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Shuddering, he tried to push the thoughts from his mind as he made his way downstairs. It was none of his business what his mother got up to with her time, or who she spent it with, as long as she did not say or do anything to reflect badly on Tiffany or the Bolton name. Considering he’d not seen evidence of her having a lover before now, it was clear she was being discreet.

That, or this was a new lover?

He had no idea.

The thought that perhaps she’d returned to London as much because she missed her lover as because she wanted to be in the midst of the social whirl occurred to him. He did not know whether or not that thought comforted him.

Mei

“Thank you for coming early,” Tiffany said, leading the way through the hall of Somersham Place. Rather than letting the butler do it, Tiffany had insisted on escorting Mei to her room. “I’m looking forward to this, but it does feel much better knowing one of my friends is already here.”

“I thought it best to be here before the others so I could get an impression of your brother’s first meeting with all his potential brides.” A little sliver of her stomach twisted at her words.

It was not the first time she’d found one of the gentlemen she was matching to be handsome—quite a few of the nobles of the ton were very attractive—but it was the first time she’d felt the kernels of jealousy. A reaction she was going to have to squash. Hopefully, close proximity over the weekend to the Duke of Bolton would help with these unexpected, and very unwelcome, feelings toward him.

She’d much preferred when she was annoyed and aggrieved with him about his attitude toward matchmaking.

“I am looking forward to that, too,” Tiffany replied with a light laugh. “Ah, here we are.”

Now Mei’s stomach turned over for a different reason as she walked through the door of the room, following Tiffany, and realized that she’d been shown to a true guestroom. The kind the other guests would be using. The titled and wealthy guests.

“I…” She started to say, then cut herself off.

It would be rude to tell Tiffany that this was not appropriate. That she and her grandmother were usually put in rooms in the servants’ quarters. They were usually given their own rooms, rather than having to share, like the servants of guests the household was hosting, but still the servants’ quarters.

“Thank you,” she said instead. “It’s beautiful.”

It was a beautiful room. Far too grand for someone of her station.

“I thought you would like the green; I noticed you wear it a lot.” Tiffany beamed as she waved at the footmen bringing in Mei’s things. As she did not have much, it did not take them long, and she slowly spun in place to look around the room as they filed out.

The sage green of the bedspread and curtains, as well as being worked through the carpet, was indeed very calming. The light tone of the wood furniture and the cream accents set it off admirably. On the wall was a large tapestry depicting a courtyard, beautifully adorned with flowers, done in a mix of the same sage green, as well as rose pink, dark cream, and light blue.

Light streamed in from a huge window, framed with long sage curtains that hung from the ceiling to the floor with a matching valance. Cream fringe hung down from the valance and decorated the ends of the curtain ties. She could see rolling fields in the distance through the window.

Overall, the effect was light, feminine, and quite comfortable. The kind of room Mei could normally only dream of.

“It’s beautiful,” she said truthfully, letting out her breath on a sigh. She would have to remind herself not to get used to this. Tiffany was placing her in this room because she was a friend, not because she was a matchmaker. The next time she stayed in a nobles’ house, it would likely be back to the servants’ quarters with her.

“I’ve put Lady Astrid in the room on your right, and Rose in the room on your left.” Tiffany beamed at her. “The Duchess of Grafton, Lady Annabelle, Lady Juliette, and Lady MarcyAnne and her mother are all in this hall.” All the ladies who were attending without a gentleman.

“Are Lady Annabelle and Lady Juliette attending without a chaperone?” Mei turned to look at Tiffany with some surprise, completing her inspection of the room. As much as she’d learned about the ton’s rules, there were still some nuances that occasionally escaped her.

“The Duchess of Grafton will serve as Lady Annabelle’s chaperone, though Lady Annabelle’s father, Lord Walsh, will also be in attendance. Unfortunately, her mother is not feeling well enough to attend.” Tiffany shook her head. “I say unfortunately, but for my purposes it turned out to be fortunate, as our numbers are a bit uneven and they would be even more so if she had been able to come. As for Lady Juliette, she is being escorted by a long-time family friend, Viscount Hayworth, as her parents are both indisposed this weekend. I believe her brother’s wife is on the verge of producing his heir.”

The heir to the heir. Yes, Mei could understand why Lady Juliette’s parents would want to be present for such a momentous event. She had known that Lady Juliette’s brother’s wife was expecting but had not realized the timing would be so close. It was rather surprising that they would allow their daughter to attend, even escorted by a trusted family friend, but they must have read between the lines when the invitation from the Duchess of Clarence had arrived.

An impromptu house party in the middle of the Season, when the duchess had an unwed duke as a brother? They would have to be obtuse not to realize their daughter was being singled out to meet him, even though they would not know he was using a matchmaker. Likely, they assumed it was Tiffany herself who was doing the matching.

Mei wondered what the reactions would be when the other guests realized she was present, albeit without her grandmother. Especially when they realized she was rooming in the same hall as them.

Inwardly sighing again, she made a promise to herself—no matter how they reacted to her presence among them, she would not count that against them when it came to Bolton’s match. The ton was what it was.

“Surely Viscount Hayworth helps even the numbers?” Mei teased.

“He does. And Miss Fenley’s parents and two brothers are attending with her, as are Lady Darcy’s parents and brother. It does help round out the numbers, though I am not familiar with any of the brothers.” Tiffany shook her head. “Apparently, they are not the type to be found in ballrooms at the moment. Perhaps their parents are hoping they’ll meet a young lady to tempt them away from the young men’s more usual haunts.”

“Mmm, competition for your brother.” Not necessarily a bad thing, in and of itself. Certainly, it would make it less obvious that the ladies had been selected specifically for Bolton. The Duke of Montagu’s presence should also help.