He arched a perfectly curved eyebrow, the self-satisfied condescension extending from his smile to encompass his entire face.
Pride overcame common sense. He thought he had her figured out. That he was one step ahead of her. Her body warmed. She’d make him regret his arrogance. She could be an excellent thief when she put her mind to it. Besides, it was morning. A new day. Her bad luck was in the past.
Sticking around might not be smart, but most of the things she enjoyed weren’t.
She sat back down. “Too right I want another.”
The earl waved a lazy finger in the air and the server hurried over.
Netta eyed Summerset as he ordered. He had the air of a man who always got what he wanted, which should have made him just like every other toff. But something about Summerset was different, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what.
Well, his clothes, those were certainly different. Even among the preening peacocks of the Quality, lavender silk jackets and pantaloons paired with bright green waistcoats were uncommon. The large jewels on his cravat pin and walking stick were certainly more flamboyant than most men sported. Even his lorgnette had been studded with diamonds.
She shifted in her seat. Now that would be a plum prize. The chain might be a bit tricky but—
“Mr. Pickle?”
Netta jerked her head up. The earl stared at her, his gaze as intense as lightning.
Her lungs stalled. “Wot?” That was what made him different. It wasn’t his uncommon good looks or his ostentatious adornments. It was the whip-sharp canniness in his gaze. This earl made it clear he wasn’t a man with whom to trifle.
She bit her lower lip. She couldn’t lie to herself. His self-possession made her want to trifle.
“I asked if you wanted another cup of chocolate, as well?”
“Too right.” Netta covered her wince. Had she already used that line? She hated when a playwright was redundant.
Summerset waved the server off and turned back to her. “Now, what say we….” He snapped his mouth shut, his jaws grinding together.
Netta turned, trying to find what had distracted the earl. She was surprised anything, or anyone, had the power to still the fop’s tongue.
A man with a hat pulled low and the tips of his collar poking into his cheeks strode through the door. After a moment’s hesitation, he angled his body through the patrons and towards their table. He stopped by the earl’s side.
“I must speak with you,” the man said.
“Is that so?” Summerset directed a barely perceptible shake of his head behind Netta.
She twisted, and caught Wilberforce settling back into his chair, a worried look on his face.
“It’s urgent.” The man raised his head to glare at the earl.
Netta sucked in a quick breath. The side of his face, from his jaw to right below his eye, was scarred with ridges of smooth and shiny flesh. His left eye was a faded periwinkle, a striking contrast to the cobalt blue of his right.
She looked at Summerset, saw a flash of the same deep blue in his eyes as he stared up at the man.
Relatives then.
“All right. Speak.” Summerset stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles, the picture of elegant ease. But his shoulders remained tense.
The man shifted his weight. “In private. It’s the least you can do.Brother.”
“If this is about more gambling debts, I don’t care who hears,” Summerset said. “I’m done cleaning up your mistakes. I told you this before, Robert.”
The man, Robert, barked out a bitter laugh. “Why would I expect any less? You couldn’t even clean up your own.”
Fascinating as this show of unbrotherly love was, Netta sensed her opportunity. “Oy, well it don’t seem proper me being ‘ere for this and I ‘ave to get meself ‘ome in any case.” She stood as the server approached and snaked out her hand to grab the cake off his tray. If she pressed down on the tray with a little too much force before freeing the pastry, no one was the wiser but her.
As if the waiter were moving through syrup, his tray slowly wobbled, the pot of chocolate sliding to one side. The man tried to counterbalance, but his feetsomehowtangled around Netta’s own, and the tray toppled over along with the server.
