As if he could feel us staring, his gaze moved in the direction of the shop window where we stood.
Amelia quickly let the curtain fall closed. “I think we are caught.” She grinned.
“No. You hid us just in time.”
After a moment, we peeked out the window again.
Damon smiled at Miss Digby as she spoke. They were standing near one another, but not improperly so. Still, I felt a twinge of jealousy. Not because I had developed an affection for him, of course, but because he should not be speaking with Miss Digby; Ollie had all but declared his suit for her, and Damon had promised to pretend to only have eyes for me.
“I should go to him,” I said, setting down the fistful of trim.
“He appears to be doing more than fine on his own,” Amelia said.
“Yes, but running off all the would-be Lady Jenningses is part of our bargain. If Idon’tgo to him, by the time I’ve won over Ollie’s affections and our charade is over, Damon will be all but off the marriage market. And where will that leave you?”
As if to prove my point, Miss Digby looked up at Damon through her lashes, and Damon rewarded her with another smile. “See there, how Miss Digby bats her lashes at him?”
“She is rather obvious about her interest, isn’t she?” Amelia said.
“To be fair, she is rather young, and subtletyisan acquired virtue,” I said.
We giggled.
“Come on then.” Amelia looped her arm through mine, and after handing our trim selections to Lady Jennings and Lady Rumford, we made our way outside.
Chapter Thirteen
We waited for a carriageto pass before we crossed the lane to where Damon stood with Miss Digby and her mother. The lane was well kept on the sides nearest the shops, but the center was a muddy mess.
“Perhaps we should find a better path,” I suggested.
Amelia looked down the lane. “There doesn’t appear tobea better path.”
I glanced at Damon. Miss Digby stood especially close to him now, and judging by the way he smiled appreciatively down at her, he didn’t seem to mind the proximity.
I clenched my jaw and lifted the hem of my skirt, eager to cut off the connection between Damon and his admirer. “We’ll just have to hope the mud isn’t too thick then.”
I stepped gingerly into the center of the lane. Amelia followed. Mud squelched beneath my boots, but I avoided the worst of it.
“Ah, Miss Kent, Miss Atherton,” Damon greeted us as we approached. “I’ve been expecting you.” His eyes flicked knowingly toward the modiste’s shop window.
“Lord Jennings.” Amelia curtsied, but I was too focused on trying not to sink into the mud to say a proper greeting of my own. It would be my luck to lose my footing and fall in the mud in front of Miss Digby. Not for the first time, I wished it were acceptable for women to wear trousers.
“May I assist you, Miss Kent?” Damon offered.
“Yes.” I took his hand, and he helped me across. “Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure,” he said, and then he returned his attention to the others. “Miss Digby, Mrs. Digby, you know Miss Atherton, but may I present the delightful Miss Kent?”
Miss Digby’s dark eyes bore into mine, but she smiled sweetly. “Miss Kent.”
“Miss Digby,” I returned.
Her gaze roamed over my dress or, rather, Mama’s dress that Nora had altered to fit me. I smoothed my skirts, and Miss Digby grinned. What Ollie saw in her, I would never know. I already dreaded the picnic I would have to endure in her company.
“Are you visiting the modiste?” Amelia asked Miss Digby.
“Yes. It is our second visit this month. Mama insists I have a new dress for every social event.”
