Penn put a hand to her brow.
Tain was laughing, bent over with glee.
“Not funny!” she sputtered but gave in to a chuckle.
The door flew open, nearly whacked Tain in the face—and a lady exclaimed. “Oh, dear. Pardon me. I—I—”
Penn smacked her lips. Now she had been discovered with him twice in the space of a minute by two different women. After all these years, too. All these encounters. The newest visitor to the retiring room was a lady known to be an avid gossip. “Lady Bridgewater,” she dipped her head in apology for baring the door…and for Tain’s presence. “Forgive me.”
“My lady!” Tain welcomed the older woman into the room with a grin—and nary a note of apology in his voice. “How delightful you look in that emerald silk!”
“Why, thank you, dear Tain,” the older lady cooed and squinted her eyes at him in perusal. “You are so kind.”
“Lady Goddard and I were just conversing!”
“As I noticed,” Lady Bridgewater oozed.
Penn stifled a moan.Should I simply melt into the floor?
He gave no sign of leaving. “How have you been, my lady? I barely had the chance to greet you.” He appeared so innocent.Was he making conversation with the woman?
Penn elbowed him.
“Hmm, yes, Tain.” She could not take her eyes off Penn. “We should talk.”
“I think so.”
WhatwasTain’s problem?Penn scowled at him. Done with his dawdling, she made for the door. He grasped her wrist, meanwhile ensuring that this woman knew he was here in the retiring room with her. He actually wanted the gossip, the notoriety!
“Splendid.” The lady peered at him, lifting her lorgnette to her eyes to skewer him with her appraisal. “Can you please get on with it then? I am here, sir, for a reason. And I cannotwaitmuch longer!” She raised a hand and curled it in the air to indicate use of the room.
“I do understand, my lady. Shall we, Lady Goddard?” Tain clutched Penn’s arm and urged her into the hall.
She could have run if he had let her go. But in truth, she acknowledged she might have laughed at her predicament if she weren’t so concerned that he’d take it as encouragement to pursue her. “You are incorrigible!”
“I was trained for it.”
“Don’t I know,” she mourned.
He wheeled her around and would have headed for the garden doors.
“I’m not going out with you!”
“Hmm. Good point. It is cold outside.” He pointed toward the room across the hall. “Come into the library.”
“No!” She was beginning to hate the sound of that word. “I cannot, Theo.”
“Ah. You can still address me with my name. I am honored,” he said as he ran his strong, long fingers up to stroke the hair at her nape. “I love it when you whistle through your teeth.”
He was changing the subject and she dug in her heels. “I do not.”
“Darling, you do. You always did.” He chuckled.
She took offense. She was not perfect. She knew it. Oh, my god, how many times must she work for perfection and fail? “You cannot charm me.”
“Oh, but this is the first time I can with total impunity!”
“Impunity! Are you daft?”
