Thank the Graces, it wasn’t him stuck with her as a partner. However, she was seated immediately behind him, her giggles and baby cooing slowly driving him insane.
Lord Hythe was Lady Alicia’s partner for this round.
Lady Aurora was teamed with his friend, Lord Chesterfield.
He was glad there were enough eligible bachelors present to take the pressure off him in paying attention to thosetondiamonds. Of course, it completely defeated the point of his house party. But it was becoming clear to him that these ladies were not to his taste.
He grimaced as Lady Charlotte burst into giggles and chided Lord Gaston in her baby voice. Gaston immediately apologized despite it obviously being her fault they lost the trick. But how was she to know she ought to have led with atensie-wensieof hearts?
By all the saints in heaven.
Could she not simply have called it a ten of hearts?
He ignored what was going on behind him and tossed in a card to take his trick. “Grandmama, why did you not warn me?”
“Warn you about what, dear boy?”
“These ladies. I sent the list to you and sought your guidance.”
“You are a grown man, Alex. Fully capable of making your own choices. However, you went about it like a stubborn idiot.”
He cast her a wry smile. “Oh, thank you.”
Gabriel and Daisy struggled not to laugh.
“What did you expect me to say? Your father was right in demanding you come to London to see the young ladies for yourself. I do not say this lightly, for we all know how stupid he can be about such things. One has only to recall his inept attempts to match Gabriel with one of those Fribbles. But you had to do it your own way, staying hidden in your home and relying on gossip rags, of all things, to make your half-hearted choices. You were setting yourself up to fail, and so you have. It is obvious you care not a whit for any of these young ladies.”
“I’ll choose with more care next time.”
His grandmother rolled her eyes. “Will you really go to the bother of throwing another house party? Just come to London with us. It is much simpler and the only right course if you are truly serious about finding yourself a wife.”
But this would mean leaving Viola while her father was in dire health.
“I’ll think about it. But why can you and Lady Withnall not select a few more hopefuls for me? You are the sharpest ladies I know. I trust your judgment.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere, dear boy.” She dealt the next round and turned over the last card, the two of spades. “Trump suit is spades.”
He had no interest in the card game, his thoughts now on Viola as footmen set out more refreshments for his guests, including a torte drenched in sherry and set aflame with spectacular effect. The desserts were all divine, as expected from this talented girl.
Everyone set aside their card games and moved over to the table which groaned under the weight of these splendid desserts. He supposed this counted as a second round since they’d already had a first round of desserts at the end of their meal.
But no one was complaining.
He happened to glance out the window and spotted Viola peeking in.
His heart soared.
Oh, this was not good.
But he’d sorely missed her company.
She was on the terrace, looking in with eyes wide and a lovely smile as she studied his guests.
He strode out to speak to her.
She realized he had spotted her and darted away.
He saw her run toward the conservatory and chased after her. The conservatory had two doors, one leading to the garden, which is the one he entered through now. The other door led into the kitchen hallway. He could see it was still shut. “Blast it, Viola. I know you are in here.” He would have heard that door groan open and then click shut behind her if she had reached it. “Don’t hide from me.”
