What say you, Miss Rosenbaum? Shall we take a drive and see what there is to see?" he asked, his deep voice pleasant, devoid of the amusement she found in his gaze. Miriam's heartbeat quickened, absurdly aware of the how the lace of her neckline scratched against her skin.

  "Ah. Um," she said in a great show of intelligence, and rubbed at her collarbone where it itched the most. His gaze flashed to the spot, then back up to meet her eyes. She swallowed and dropped her hand into her lap, gripping the edges of the large book tight.

  "We might as well." Riesa threw down her pen with a grumpy expression. "The twins will never give us any peace until they've had a proper airing out."

  "Riesa!"

  Mr. Blakeley's lips twitched at Fannie's mortified hiss. He turned his attention back to Miriam and tilted his head quizzically. She nodded, giving her acquiescence.

  "Capital. I will go and speak with Harrington. Wish me luck," he directed toward Miriam, and she felt her lips curve up despite her reluctance to encourage him.

  "Luck," she said.

  He raised one eyebrow. "Hmm. Ambiguous, Miss Rosenbaum. I see I am on my own. Very well. Once more unto the breach, and all that."

  She barely managed to keep the laugh inside as he vacated the room, and turned away from the doorway to find all three of her sisters staring at her.

  "What?"

  "You were flirting with Mr. Blakeley."

  Miriam gaped at Fannie's awed tone, affronted. "I was not."

  "You were," said Ester, as she crossed her arms over her chest and grinned. "And he was flirting with you!"

  No. She was... being polite. After all, he was their hostess's son. It wouldn't do to offend him. Besides, it was generous of him to offer to escort four ladies he'd only just met about the park. Odd, but generous. Armie would have gladly thrown himself into the Serpentine first, and he was their brother, responsible for their wellbeing.

  "Go change. It will not do to keep Mr. Blakeley waiting. Perhaps he will change his mind if left to cool his heels in the entryway too long," Miriam said, sending the younger girls dashing for the stairs. Riesa paused as she made her way to the door at a slower pace.

  "You were flirting, dear. Just a bit." With a sympathetic look, she patted Miriam's arm. "It happens with handsome, charming gentlemen sometimes. They can be hard to resist."

  "Not for you." Miriam was desperate to get back on familiar ground.

  "Oh, yes. Even for me," replied her sister, setting Miriam off balance even further. Never had she seen Riesa confounded by a man. Her entire life revolved around her writing, to the exclusion of nearly all else. When would she even have spent enough time in a man's presence to be charmed?

  "Who...?"

  Her sister just shook her head, lips twisted into a sardonic little smile. "A story for another time. As you said, we shouldn't keep Mr. Blakeley waiting."

  With a stunned nod of agreement, Miriam followed her sister to their suite of rooms, thoughts whirling.

  Her sisters thought she was flirting with Mr. Blakeley, and though they were wrong about that, perhaps he was flirting a bit with her. Likely it was out of sheer force of habit, a reflex that desirable bachelors achieved over their years out and about in society. She'd
seen it often enough, her theory could very well be truth.

  But... if he was flirting, just a little, perhaps he would be amendable to escorting Miriam and her sisters to some of the ton's events during the course of the Season. Surely he received all the invitations Mama and Fannie coveted so. It would be a relief to them, not to be left out of things. If it meant making her mother happy, Miriam could certainly play the part of the admiring, wide-eyed debutant, at least for a short while.

  If Mama was happy, she'd be more likely to look the other way when Miriam visited the Academy.

  She was dying to meet the Minskys, and discover all they had worked on since Miss Minsky's last letter. Miriam had not informed them she was travelling to England, in an effort to surprise her friend. It would be too terrible to contemplate not being able to visit at least once during her entire stay.

  Unacceptable.

  She'd just have to fix it so that everything worked out the way she planned.

  Resolved, Miriam changed into her most flattering walking dress, an ensemble of dark pink and cream, edged in velvet. Smoothing several wayward strands of hair into submission, she tied on a straw bonnet decorated with a spray of silken roses and a wide green ribbon. The look was fresh and pretty and young, as if she had no more on her mind than her next shopping excursion.

  Time to set her plan into action.

  Chapter 4

  Leo couldn't get a grip on the situation.

  Every time he thought he'd read Miss Rosenbaum, that he had her figured out, her personality shifted, and sent him into confusion. First, in his mother's salon, she seemed reserved and cool. That afternoon, she'd been on the edge of irritation but worked well to rein it in.

  But when she had climbed into the barouche with her sisters, she'd turned those large, dark eyes on him with an alarmingly wide smile that had him rethinking the wisdom of his plan. Had he read her wrong, the day they met?