Heath had no idea whether there was any truth to the rumor, nor did he believe anyone was in a position to judge. He liked the baroness and had gone out of his way to squelch such mean-spirited gossip. Eventually, a new subject of interest had emerged.
Although Heath wouldn’t wish a broken limb on anyone, no one had been more pleased than he to hear that Lady Roundtree had acquired a companion after all.
And now that he’d met Miss Winfield for himself…
She turned to him with a happy smile. “One could not ask for a more perfect day.”
Heath straightened his spine as Lady Pettibone strode up behind Miss Winfield.
“Where is my hardheaded niece?” She jabbed the tip of her parasol against the floor. “Did you roll her into the Thames?”
Miss Winfield did not cower at the harsh tone or insulting language. Instead, her eyes softened. “Please stop worrying. Lady Roundtree is a perfect doll. I am honored to be her companion.”
Lady Pettibone harrumphed. “I suppose that’s why you’ve run off with Heath Grenville.”
Miss Winfield’s cheeks flushed pink. “I fear it is the baroness who has run off. She saw some friends she wished to converse with, and did not need me underfoot.”
“Mabel despises galleries.” Lady Pettibone leaned on the handle of her parasol with a scowl. “Her ‘friends’ are probably characters in whatever lurid book club novel she’s off reading in some dark corner.”
“Do you think she is unhappy?” Miss Winfield blanched. “I must find her at once.”
Lady Pettibone scoffed at the idea. “Mabel is never happier than when her nose is in a book. If she brought you here, it must be because she thought you would enjoy it.”
“Oh, she didn’t bring me here.” Miss Winfield beamed up at Heath. “Mr. Grenville invited us.”
Now he’d done it. Heath’s cravat suddenly felt uncomfortably tight.
“It was rather spur of the moment,” he murmured. “I happened to be visiting, and…”
“I see.” Lady Pettibone’s sharp, narrowed eyes indicated she likely saw far more than Heath had intended. “Do not forget yourself.”
She turned and strode away before he or Miss Winfield could say another word.
Heath pretended not to have understood the message.
Miss Winfield glanced up at him with worry. “Should I have curtsied? We skipped the how-do-you-do’s, and I wasn’t certain which was the right moment. Lady Pettibone must be mortally offended.”
He could have laughed. “That’s the nicest I’ve ever seen her treat anyone. I think she loves you. Lady Roundtree is her favorite niece, and you are clearly very good for her.”
“Good for her?” Miss Winfield’s eyes widened. “My post as her companion has been incredibly good for me.”
“See? That’s what makes you different. Instead of looking for ways to tear each other down, you look for ways to help each other out.” His lips quirked. “Although as I recall, you were not particularly quick to helpmeout when your dog violated my virgin boot with his lusty passion.”
“Lady Roundtree’s dog,” Miss Winfield reminded him with a sparkle in her eyes. “If you wish to break your betrothal to Captain Pugboat, you’ll have to take it up with her.”
Heath grinned back at her. He wouldn’t undo their private joke for the world.
There was no sense hiding the truth. Despite a lifelong obsession with maintaining reputations, particularly his own, he seemed unable to resist pursuing a highly inadvisable friendship with a paid companion. Butfriendshipwas as far as it could go.
Heath knew firsthand how quick Society was to ostracize any member with the wrong connections, no matter how lofty. It was a miracle that Lady Roundtree seemed to hold a soft spot for Miss Winfield.
But even though there was no romantic future in store for them, he did not wish to waste what time they did have together. Not when there was such an obvious connection between them.
She glanced up at him with a wistful smile. “Do you ever wish you could live in a place surrounded by this much beauty?”
Heath was imagining it right now. He saw Miss Winfield not as an unpolished diamond, but as a bright red rose amid a sea of pale white dandelions who could not appreciate her beauty because her colors were so much brighter than theirs.
“What is it like where you live?” he asked.
