Lady Edwina turned to face him, putting her back to Allan.
Allan felt an unpleasant tightness in his gut. She had said that she wanted to return to her brother, not to socialize with random gentlemen on the day that was meant to have been a date with him. And from the way Matthew had called Lord Kentrow over as soon as Lady Edwina had approached him, Allan suspected that this was something he had planned all along. Perhaps they both had.
What was Lady Edwina doing? Hadn’t they agreed to no involvement with anybody else during the course of their dates?
Perhaps she thought that no longer mattered after she’d seen him with Lady Rebecca? Maybe she believed that he had gone back on their agreement first and that she no longer had to keep to it.
But if that was true, why did it seem as if this was a plan she had made before ever coming to the party today? Why did it look as if she had always meant to spend time with Lord Kentrow?
It occurred to Allan that, actually, Lady Edwina had not said she wouldn’t spend time with any other gentlemen while they were involved with one another. He had madeherthat promise, but he hadn’t asked her to return the agreement. Perhaps he had simply assumed that she wouldn’t be socializing with other gentlemen. After all, she was the unattainable spinster. She was known for keeping her distance from everyone who took an interest in her, so Allan shouldn’t have needed to worry about something like this happening.
“On your own?” a familiar voice asked.
Allan turned to see Seth approaching. “Where’s your wife?” he asked his friend.
“Playing pall mall.” Seth waved a hand in the direction of the lawn game. “I didn’t want to play. And then I saw you down here and thought I would come see what you’re doing all on your own, if you care to tell me. I thought you were going to be spending the day with Lady Edwina.”
“Yes,” Allan said. “I thought that too.”
Seth followed Allan’s gaze and spotted Lady Edwina with Lord Kentrow. “How long has that been going on?”
“I’m sure nothing is going on,” Allan replied.
“You don’t see her there with Lord Kentrow?”
“What of it?” Allan asked though, of course, the truth was that he had been stewing over it since Lord Kentrow had walked up to Lady Edwina.
“Well, she’s supposed to be here with you, is she not? What is she doing with him?” Seth asked.
“It isn’t as though Lady Edwina and I are actually courting one another,” Allan reminded his friend. “She’s at perfect liberty to socialize with whomever she likes.”
“You don’t mind it?”
“Why on Earth should I mind it?” Allan found the question rather irritating, even though he knew he had no good reason to feel that way. After all, Seth was right to speculate that he might mind what Lady Edwina was doing. Hedidmind. But he also knew that he had no defense for the fact that he was feeling that way. There was no justification for it, and he couldn’t bring himself to admit to it.
“Well,” Seth said, “I know that if a lady I was involved with was spending her time with another gentleman, I wouldn’t like it very much.”
“You know perfectly well that there is nothing between Lady Edwina and me. You know that I only bought these dates with her as a way of trying to attract the attention of a lady who would prove herself worthy of becoming my duchess. I have no quarrel with Lady Edwina spending a bit of time with Lord Kentrow. It has nothing to do with me.”
“Well, you feel how you like about it,” Seth said. “I only know that it would bother me if I were in your shoes. If a lady was supposed to be spending her time with me, I wouldn’t want to see her with someone else. You did pay for those dates, after all. You ought to be able to claim them.”
“And I will,” Allan said. “You’re making too much of this, Seth.” It felt good to tell his friend that he was overreacting—it felt like he was reinforcing that message to himself. “Lord Kentrow is a friend of her brother’s,” he added. “I’m sure that’s all it is. She’s spending time with her brother’s friend. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I suppose not,” Seth said. “I just have to wonder whether you’re sure of what you’re doing, Allan.”
“I’m not doing anything at all.”
“If you tell me that it truly doesn’t bother you to see her with someone else, I’ll believe you.”
“That’s what I’m telling you. It doesn’t bother me.”
“All right,” Seth said. “I hope you don’t change your mind.”
“Why would I change my mind?”
“It seems to me that you might begin to develop feelings for her.”
“Oh, Seth, you ought to know by now that that isn’t going to happen,” Allan argued. “I think I’ve been more than clear about my feelings when it comes to Lady Edwina. I find her a pleasant enough young lady, to be sure, but you know that what I’m doing with her has nothing to do with feelings or any desire for a future together. I’m trying to find my perfect duchess, and that is not Lady Edwina.”
