Lord Dearborn's Destiny by Brenda Hiatt Page A

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    "When are we to hear the happy announcement?" asked Lady Jersey of Lord Dearborn as the evening drew near to a close. "It must be a powerful inducement that has brought you back to us after so long an absence, and I believe I can guess what it is." She waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him and nodded in the direction of the entrance, where the Winston-Fittses were waiting for their carriage.
    Forrest smiled. He knew that Sally Jersey's tongue could be acerbic when she chose, but he had never been on the sharp end of it himself and held her in some affection, as did his mother. "Miss Winston-Fitts is undeniably lovely," he admitted, "and I'll not deny she comes closer to my ideal than any lady I've met for the past six or seven Seasons."
    "Which is all you've spent in London," rejoined Lady Jersey, nodding wisely. "Of course, there is more to an enduring match than a pretty face, but I'm sure you are aware of that. Doubtless the young lady has additional charms to recommend her?"
    "Indubitably." She was blatantly fishing for more information, but Forrest deflected her question with one of his own. "What do you know of the cousin, Miss O'Day? I presume you discovered something of her background before inviting her here." If he was to help the girl, he must know a little bit about her, he told himself.
    "Yes, isn't she a treasure?" Lady Jersey exclaimed, momentarily diverted. "She has quite taken the gentlemen by storm, though I doubt that she realizes it yet. Her humour and wit more than make up for her lack of the more obvious sort of beauty. And her family is positively ancient! Winston-Fitts through her mother, of course— quite a toast twenty or so years back, Maria Sefton tells me. And her father was Lord Kerrigan's second son, one of the oldest Irish titles. It is a pity she has not the fortune to complement such impeccable bloodlines."  
    Lady Jersey was waxing eloquent, and Forrest had no particular desire to stop the flow.
    "I daresay she will make a creditable match even without it," she continued. "The more thoughtful gentlemen are already commenting on her cleverness and cheerful disposition, traits not to be despised in a wife, surely."
    "Indeed not," agreed the Earl. "Do you mention any gentleman in particular?" He found himself hoping it would not be Pelton.
    Lady Jersey shot him a penetrating glance. "Mr. Mulhaney has made no secret of his admiration, but of course he hasn't a feather to fly with and cannot afford to marry where there is no money. I noticed also that both Lord Pelton and Sir Martin Coates danced twice with her, and neither of them needs to marry a fortune. I daresay she will have many suitors to choose among— nearly as many as the dazzling Miss Winston-Fitts."
    "Thank you, ma'am," said Forrest. While it was what he had hoped to hear, her disclosures did not give him the satisfaction he had expected. "Since my future is likely to include Miss Winston-Fitts, I thought it would behoove me to discover what I could of her connections. She appears to hold Miss O'Day in great affection. I had thought to do something for the girl, to please Miss Winston-Fitts, but from what you say it may prove unnecessary. I appreciate your candour." Bowing, he took his leave.
    Lady Jersey watched him speculatively as he made his way to the door. She did not doubt for a moment that Lord Dearborn might be able to do something for Miss O'Day— perhaps far more than he intended at present. For now, however, she would keep her own counsel. The Earl was quite a favourite of hers, and not even for the sake of being first with so extraordinary an on dit would she jeopardize his future happiness with an untimely word.  
     
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C HAPTER 8

    M ABEL W INSTON -Fitts looked about her in satisfaction. All was in readiness for her dinner party, Rosalind's formal introduction to Society. The flowers were delivered and arranged, the parlour polished