Page 49 of Lady Scandal

“Cassandra.” He smiled. “She’s my only sibling, but she’s much younger than I am. Only seventeen.”

“And where is she now?”

“At my estate, Ivywild. In Berkshire.” His smile faded as he remembered the troubling words of Cassandra’s last letter. “It’s a bit hard for her just now,” he found himself saying. “She’s back from finishing school, and none of her friends from school days live anywhere near. And when it comes to helping her, I’m a bit lost, to be honest. She was born the year I went into the army, so I didn’t have much opportunity to see her until she was twelve and my military service was over. Now that both our parents are gone, watching over Cassandra is my office, and I spend most of my time feeling I’m in way over my head.”

“Young girls are never easy. Is there no female relative who can guide her?”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately not. And I sense that my elevation to the peerage has made things even harder for her.”

“How so?”

He forced a laugh. “I know nothing about being a peer,” he confessed.“I grew up in the hotel trade. My father was a cashier and my mother was a maid. When I wasn’t in school, I worked as a bellboy and a lift attendant. What I know of the aristocracy is only by observation, and as a result, I’m finding my new social position difficult to navigate. The ton, I’ve discovered, isn’t particularly welcoming to those who are elevated to the peerage rather than being born within it.”

“Perhaps not.”

“It doesn’t bother me. I don’t really care what other people think. But the lack of acceptance bothers Cassandra a great deal. All the more reason I wish I’d had the means to refuse the title when it was bestowed.”

“Refuse it?” She straightened in her chair, staring at him in astonishment. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am. I didn’t want the blasted thing. I hope you won’t think me rude for saying it, but I’m not the least bit impressed by the aristocracy; I care little for its pretentions, snobbery, and silly rules.”

“With that sort of attitude, I’m shocked the aristocracy hasn’t accepted you with open arms,” she murmured, giving him an amused look across the table.

“I realize I ought to be falling to my knees in gratitude for my elevation,” he countered dryly, “but that would be hypocritical.”

“But doesn’t your elevation offer you the opportunity for more business contacts?”

“Hardly; and you know that already, since you are the one who reminded me that peers are not particularly good at business nor much impressed by it.”

“Well, you’ve got me there. But what about the social considerations? It’s not so important for you, perhaps, but your sister will benefit greatly from being an honorable.”

“Will she?” Simon was doubtful. “It hasn’t benefited her much sofar. I wish I knew what to do to help her assimilate to our new life, but as I said, I’m lost.”

“Would you like some advice?”

“Are you offering any?” he countered with a laugh.

The moment the joking words were out of his mouth, he cursed himself, but it was too late to take them back.

“I’d be happy to,” she answered. “But will you take my advice? That’s the question.”

It was indeed.

“What do you think, Hardwicke?” she asked before Simon could answer, turning to the butler as he paused beside her chair with a platter of lamb chops. “Do you think I am an acceptable guide for a young girl entering society?”

“Lord Calderon’s sister could not do better, my lady,” Hardwicke answered loyally as he moved to Simon’s side of the table. “Any young woman would be fortunate indeed to have your guidance.”

“Well, there we are then.” Laughing, she returned her attention to Simon. “How can you refuse me after such a ringing endorsement?”

Allowing his sister to be guided by the advice of a woman suspected of embezzlement and fraud was an insane idea. And he wasn’t sure it was quite right to allow her to do him a good turn when he might very well be firing her in a month’s time. But even as he reminded himself of these facts, the forlorn words of his sister’s letter echoed through his mind.

Dearest Simon, I am so lonely here.

He capitulated. “I’d be grateful for any insight you can offer, Delia.”

She blinked, clearly showing she hadn’t expected that. “You mean it?”

He gave a shrug. “Should I not? You’re well placed in society,influential, and popular. You possess a quick wit and a keen mind, and given that we’re having dinner in a greenhouse, you clearly have ingenuity.”

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