Page 30 of An Enchanting Kiss (Captivating Kisses #5)

“If she does, she will not say anything. With our names being only one letter apart, she might even think Larsen placed one seating card in the wrong place.”

“Thank you.”

“Do not thank me yet,” Tia warned. “I still wish to throttle Lord Cressley for toying with your heart. It is disappointing because I thought him more a gentleman than that.”

“I still think he is a gentleman. Just not the gentleman for me,” Lia said softly.

Lia tried not to be distracted at dinner, giving her full attention to those seated on each side of her, as well as those across the table. Every now and then, however, she glanced up the table in Tia’s direction. Once, she saw Lord Cressley turn his gaze on her, and Lia quickly averted her eyes.

Her twin was her usual, lively self, but as they had discussed, Tia became less animated near the end of dinner. Lia even saw Mama look upon Tia with concern.

As they rose to leave the men for half an hour, Lia went and linked arms with Tia.

“You should be on the stage,” she whispered. “Even I think something is wrong with you. ”

They left the dining room, where Mama awaited them.

“Are you all right, Thermantia?”

Tia winced. “Not really, Mama. My head started throbbing suddenly a few minutes ago. It never pains me.”

Mama frowned. “It could be a megrim.”

“I think you are right, Mama,” Tia said. “Perhaps if I go and lie down a bit, I might rejoin the guests later.”

“No, that would not be wise.” Mama looked to Lia. “Take your sister upstairs to your bedchamber. Ring for my maid. She can bring cold cloths. She also has a tisane you can drink. I have tried it before when a megrim has struck me, and it usually is effective.”

“May I stay with Tia, Mama?” Lia asked. “If she is better, I can quietly rejoin the group in the drawing room.”

“Yes, do so, Cornelia.”

They left and made their way back to their bedchamber. Once inside, they hugged one another.

“Do not sound too gleeful,” Lia warned. “We still must ring for Mama’s maid. You are not done playacting just yet.”

The maid brought cold compresses for Tia’s head and returned a short time later with the tisane. Tia drank it and said she was going to lie down. Mama’s maid insisted upon helping, and so Tia was prepared for bed.

“Ring if you need anything else, my lady.”

“I will,” Tia said, sounding quite puny.

Once the maid left, Lia said, “If you cannot find a husband to your liking, the London stage awaits you.”

Tia grinned. “I was rather good, wasn’t I? Stay with me a while, then I think you should go back downstairs. It will almost be time for everyone to leave by then, and it will be easy to avoid Lord Cressley.”

Lia shared what she and Celia had done yesterday. Her sister and cousins had accompanied Mama and Aunt Agnes to a visit to the vicar’s wife and had been gone much of the day .

“You are so good with children, Lia. I would not have thought to have Celia riding, much less take her to the kitchens to watch a cake being baked. You are going to be a wonderful mother.”

She hoped she would be—but she would not be the mother of Lord Cressley’s children as she had begun to hope.

“I should go downstairs,” she finally said after they had talked for half an hour.

“Do not have any fun without me,” Tia warned playfully.

Returning to the drawing room, Lia entered and found everyone listening to Verina play the pianoforte as Justina sang. She moved to stand next to Tray, who stood near the back.

When the song ended, everyone applauded. Her cousins returned to their seats and conversations picked up around the room. She stayed with Tray, who introduced her to the vicar and his wife, and they had a pleasant conversation about life in Cumberland.

Then an elderly earl announced it was time for him to go home, and the dinner party guests seemed to agree. She walked downstairs with Tray, helping to see the guests out. Mama joined them, while Aunt Agnes and her other cousins did the same.

Then Lord Cressley appeared, and Lia smiled politely. “Good evening, my lord.”

“We did not have a chance to speak, my lady,” he said.

She looked about. “Well, there were so many others present this evening. I do hope you enjoyed yourself. This party was as much for you as it was Tray.”

“By the way,” her cousin said. “I told Cressley how I had not had a chance to take you, Tia, and Aunt Alice into Grasmere. He agreed that it is a lovely spot and that you should not miss seeing it. Once the governess for Miss Celia arrives and Lord Cressley is comfortable in retaining her, he said he would be delighted to escort all of you to Grasmere.”

“Yes,” the viscount said. “We can take Traywick’s carriage down.

Once there, I can escort you ladies about if you wish to do some shopping.

Traywick mentioned that you, in particular, are very fond of Wordsworth’s poetry, Lady Lia.

We can rent horses and a group of us can go past where the great poet’s cottage stands. ”

The last thing Lia wanted to do was accompany him to Grasmere. Still, Tray had gone to the trouble of asking Lord Cressley to chaperone them. She did not want to appear churlish to her cousin.

“I will leave the planning up to Aunt Agnes and Mama,” she said. “I know we are all eager to see Grasmere. Thank you for your kind offer to escort us there, my lord.”

She smiled at the viscount as if everything were perfectly normal between them, listening as he wished Tray a good term at university, and they made plans to meet up once Tray had returned for the Christmas season.

After all the guests were out the door, Aunt Agnes said, “Well, I think that went rather well.”

“It did, Mama,” Tray said, going to his mother and kissing her cheek. “You are always an excellent hostess. It was good of you to include Lord Cressley. I think he met everyone present this evening.”

“How is Tia’s megrim?” Mama asked.

“I think much better. She drank the tisane and went straight to sleep. Hopefully, a good night’s rest will make a difference.”

They began climbing the stairs, and Lia found herself next to Aunt Agnes, following the others up the stairs.

“I hope you enjoyed tonight, Lia.”

“I did. I am only sorry Tia felt poorly near the end.”

Aunt Agnes paused on the landing and softly said, “And I am sorry that Tia switched the name cards. I had planned for you to sit next to Lord Cressley this evening. I thought something might be developing between the two of you, and I wanted to help things along if I could.”

Deciding to admit to the ruse, she said, “I asked Tia to do so, Aunt Agnes. I am a bit uncomfortable in Lord Cressley’s company. ”

Her aunt took Lia’s wrist to halt her progress. “Has he done something to upset you? Kiss you?”

Lying, she said, “Nothing like that, Aunt. I merely thought we would suit, but I have come to the conclusion that we never would. While I am happy to help care for his niece for a short while, I have no wish to speak to the viscount. Tia switched the cards at my request.”

Sympathy filled her aunt’s eyes. “I am very sorry things did not work out as you might have liked, Lia. Better now than later, however.”

“I agree,” she said, a lump forming in her throat.

They continued up the stairs and parted to go to different wings. As Lia walked to her bedchamber, guilt flooded her. She had never knowingly lied to anyone, much less her beloved Aunt Agnes. She vowed to remain truthful from now on.

Once she arrived, she told Tia, who was still awake, about the trip to Grasmere.

“It is unavoidable. Tray asked Lord Cressley to escort us there. Aunt Agnes and Mama already know about it. I will simply have to make the best of the trip.”

“At least it is not anytime soon,” her twin replied. “The new governess will have to arrive and settle in before Lord Cressley will agree to this trip. Who knows? By then, it may be too late and time for us to return to Kent.”

Lia thought her sister was being optimistic. She knew this outing would occur.

She would simply have to keep her contact with Lord Cressley to a minimum.