Page 16 of An Earl Like You (Games Earls Play #6)

Chapter

Eight

C ould anyone tell by looking at her that she’d just been thoroughly kissed?

Did her face, her burning cheeks give her away? No, no, such a thing must be impossible. No gentleman’s kiss was so powerful that traces of it lingered on a lady’s face after the kiss had ended.

But as she and Cass made their way from the lilac walk back to Lady Farthingale’s terrace with the weight of dozens of gazes upon them it felt as if the kisses she and Cass had just shared were no longer a secret between the two of them.

Her lips felt swollen, sensitive, and with every step they took across the lawn her cheeks burned hotter, until it felt as if flames had engulfed her face.

“You’ve gone scarlet,” Cass murmured to her as they approach the terrace. “I’ve never seen a prettier blush in my life, but there’s no need for it. You’ve done nothing to be ashamed of, Lady Harriet.”

Ashamed? No, perhaps not that. She could never be ashamed of kissing Cass, but they were the last couple to emerge from the lilac walk, and if she could judge by the dismay on Margaret’s face, not by an insignificant amount of time.

Oh, dear God. What had she done?—

“Here you are, my dear.” Lady Fosberry held out her hand to Hattie as she and Cass mounted the stairs and joined their party on the terrace.

Her ladyship’s smile was as calm as ever, but her knowing gaze lingered on Hattie’s face, and Lord Hayward seemed to be scrutinizing her with more attention than usual, a slight frown furrowing his brow as he glanced between her and Cass.

“I was just telling your sisters that Lady Dumfries has graciously invited us to attend her ball next week. It’s one of the most anticipated events of the season, and quite grand, indeed. I think we should?—”

“Windham! Yoo-hoo, Lord Windham!” A lady was bearing down on them, and she wore a rather frightening look on her face, as if she were attempting to smile, but her lips were refusing every expression but a grimace.

“My goodness, my lord, we’ve been searching for you everywhere.

Where did you wander off to for such an age? ”

“I beg your pardon, Lady Tremblay.” Cass offered the ladies a polite bow, but no explanation of his whereabouts, and an awkward silence settled over the group.

Lady Tremblay wasn’t a large personage, but she was so puffed up with prickly self-importance she put Hattie in mind of a porcupine on the verge of releasing its quills.

“No matter, Windham.” A dark-haired young lady followed on Lady Tremblay’s heels. “Lord Egerton was kind enough to escort me through the lilac walk.”

She strolled up the steps onto the terrace on Lord Egerton’s arm as if she were a queen ascending her throne. She was the same lady Cass had been waiting on yesterday in Berkeley Square.

Lady Laetitia, presumably.

Her chilly blue gaze swept over the party before landing on Hattie. “Will you not introduce us to your friends, Windham?”

Cass looked as if he’d rather swallow his own tongue than make the introductions, but he offered Lady Laetitia the same courtly bow he’d given her mother. “Lady Tremblay and Lady Laetitia, may I present Lady Margaret, Lady Harriet and Lady Sarah Parrish.”

“Lord Melrose’s sisters, I believe? How lovely.” Lady Tremblay gave them a brief but poisonous smile that belied her words before turning her attention to Lady Fosberry. “Did I not just hear you say, Patience, that you plan to attend Lady Dumfries’s ball next week?”

Lady Fosberry had never been one to be intimidated by the ton , and she wasn’t intimidated now.

“No, indeed. I’m afraid you misheard, Josephine, but then that’s what comes of eavesdropping.

” She offered Lady Tremblay a poisonous smile of her own.

“I was merely telling my young friends Lady Dumfries invited us, nothing more.”

“How tremendously kind of Lady Dumfries. But haven’t you only just returned to Town? I daresay your friends haven’t yet acquired the proper clothing.” Lady Tremblay made a great show of looking Hattie up and down. “Such a pity, as it means you can’t attend.”

A flush rose in Cass’s cheeks. “That’s absurd. I don’t see why?—”

“It’s quite all right, Lord Windham. Dear Lady Tremblay is only looking out for us, isn’t that right, Josephine?

” Lady Fosberry turned her iciest smile on Lady Tremblay, her teeth gleaming.

“I do so appreciate your concern, my lady, but you needn’t worry yourself. My friends have everything they need.”

“Why, my dearest Patience, of course, they do, but as you said yourself, Lady Dumfries’s ball is quite grand, and it’s only a week away. Alas, there’s no time to have any gowns made up.”

“Gowns?” Lord Hayward stared at her, baffled. “I daresay these young ladies have brought plenty of gowns from Kent that will do for the ball.”

“Kent!” Lady Tremblay laughed. “My dear Lord Hayward, don’t be absurd!

These young ladies are Lord Melrose’s sisters!

I’m certain they’d never dream of appearing at a ton ball in their provincial fashions, as it won’t reflect well on their brother.

Patience, I know you’re much too kind to wish to see your little friends humiliated. ”

Lady Tremblay was obliged to make a great effort to hide her delight at that prospect. As for Lady Laetitia, she said nothing, but the slight sneer on her lips gave her away more quickly than any words could.

“Nonsense,” Lord Hayward said shortly. “You must come. In fact, will you do me the honor of dancing the first dance with me, Lady Sarah?”

“How kind you are, my lord.” Sarah bit her lip, her glance straying toward Margaret.

“Of course, you must, Sarah.”

Margaret gave Sarah a bright smile that likely fooled everyone else, but not Hattie. Margaret looked so downcast, in fact, a prickle of unease darted up her spine.

Was Lord Hayward the reason Margaret had agreed to come to London with so little fuss? Was Margaret nursing a tendre for the handsome young earl? She’d known Lord Hayward was in Town from Alice Weatherby’s letters to Sarah.

She glanced at Margaret, her heart sinking as she read the truth on her sister’s face.

Lord Hayward, it seemed, had made quite an impression on fifteen-year-old Margaret.

Now here he was, mooning over Sarah like a besotted schoolboy. Dash it, why could things never work out as they were meant to?

The worst of it was, Sarah couldn’t refuse Lord Hayward’s invitation to dance—not without forfeiting the chance to dance entirely, and Margaret would never doom her beloved youngest sister to being a wallflower at her very first ball.

“Very well, then. It would be my pleasure, Lord Hayward.”

Sarah gave his lordship a pretty curtsey, but she looked nearly as downcast as Margaret. Fortunately, Lord Pembroke, who hadn’t ventured a word since they’d all returned from the lilac walk spoke up then. “May I have your first dance, Lady Margaret?”

Oh, bless the man! If Hattie could have hugged him, she would have.

Margaret clearly hadn’t expected this, and her cheeks went as red as a peony, but she murmured a shy assent, and it all might have ended happily enough if Lord Egerton hadn’t opened his mouth.

“All three of Lord Melrose’s sisters must dance!” He turned to Hattie with a gallant bow. “Indeed, Lady Harriet, you can hardly refuse me your first two dances.”

Beside her, Cass made a strange noise, a low, rumbling sound that came from the pit of his chest. It was rather like a…

My goodness, had Cass just growled ? Because it had sounded very much like a growl.

“I, ah…” Oh, no. What was she to do? She glanced at Lady Fosberry, but there was little her ladyship could do, and she gave a helpless shrug.

Goodness, what a conundrum!

Cass had gone out his way to warn her against Lord Egerton, so she could only assume he wouldn’t be pleased if she accepted the man’s invitation, but Lord Egerton had behaved with perfect respect toward her.

With kindness, even. She had no reason in the world to refuse him.

“Yes, of course, I’d be pleased to dance with you, my lord.”

Cass said nothing, but beside her he was fuming with such intensity she could almost see steam pouring out of his ears. Meanwhile, Lord Egerton was ecstatic, and not a little smug. “I look forward to it, Lady Harriet.”

“It seems the question of whether we will attend has been resoundingly answered, has it not, Lady Tremblay?” Lady Fosberry didn’t bother to hide the triumph in her voice. “But not to worry, Josephine. I’ll endeavor to see that my young friends are properly attired.”

Lady Tremblay’s face had flushed an unattractive shade of red. “How wonderful for your little friends, Patience. We look forward to seeing you there.” She seized her daughter’s arm.

“Come along, Laetitia.”

“It’s wonderful to have you back in Town, Lady Fosberry.” Lord Hayward was positively gleeful as he watched Lady Tremblay march off in a huff. “There’s no better entertainment in London than watching you put Josephine Tremblay in her place.”

“Nonsense, Lord Hayward. I have no idea what you mean.” Lady Fosberry drew herself up, but a smile lingered at the corners of her lips. “Come, girls, bid their lordships goodbye, and we’ll be on our way. We’ve rather a lot of shopping to do, you know!”

Before Hattie could follow, Cass caught her elbow and drew her a little apart from the group. “You aren’t dancing with Lord Egerton, Lady Harriet.”

If he’d been a touch less demanding, her hackles might not have risen as they did, but Cass had grown a great deal more arrogant since he’d become a lord. Or perhaps it wasn’t that, at all. Perhaps he’d simply grown accustomed to speaking in just the same way his father had spoken to him.

But it wouldn’t do. Everyone else might bow and scrape before the mighty Lord Windham, but she would not have him ordering her about. It was bad enough he’d tried to order her to leave London, but now he thought he could dictate which gentleman she could and could not dance with?