A flicker of such sweet intimacy passed between them that Genova felt intrusive. She rose. “I must go and see if Lady Thalia is awake, and how Lady Calliope does.”
Rothgar stood to assist her. “Thank you for your company, Miss Smith. And please, don’t curtail your enjoyment to fret over my great-aunts. It is my honor and pleasure to provide them with all the attendants they require.”
“But it’s my reason for being here, my lord.”
“Your reason for coming here, perhaps, but now you are one of my guests. Thus your raison d’etre is to have pleasure, full to the brim and overflowing, so that I may be a contented host.”
Feeling attacked, Genova said, “Whether I want to or not?”
Two pairs of surprised eyes studied her.
“We can probably find a dank cell and a hair shirt if you insist, Miss Smith.”
“Don’t tease, Bey. Miss Smith, you must do just as you wish. That is all we ask.”
Mortified by her idiotic reaction, Genova dropped a curtsy and escaped.
“I was maladroit,” said Rothgar in some surprise.
“With a Malloren all things are possible, even mistakes. But she is interestingly prickly, isn’t she?”
He sat down and refilled their cups. “Especially for a lady recently betrothed to one of the most eligible men in England.”
“Do you think that’s true?”
“Oh, yes. The question is, is it real?”
“Why invent it?”
“To give him a reason to be here, perhaps. It would, however, serve us well to have Ashart bound to a sensible woman.”
“Bound? That sounds unpleasant, Bey.”
He took her hand and kissed it. “But it isn’t, is it? It could distract him from more pointless pursuits.”
“What pointless pursuits?”
“He believes that he has the means to harm me.”
“What?”
“D’Eon, I think. The letters I had forged that appeared to be from the French king.”
Her hand tightened on his. “How could he know about that?”
“Frailties and leaks. They can never be entirely prevented.”
“But why? Does the animosity run as deep as that? If the king learns what you did, the consequences could be dire.”
“Don’t frown,” he said, smoothing her brow. “We will woo him to family fondness and thus end all danger. But in the meantime, it suits us well to have him distracted.”
“By Miss Smith? Bey, is that fair to her?”
“She might make him an excellent wife.”
“A naval captain’s daughter?”
“You’re as high-nosed as Bryght. Naval warfare would be excellent training for any woman becoming granddaughter-in-law of the Dowager Lady Ashart.”
