His dimple creased as he ran the spoon around the mostly empty bowl one more time. ‘I would say this gesture is not as undignified as a scrape. It is more of a delicate swoop. I would not want to be discourteous and leave anything on my plate.’
‘You are all but licking it.’
His eyes widened in mock outrage. ‘As if the son of a duke would have such reprehensible manners.’
Laughing with him was surprisingly easy; he had a way of drawing you in, making you feel as if you were in on the same joke. ‘I think if there was no one around, you would do it, son of a duke or not.’
Glancing over his shoulder, she looked around the rest of the room. Fewer people were watching them now, although she did catch two older ladies turning quickly away from her look.
‘You are probably correct. I shall have to have ices sent to Glanmore House and then I can lick the bowl to my heart’s content.’
‘The image of you sitting alone doing such a thing is going to stay with me for a long time.’
The dimple deepened as his smile widened; it occurred to her that she was spending far too much time watching for its appearance.
‘I think my niece and Edward’s wards would enjoy the treat too, so I will not be all by myself.’
‘Who are your brother’s wards? I do not think I have met them yet.’
‘They are two boys he and his wife started looking after last year, Peter and Silas. Their mother has been having trouble taking care of them, so they have become part of our family. They are a joy to be around.’
‘Will you get into trouble for leading them into bad manners?’
‘I live for irritating my brothers, so getting their wards to act badly will be a double win. Now, I believe we decided on having another portion. What flavour are you going to get this time?’
‘Chocolate. You?’
‘Pistachio. What? Why are you pulling that face? You said vanilla was boring, so I went for something that sounded more exciting.’
‘I did not call it boring. It is delicious and while I agree that you have chosen a more adventurous flavour for your second scoop, you do realise that you are going to get nut-flavoured. It is almost as bad as getting the parmesan one. Cheese has no place in a sweet treat.’
Their conversation quickly descended into a heated debate over flavours, before moving on, somehow, to swimming in lakes and then, unfathomably, to breeches and riding habits. It wasn’t until the waiter came over to tell them that Gunter’s was preparing to close that Sophia realised that although they had spoken all afternoon, they still had not discussed the very reason for them being at Gunter’s in the first place: their impending nuptials.
Chapter Eight
Christopher stared up at the man hovering by the table, unable to comprehend that he had spent the entire afternoon in a tea shop just talking. It could not be possible. Normally filled with restless energy, he did not like to sit still for long periods of time. Glancing over his shoulder, he realised that Sophia and he were the only ones remaining, the rest of the customers having already left. There wasn’t even a sign that they had ever been there as the tables were already cleared and set with clean, bright white tablecloths again. Even though he could see it, he could not quite believe it. The place must have fallen silent at some stage and neither of them had noticed. If they were trying to prove to the people of the Ton that they were not a good match, perhaps talking and laughing all afternoon in front of them was not the best ploy. Not that he planned to mention that to Sophia; she was jittery enough about the relationship as it was.
Standing next to him, the waiter wrung his hands together. ‘I do apologise, but we are closed. Of course, there is no hurry for you to leave but…’ The man looked positively anguished, possibly not used to having to throw people out.
‘Of course. I am sorry that we overstayed our welcome.’ Sophia was hurriedly standing, brushing her skirts.
He followed suit, not sure why he was rubbing his hands down his legs as there had not been a single thing they had eaten that would have produced crumbs. The waiter followed them to the door, apologising profusely the whole time but also probably making sure that they were, indeed, going to leave.
‘We were in there for hours,’ said Sophia when they were back in his carriage and after she had begged forgiveness from her maid for keeping her waiting. Her maid looked pleased with the packages she was holding. A paid afternoon off was probably a delight for the woman. Now they were trundling behind a landau, its occupants clearly out to be seen by the rest of the Ton. ‘I quite lost track of the time. I am sorry if I talked too much.’
Casting a quick look in her direction, he saw that she was studying her gloved hands as they rested on her lap. With her head bowed, she looked subdued, very different from the woman she had been in Gunter’s where she had been all sparkling eyes and curved lips. He could not for the life of him think what had happened to produce such a change in mood.
‘Not at all,’ he replied, more stiffly than he intended. ‘If anyone was to blame, it was me. I cannot believe you politely listened to my rant against tight pantaloons. You should have thrown your ice over me to stop me talking.’
‘That would have been a terrible waste. And imagine the horror of the other guests when you realised that and began to spoon the food off your sleeves.’
He was pleased to see her smile was back, although he was about to ruin it with his next words. ‘We did not discuss our most pressing matter, however.’
‘No.’ She straightened, eyes fixed forward. ‘And…’
He waited but she did not continue. ‘And?’
‘I am concerned that we will not have done ourselves any favours by visibly enjoying one another’s company.’ So she had realised the same as him. Perhaps they were more alike in their thinking than he had thought.
