Huh. He still could not recall either of the women’s names, but one of them had purchased a rather sturdy collar, that he suspected was for her husband or a male lover.
“Ladies.” His bow was brief and likely not low enough for their station. He cared not at all. His only concern was Peaches.
“Pea—Miss Jenkins,” he sketched a more lingering bow. “How was your visit with Lady Mansfield?” He raised the volume of his question on Penelope’s title.
“Oh! Mr. Orford. What a lovely surprise.” Beth beamed at him like he was a pastry. “It was lovely, but so warm in there with the ovens on all day. I had just stepped out when these lovely ladies were kind enough to say hello.”
“Really? It didn’t sound like hello to me.” He leveled a hard stare at the ladies, then turned back to Peaches. “Miss Jenkins, I was admiring your gown from a block away. You look luscious.”
Her grin gained a few degrees. The two ladies ceased to exist for that moment.
Then he swung his gaze back to the one with a collared something or someone and asked, “How is your pet doing these days?”
The woman blanched. Her friend turned to her with a confused frown. “Letty? I did not know you owned a pet. All those visits to your house and I’ve never seen it.”
Robert stifled a smirk. He bet she had, and simply not known it.
Letty stuttered and swallowed, appearing ill.
He let the question hang for a moment, then smoothed it over. “My pardon. I may have misremembered.”
She glared at him. “Indeed. I do not own any animals, other than my husband’s horses, that is.”
She didn’t deny having a pet, though. He stifled his grin with an effort. His only care then was Peaches, however. He wanted her away from these hypocrites. He might not always have the power to put someone in their place, but he found he was less concerned with that possibility than he’d expected.
Indeed, Evan and Peaches were both right.
It felt empowering to stand up to a bully. He would never have dared for himself. In fact, he was sweating and tense. But for Peaches, he’d fight whatever battles were necessary, and damn the consequences.
Beth was watching him, looking almost as lost as Letty’s friend.
“Shall we return to your visit with Penelope?” He gestured to her, as though the ladies were not standing in their way.
“Yes, please.” She bent her head demurely.
Ha! She wanted to see how he’d navigate around the women. He cocked his arm, accepted her hand, and stepped forward.
The women scrambled sideways, crablike.
Beth snickered under her breath, and he squeezed her hand on his arm in warning.
He thought he might hyperventilate. The exchange had been confrontational and stressful. Meanwhile, his Peaches was laughing.
This is how it could be if I can win her back. She balances my reaction. I really hope it gets easier with repetition, though.
He gave a tiny shrug to release the tension in his shoulders. He’d passed his own test. It turned out that he’d needed the right incentive to overcome his concerns regarding exposure or criticism.
“Good day, ladies.” He didn’t even bother bowing.
****
Beth had spent days after her conversation with Althea conjuring plan after plan.
Finally, after her millionth unsuccessful attempt to guess Robert’s reaction to any number of scenarios, she decided she was not good at planning. Her strength was spontaneity. Mayhap when she found her courage she’d return to his house and…what? Apologize? Try to compromise? That is where she lost the thread of the plan.
To stop the spinning thoughts, she’d set out for Penelope’s bakery. Where two Ton biddies had snared her. Usually, she’d laugh them off, but she was raw enough from Robert’s rejection that she felt their barbs more than usual.
Then he was there, saving her. Standing up for her when she’d have expected him to shrink back in the shadows. Especially after he’d told her of his aversion to Ton attention.
