Lord Winfield eyed me. “Perhaps distantly,” he said, though we both knew there was no relation, distant or otherwise. Was he trying to ingratiate me to Lord Rumford or himself?
“Well, relation or no,” Lord Rumford said, “I am glad to find a young woman with such a refined palate seated at my table. Please tell me how you like them, Miss Kent.”
I was trapped. I couldn’t refuse to eat the frog legs. To do so would be to call Damon a liarandinsult my host. There was nothing for it. I would have to not only eat the frog legs but also pretend to enjoy them.
“May I?” Damon gestured to the platter.
I glared privately at Damon, then said sweetly for all to hear, “You aretookind, my lord.”
Damon served me a large pair of frog legs.
“Please don’t be shy, Lord Jennings,” Lord Rumford said. “I’m sure Miss Kent would prefer a more generous portion.”
Oh please no.
Damon pressed his lips together as if trying to hide his amusement.
“Only one more please,” I said to Damon. “And you must not forget to serve yourself. I should hate for you to be left out of our enjoyment.”
“Unfortunately, my palate is not as refined as yours or Lord Rumford’s.”
Lord Rumford grinned. “The lady is your superior, Jennings.”
“To be sure,” I said only loudly enough for Damon to hear.
He gave me a small grin. “One need only look at her to confirm that fact.”
“Hear! Hear!” Lord Rumford held up his glass in Damon’s direction, and both men drank in my honor.
Heat pooled in my cheeks. Being the center of attention was foreign to me, and I did not like it.
“It seems it is only you and me then, Miss Kent, who are lucky enough to enjoy such pleasures,” Lord Rumford said. “Please. Ladies first.”
With a nod, I used my fork to peel away some meat from the bone, and juices flowed onto my plate. My stomach squeezed.
Damon watched me closely.
If he thought I would back down, he thought wrong. I’d survived both Ollie’s rejection and dancing the quadrille. I could eat a few bites of meat.
I quickly placed the bite in my mouth. The flavor was not so off-putting, but the slimy texture was too much to overcome; I swallowed the bite whole.
“Well, Miss Kent, how do you find them?” Lord Rumford asked.
“Fresh and well-prepared. My compliments to the chef. And I thank you, my Lord Rumford, for your generosity.”
He beamed with the compliment. “The pleasure is all mine.”
When Lord Rumford turned away, Damon chuckled. I kicked his shin under the table, and he sucked in a sharp breath, choking on his drink. He coughed into his arm, drawing attention.
“Are you all right?” I feigned worry.
“Yes.” Damon cleared his throat. “Thank you for your concern. It was most heartily felt.”
“I amsoglad.”
Shaking his head, Damon smiled down at his plate. And despite all that had happened tonight, I smiled too.
***
