“I am so sorry.” Blast!
“It’s no trouble, Miss Jamieson. Having such a beautiful lady as my dance partner is a pleasure,” he said smoothly.
“Do you like to travel, Lord Davenport?” she quickly tried to divert his attention from her faux pas.
“Yes, indeed, I do. I have just returned from traveling on the continent.”
“Where did you visit?”
“Along the Mediterranean, in Italy and Greece. Italy was my favorite. I found the great paintings in the Sistine Chapel amazing.”
Vivian cocked her head, seeing him with new eyes. A man who loved art and enjoyed travel? That was worth considering. “I also love art. I love to draw and paint.” She smiled up at him.
“I would be interested to see your artwork sometime. I’m afraid I am merely an art lover; I have no artistic talent.” His honesty and humor charmed her. The dance ended and he escorted her back to Gabi and George Davis. “May I come to call on you this week, Miss Jamieson?”
“I’d be delighted, Lord Davenport.” She curtsied.
“Excellent.” Davenport bowed over her hand and disappeared into the crowd.
Chapter Sixteen
Two days later, Vivian sat in the drawing room with her aunts, waiting for Lord Davenport to arrive. Since the ball, there had been a flurry of callers. The word an earl’s granddaughter was looking for a husband had brought several candidates out of the woodwork. Vivian had graciously sat through the tedious social calls with her best polite mask in place. Two gentlemen she had met at the ball had come to call and two matrons with their sons in tow. The gentlemen had both been nice—and entirely forgettable.
The matron’s sons were barely out of university. Even though they were around the same age as Vivian, and perhaps it was unfair of her to compare them, they seemed like boys compared to Captain Jack. She sighed. She’d been stuck in this drawing room forever. Lord Davenport was the only gentleman she actually looked forward to seeing today. He was the one who loved art.
Then Fredrick, their butler, came in to announce him. Aunt Grace rose from her chair. “Lord Davenport, how lovely to see you.” She held out her hand, and he bowed over it accordingly.
He turned and bowed to Lady Evelyn and Vivian. “Miss Jamieson, I thought since it was so nice out this morning, maybe we could stroll in the park?”
She jumped up. “Lovely, you read my mind.”
He gave her a broad smile. “Excellent.”
As they reached the foyer Vivian gathered her gloves from her maid. She waited while Molly tied on her own bonnet and then turned to find Lord Davenport frowning at her.
Vivian tilted her head in question. “Ready?”
“I can wait while you put on your bonnet,” he looked pointedly at her bare head.
“Ah, yes, my bonnet. Molly, will you go fetch me my bonnet, please?”
“Right away, miss.” Molly scurried away.
Lord Davenport pulled on his gloves and straightened his jacket. Fredrick passed him his umbrella. “I read it might rain later today. It’s always important to be well prepared, don’t you think?”
She nodded politely. “Uh, yes, that’s just like me, always prepared.” She accepted her bonnet from Molly and, while putting it on, she vowed she would get through this outing acting like the perfect lady. She could do this. She simply needed to remember to keep her blasted mouth in check and focus on finding out more about Lord Davenport.
She glanced up at him through her lashes as they strolled down the street. He really was very handsome and dressed quite fashionably. From what she observed so far, he seemed quite good-natured, all fine qualities in a husband.
“Lord Davenport, you mentioned you like to travel when we spoke at the ball. Have you ever been on a sea voyage?”
“Just across the Channel to the continent. I prefer to travel on land. I am embarrassed to admit to getting queasy on boats.” He glanced down at her sheepishly. “I hope you don’t look too poorly on me. Being a ship captain’s daughter, you probably never get sick at sea.”
“Oh, no. I love to be out on the ocean.” Then she chastised herself for being so unsympathetic. “But I know many people feel seasick. My companion and dearest friend Gabrielle had a terrible time of it on our voyage over from Nassau last year.”
They turned to enter the park, which was filled with fashionable ladies and gentlemen strolling along. The tall trees lining its edges made the path pleasantly shady. Vivian strove to change the subject.
“Do you ever visit the Royal Academy of Arts? I do love to stroll through the galleries.”
