Were the oozing compliments to start already? Was he eyeing her for marriage or merely speculating on his chances of a dalliance? Well, Evelyn would not have brought him forward unless she thought he was honorable.
He certainly was handsome. Tall and blond. Green eyes that regarded her warmly, but she sensed they would turn quite frosty if he were ever crossed. Probably about the same age as herself.
She was determined to remain polite but maintain a cool distance until she got to know him better. He seemed nice enough, but weren’t all these bachelors on the hunt for a fortune polite and charming at first glance?
“It seems I have not impressed you,” he said, remaining by her side as more guests arrived. Most huddled around Connor, but Viscount Aubrey seemed to have placed a claim on her, his mere presence keeping other gentlemen from approaching—including the Marquess of Rathburne’s son, Damien, who was circling her like a buzzard.
The viscount, who apparently had no intention of ceding her to his rival, prepared a plate of sweets for her, and then took the seat beside hers. “Do you mind terribly that I am dominatingyour attention?” The footmen began to come around to pour tea into their cups. “Tell me truly, Lady Eden.”
She was about to take a sip of her freshly poured tea, but set it aside. “No—whether it is you or Lord Rathburne’s son flirting with me, it is all the same to me.”
“Ouch. I do believe I was just handed a scathing set-down.”
“Forgive me if I come across too harshly. It is just that I like to get to know people better before I allow them close.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Am I getting too close?”
“You know I don’t mean physical proximity, although there is a little of that, too.”
She thought he would now make some inanely flirtatious remark, but he surprised her by suddenly turning thoughtful. “I was not eager to come here,” he admitted. “My parents are determined to see me and my sister married off. I suppose it is obvious.”
“I think Duchess Evelyn is just as obvious in hoping to match her son to one of the debutantes here. Your sister seems lovely.”
“Actually, she is not all that lovely a person at present,” he said. “My parents did her no favors by spoiling her shamelessly. She has been impossible now that she is out in Society. An absolute terror in her first year. But she will come around in time and mature into the elegant woman I know she can be. Still, I think Lynton will always be too old for her.”
Eden took a sip of her tea, one of Evelyn’s treasured specialty blends that slid soothingly down her throat like warm honey. Well, there was a hint of honey in this particular blend. It was delicious and did not require sugar or cream to make it palatable, although cream tea was all the rage. “I hear she is only eighteen.”
“Yes, and Lynton is above forty. Knowing my sister as I do, I think that is a bit too much of a gap in their ages. But she is keenon becoming a duchess, and Lynton is well preserved for a man of his years. So it might work out.”
“That is a rousing recommendation,” Eden said dryly. Was this not precisely what she hated about these house parties and other events designed to throw couples together? They were all about securing titles and wealth, and not about finding love.
Well, she knew her ideas on this were unpopular.
“Are your parents here, Lady Eden? Would you introduce me to them?” the viscount asked, drawing her out of her musings.
“They… Um.” She could not blurt that they were next door at her beloved Chestnut Hill trying to kill each other. Nor did she have the slightest interest in introducing this charming viscount to them. She sighed. “They are not here. Nor would you enjoy meeting them, to be frank.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“Because they are horrible people.”
He laughed in surprise. “You do not mince your words.”
“I am merely stating facts. Surely you must have heard gossip surrounding the Earl of Darrow and his wife? I will not be offended if you now politely excuse yourself and run for the hills.”
He laughed again. “On the contrary—I think I will enjoy learning more about you.”
“Oh, I doubt it.”
He held out his arm to her once they had finished their tea. “Care for a walk in the garden, Lady Eden?”
Was he serious? Perhaps another hour in her company would scare him off. “Why not? I would be delighted.”
Damien, Earl of Hawley, a courtesy title granted to him by his father, the Marquess of Rathburne, had by now stopped circling her and settled beside a young lady dressed all in pink that he was pretending to worship and adore, if her giggles and fan fluttering were any indication.
Gad, could he be more obvious? At least Viscount Aubrey was subtler while laying on the charm.
They strolled down the terrace steps at their leisure, keeping to the shaded paths since the afternoon sun was quite strong at this time of day. It did not take the viscount long to start asking questions about her and her family. “I have not seen you in London. I’m sure I would have noticed you. Do you not enjoy the balls, soirees, and theaters?”
