Lord Crensford bowed over her hand.
"And Jack."She extended both hands to him and looked at him through half-closed eyelids. "You shall take me outside walking after I have paid my respects to the countess. I am sure she and the other members of the family are far too busy preparing for the ball to spend more than a few minutes with visitors."
The Marquess of Kenwood lifted her hands one at a time to his lips and smiled down at her. "Serena," he said. "I was quite unable to swallow a bite at breakfast this morning knowing that you were coming here."
"I don't believe you for a moment," she said, patting his waistcoat with one hand and turning back to Lord Crensford.
The marquess foundhimselfstrolling with her through the greenhouses half an hour later. She hung on his arm and made no pretense whatsoever of examining the plants.
"How dull life is in the country, darling," she said. "Do you not find it so?"
He considered. "No, as a matter of fact,'' he said.' 'I find fresh air quite invigorating."
"Oh, nonsense," she said, tapping him sharply on the hand. "You know you do not care a fig for fresh air."
"I don't, then," he said agreeably.
"We could distract each other for a week," she said into his ear.
"So we could," he said, "if we felt so inclined."
She drew him to a halt and looked consideringly up at him. "What is it?" she asked. "You were never slow to accept an invitation, Jack."
"Was I not?" he said. "Let me see. What is it? You are married, my dear. That must be it."
"Darling!" she said, and laughed. "That has never deterred you before."
"Has it not?" he said."Hm.Perhaps it is the rather disconcerting presence of this large family around me."
"And you don't care a fig for family," she said.
"Oh, there you are wrong, Serena," he said, and touched a finger to the end of her nose."Very wrong.One frown from the countess and I would take a year to recover from the dismals."
"It always was well nigh impossible to get any sense out of you, Jack," she said. "Have you ever said anything to anyone that you really meant?"
His eyes widened mockingly. "But of course," he said. "Would a gentleman tell lies, Serena?"
"You exasperating man!" she said, removing her arm from his and placing her hands on his shoulders. "But you always were irresistible, Jack. I did not even realize until I saw you yesterday how much I have missed you. Kiss me."
He kissed her.
"Jack!" she said, pulling back her head eventually. "I asked you to kiss me, not to rest your lips against mine."
He grinned at her. "It has been over for two years, my dear," he said. "I very rarely go backward in time."
"What?" she said, her hands still on his shoulders."Rejection?It is not very often that I suffer rejection, darling. There is someone else, is there, to brighten these weeks for you? I might have guessed it. Mrs. Ingram, I suppose. Though she is said to be very proper, Jack. She was a parson's wife. Not your type at all. And I never knew you to reject one woman merely because you already had another in tow."
"Ah," he said, his eyes laughing down into hers, "but I am growing older, Serena. I have passed my thirtieth birthday since we last met. The accumulation of thirty years and more can do dreadful things to a man's energies, you know."
"Obviously," she said, removing her hands and straightening up. "Next you will be telling me that you plan to marry, darling. And set up your nursery."
''Hardly,'' he said. "I think you know my feelings on those topics."
"Well," she said, turning to finger a velvety leaf of the plant at her side, "this has been an interesting visit. And to think of all the agonies of conscience I have suffered since yesterday morning at the prospect of being unfaithful to poor Frederick."
"You, Serena?"The marquess laughed outright."With a conscience?Times certainly must have changed." .She shrugged and turned to the door. "You may take me to the stables," she said. "It is time I returned home. But you must dance with me at the ball, Jack.Twice.You always were divine to dance with."
"Twice it is," he said. "I shall pine and languish until the time comes."
