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“I—”

“And you really should smile more often,” he added, rising from his seat. “Men like a woman with a ready laugh. Save the glowering for after you’re married.”

She stared at his back unseeingly. Did she really not smile?

She’d always thought that she had a near-approachable personality, but not so much that she attracted every George, William and Harry who glanced at her.

“More tea, Miss?” one of the assistants asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Yes, please,” Catherine muttered.

The air was thick with the promise of rain, and Richard inhaled deeply, willing his body to relax.

He’d gotten too comfortable flirting with Catherine just now, and his body seemed to forget she was the plain, proper Catherine he’d seen playing with his sister when they were children.

He had to step outside to hide his body’s reaction at the sight of her pretty blush. He’d noticed the way her eyes ran over his arms, and he’d felt the urge to sit up straighter.

Her full pink lips had parted slightly, and a vein in her neck had throbbed furiously—a telltale sign she was attracted to him. The dark side of him wanted to lure her into the dark waters to see just how much impropriety she was willing to dabble in.

He shook the thought out of his head, but just as he turned to step back into the shop, he spotted a dress on display that made his face split into a wide grin.

It seemed even Providence was out to get him to ruffle Catherine’s feathers.

The dress was an exquisite dark green velvet piece that would bring out the golden flecks in her eyes, but that was beside the point. While she favored high necklines that hid all of her, this dress was a low-cut masterpiece that he knew she would never wear.

But he wondered…

He caught the eye of the modiste, and in a few minutes, his purchase was packaged under the strictest confidence and prepared to be delivered to Catherine’s home.

“What has you smiling so, Brother?” Emmy asked, looking up at him with a wary expression.

“Nothing,” he answered.

Catherine said nothing, even though he knew she was curious as well. He almost laughed, imagining the shock and anger that would cross her face when she read the penned note he’d asked them to deliver with the dress.

He was really looking forward to seeing her again.

“Come,” he told his sister. “Let’s take Miss Burlow home.”

“Can we go for cake after?” Emmy asked excitedly.

“Men don’t want a chubby wife,” he teased.

“And women don’t want a husband who’d starve them.”

“Alright, we’ll go for cake afterward.”

“I love you, Brother.”

“You only love me when you’re spending my money.”

“Of course.” She smiled. “You’re as pigheaded as they come. That’s the only good thing about you.”

They shared a laugh and waited for Catherine to join them. When she did, she stared between them and shook her head. “Do I want to know?”

“Not at all.”

Chapter Five