Bobby grins and Beth and Albie trade barbs, going back and forth about Beth’s revamped scorecards. They’ve become fast friends and are endearing banter partners. They can keep a whole table going if they try. But it’s not Beth and Albie’s repartee that captures Gwen’s attention.
No, it’s James staring at Bobby that does it. Bobby’s still flushed from dancing, pink cheeked, with his broad chest heaving a little. And James—James looks gobsmacked, hot under the collar, and—
Oh.
It wasn’t Beth he was staring at.
“Come, gents, let’s get the girls another round,” Albie says when Beth has bested him handily at some wordplay Gwen wasn’t following.
Bobby slings a jovial arm over James’ shoulders and gestures for Albie to lead the way. Gwen watches as they set off, James stiff beneath Bobby’s arm, Albie none the wiser.
“You should have danced too,” Beth says, looping her arm casually through Gwen’s. She jiggles her free wrist, her scorecard bouncing. “I’ve already got the Kingsman brothers back from Oxford.”
“Hmm?” Gwen says, her mind zipping.
She has no interest whatsoever in marrying a man who would simply tolerate her “friendship” with Beth. But marrying a man who has a “friendship” of his own? That has promise.
“Are you listening at all?” Beth asks.
“No,” Gwen replies, scanning the ballroom without seeing.
If they could pair James and Bobby off—Bobby whoneverseems interested in women, who’s never wanted to marry—then Beth could have Bobby and Gwen could have James and they could—
“Gwen?”
“Double wedding,” Gwen says, wincing as it comes out sharp and unprompted.
“What?”
Gwen grabs Beth’s hand and drags her back toward the washrooms, ignoring her protests. They slip out of the hall but pass the correct corridor, wending into the house far enough that Gwen thinks they’ll have some relative privacy.
“What is wrong with you?” Beth demands.
“I think James fancies men,” Gwen says on a rushed whisper.
Beth goes still. “Excuse me?”
“I think he likes men, and I think he likes Bobby.”
“Oh,” Beth says slowly. “That’s unfortunate.”
“What?” Gwen exclaims.
Beth shakes her head. “Not—God, not that. Just—he’ll need to marry and have an heir, that’s all. Unfortunate in that sense. Otherwise, well, I mean, men are generally terrible so there’s that too,” she says, twisting her fingers together. “You really think?”
“I really do,” Gwen says. “He looked like I did, looking at you.”
Beth smiles at that. “Hmm. Something to keep in mind, I guess. I’m sure there must be clubs he could go to.”
“You’re thinking small,” Gwen says, smiling as Beth turns an unimpressed look on her.
“Excuse you?”
“James likes Bobby. And Bobby’s never shown a single interest in a woman.”
“So?”
“So...” Gwen says, waiting her out. Beth’s sharp, she’ll figure it out—
