He groaned. Damn it. He’d just described someone a bit too much like … Miss Lowndes. At least if Lucy was preoccupied with her Mrs. Bunbury scandal plot, she’d leave him and his marital prospects alone for a bit. Perhaps he ought to keep his nose out of it. It rarely ended well for him when he attempted to thwart Lucy’s plans. He certainly didn’t want to draw attention to himself and Isabella Langford. What if Lucy got it into her head that she should make a match between him and Isabella? It would be beyond awkward. Though discomfiture was no doubt in store for him one way or another, once Isabella arrived.

Garrett flung an arm over his forehead. The next week wouldn’t be easy. Not only would Isabella be there, he’d be busy watching what Lucy and Miss Lowndes were getting up to, and to add insult to injury, there was to be a bloody masquerade ball. What more could go wrong?

CHAPTER NINE

Mrs. Isabella Langford arrived the next morning at an ungodly hour. Jane had been roused from bed far too early given the fact that she’d been up nearly all night reading a novel. She’d been forced to come downstairs and greet the woman along with Cass, Lucy, and Cass’s mother.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious?” Lucy asked, as Jane stifled a yawn while they stood in the foyer, waiting for Mrs. Langford and for the servants to unload her trunks from the carriage.

“Not particularly,” Jane replied with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. If she was honest with herself, she would admit she did wonder why Upton’s voice had seemed a bit strained last night when Cass had mentioned Mrs. Langford. Jane also wondered why the woman had used Upton as an entrée to the house party. It seemed quite forward. But there were scores of socially ambitious people in London who would use any excuse to gain an invitation to an earl’s wedding. It wasn’t particularly surprising. Jane was more interested in reading the last of her good book than wondering why a widow was coming to Cass’s wedding under the guise of her friendship with Upton of all people. Upton’s acquaintances were none of Jane’s concern. But Cass had requested her presence this morning and Jane was committed to making Cass’s wedding week the best it could be. Lack of her own sleep notwithstanding.

“She’s the wife of a deceased army captain,” Cass whispered, staring out the door at Mrs. Langford’s entourage. “Do you find it odd that she has such a fine carriage and servants?”

“Cassandra, that’s hardly polite,” her mother interjected.

Lucy was on tiptoes, craning her neck to see everything. Jane scanned the scene. Indeed, Mrs. Langford had a footman and a lady’s maid with her and enough trunks to fill Jane’s bedchamber in London.

Lucy snorted. “She does know she’s only staying a week, doesn’t she?”

Cass elbowed Lucy.

When the lady herself emerged from the coach, Jane sucked in her breath. Mrs. Langford was ethereal. She was nearly as good-looking as Lucy, and that was saying quite a lot. The woman had a cloud of black hair and the palest white skin, with red lips that looked like a cherry set perfectly under her pin-tip nose. While she might have been a year or two older than Jane, she was not much more.