Page 23 of Provoked
Balfour transferred his attention to David, his gaze strangely assessing. He did nothing to veil his interest, and it made his scrutiny feel almost painfully intimate, invasive even. It put David’s back up, and before he knew what he was doing, he was on his feet, the chair scraping against the floor with a shriek. Chalmers looked up, surprised. Balfour merely raised his eyebrows.
“I should be going,” David finally got out, astonished by how ordinary his voice sounded. “Before all these compliments turn my head.”
Chalmers laughed. “You should enjoy them while you can, lad,” he said. “Are you sure you won’t stay for a last dram?”
“No, I should be on my way. Tomorrow is going to be demanding.”
“You’re right, of course.” Chalmers sighed. “And we have an early start.” He rang the bell. Moments later, the footman entered and Chalmers dispatched him for David’s greatcoat and hat.
“Leave your papers. I’ll bring them in with me tomorrow,” Chalmers said. “And don’t think of reading anything more tonight. I know exactly what I’m going to be saying.”
David nodded. He felt Balfour’s gaze on him, heavy and warm, but didn’t look at him as he donned his coat. And so he was unaware, until he turned around, that Balfour was also readying himself to leave.
“You are welcome to stay, my lord,” Chalmers told Balfour as the footman left the room. “Mr. Lauriston wishes to leave because he has important work to do tomorrow, but I fancy you do not.”
If there was a fragment of sarcasm in there, Balfour didn’t appear to notice. “Forgive me for taking my leave so early, but I’m terribly tired,” he replied. “It was a long journey from Argyll, and I’ve only just arrived. Please pass my apologies on to your lady.”
Mrs. Chalmers would be annoyed. She’d have the girls all arranged in the drawing room, ready to show off their accomplishments, Elizabeth likely at the pianoforte. But though Chalmers must know this, he merely inclined his head. “I hope you will call on us again, my lord.”
“I will do so gladly,” Balfour replied, accepting his coat and sliding his arms into the sleeves. “And thank you for a most pleasant evening.”
He turned to David. “Shall we walk together, Lauriston?”
Chapter Seven
Outside, it was dark and foggy. The few oil lamps attached to the houses on the street sent out feeble rings of light, but not enough to illuminate the road ahead. Balfour loomed large at David’s side, his face shadowed by the brim of his high-crowned hat.
His presence unsettled David. He wished the man had had the courtesy to stay at Chalmers’s house a little longer, but Balfour had seemed to welcome the opportunity to escape early.
“Where do you live, Lauriston?”
“In the Old Town,” David replied shortly.
“How far is that on foot?”
“Not far. A walk of twenty minutes, perhaps. And you?”
“My townhouse is on Queen Street, so you will have my company at least part of the way home.”
David noted the wealthy address without comment and set off, Balfour falling into step beside him.
“I didn’t expect to see someone I knew tonight,” Balfour said after a while. It was his first acknowledgement that he remembered David.
David glanced at him. The detail of Balfour’s face was difficult to make out in the darkness, but the strong, certain lines of his profile were oddly familiar. “Nor did I,” he said quietly.
Balfour turned to look at him and laughed, his wide, white grin flashing in the shadows. “Was it a shock?”
David couldn’t help but smile back. There was something infectious about Balfour’s grin. “A bit of one,” he admitted, thawing a little.
“Particularly when you’re trying to court the oldest daughter of the house, I imagine.”
David stumbled. “I beg your pardon?”
“The daughter—Elizabeth, was it? She’s sweet on you. And Chalmers approves, though his lady is aiming higher, I gather.” He clapped David on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, you’ll have no competition from me, whatever your future mother-in-law might hope. I have my eye on another lady.”
David stopped in his tracks, his brows drawing together. “I am not courting Miss Chalmers.”
Balfour halted beside him, seeming surprised at David’s emphatic tone. “All right,” he said. “Have it your way. Though if you have any sense, that’s what you’ll do. It’d be an advantageous match for a man of your station.” He grinned again, allowing his gaze to travel over David in a slow, head-to-toe examination. “And there’d be compensations for the lady.”