Lord Pembroke looked up at him in surprise. “Ah, Everton, always the gallant defender,” he said, a slight smirk on his face. “Do you have some particular reason to wish to come to this lady’s defense?”
Tristan raised an eyebrow. “I do not think that I need a particular reason to object to the way that you are speaking to her.” He stood up a little straighter, his shoulders back and his chest proud. “If you continue, then perhaps you and I will have to go outside.”
Lord Pembroke laughed, a harsh braying sound that cut through the conversation like a knife. Suddenly, everyone was quiet, their attention on the conversation taking place. Diana wished that the ground beneath her would open and swallow her up. She was not sure if she had ever been so embarrassed in her whole life.
“I am sure Lady Diana can speak for herself, can she not?” Lord Pembroke said, taking another swig of wine.
Diana had to marvel, really, at the man’s audacity. She gathered every ounce of courage within her, and opened her mouth to speak, trying to hold her voice steady despite the tumultuous feelings within her. “Indeed, I can, but I would prefer not to engage with someone who has so little regard for decency.”
Tristan’s expression softened, and he turned to her, a hint of admiration in his eyes. “Well said, My Lady. I must commend you for your restraint. It is a quality that will serve you well in this company.” He turned his attention back to Lord Pembroke. “My Lord, while you are in my house, I would ask that you do as I request, and cease this behavior at once.” His voice was firm and commanding, and every single pair of eyes around the table was fixed on him.
Lord Pembroke, sensing the tide turning against him, offered a half-hearted smile. “Very well, I shall hold my peace.”
Diana felt her shoulders drop with relief. The man seemed to have surrendered, at last.
Tristan turned to a nearby footman. “Perhaps some water for Lord Pembroke, if it is not too much trouble?”
The servant nodded and scurried off to do the earl’s bidding. Diana realized that not only had he put Lord Pembroke in his place, but he had also exposed him for his drunken behavior in front of the whole company. It would do his reputation no good, for certain.
Tristan took his seat again and turned to Grace, who was seated next to him. “Now, Lady Grace, tell me again what you were just saying about your horse?”
Diana breathed in deeply and sat back in her seat. The moment of crisis was over, for now at least. She had not expected Tristan, of all people, to come to her rescue. This house party was to be full of surprises, it seemed.
CHAPTER 11
“Pray, forgive me, Lady Grace,” Tristan said, getting to his feet. “There are a few details I must check with the butler, before the rest of the evening continues. I will return shortly.”
Grace, who had been seated next to him for the duration of dinner, smiled prettily. “Of course, My Lord.”
He resisted the urge to say something suggestive to her, perhaps to imply that she would miss him while he was gone. The situation was rather delicate, and he was determined to convince her, and her sister too, that he was not a rake, despite whatever nonsense they might have heard being said about him.
He withdrew to his study and rang the bell for the butler, then exchanged a few words with him about arrangements for the evening and the following morning. There were some complications about who was sleeping where, and he wanted to ensure that everything was resolved.
Once it was all settled, he left the room and allowed himself a moment of solitude, leaning against the wall in the dimly lit corridor, the faint sounds of laughter and conversation drifting from the drawing room.
The dinner had gone well, he reflected, apart from Lord Pembroke’s rather bizarre outburst. He could not figure out what the motive of the man could have been, other than his senses being dulled with wine. He hoped that there would not be a repeat of such behavior and that he would not come to regret having invited the man to join the party. The moment that lingered in his mind above all others, though, was when he had defended Lady Diana from the lord’s cutting remarks.
He had not expected to find himself rising to her defense, but when the words of that insipid lord had pierced the air, something primal had awakened within him. The way she had looked, her cheeks flushed with fury, had stirred a protective instinct he could hardly comprehend. He had felt a rush of irritation on her behalf, and before he knew it, he had spoken up, much to his own surprise, and in spite of his keen awareness that everyone was watching. He hoped that Lady Diana had recovered from the encounter and had not been too embarrassed by it, but from what he knew of her character so far, he imagined that she would have found the whole situation very difficult to deal with.
He prepared himself to return to his guests, who would have moved into the drawing room by now. But his plans were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching along the corridor. He looked up to see Lady Diana approaching him, a little tentatively perhaps, but he could not help but admire theway the soft light caught her features, illuminating the delicate curve of her neck and the way her hair fell in gentle waves.
“Lady Diana,” he greeted her. “I am surprised to see you here. Did you feel the need for a break from the other guests? I must confess that I would not blame you for it.”
She smiled rather hesitantly. “I was hoping to find you, My Lord,” she admitted. “I wished to speak to you away from the other guests.”
He raised an eyebrow. This was a little risky for her, he thought, to be seeking him out in a gloomy corridor and wanting to speak to him in private.
“Alone?” he said, stepping a little closer to her. “Surely you are not here to scold me?” He could not think what he could have done wrong this time, but experience told him that no matter what he did, she would be displeased.
Her cheeks flushed, and he felt a thrill of satisfaction. He knew it was wrong, but he could not help but enjoy it a little when she blushed in front of him.
“I came to thank you, actually,” she said, her voice wavering slightly. “For your…defense of my character at the table.”
He could not resist the opportunity to tease, despite her candor. “Ah, so my reputation as a gentleman is safe for another evening.I must admit, it is refreshing to hear you speak so graciously, when I know that you have such a low opinion of me in general.”
Diana’s brow furrowed, and he could see the internal struggle playing out on her face. “You needn’t have done it, truly. It was not necessary. Yet, I am grateful nonetheless.”
“Grateful?” He raised an eyebrow. He could not help but relish her discomfort. “And dare I ask whether it has changed your opinion of my character? All our previous encounters tell me that you do not think well of me, so perhaps this evening has changed that?”
