He wouldn’t look at her. “I must have been mistaken. I could have sworn she motioned for us to join her.”
Lady Carlisle checked the clock. “Well, if you’re done socializing, we might as well be off.”
“But I—” Sophie started.
“Let me escort you to the door.” Nicholas offered an arm to each Carlisle lady. “Have you spoken to our hostess and thanked her for having us?”
“Of course,” Lady Carlisle confirmed.
Sophie huffed. “I—”
“Then there is no reason to linger,” Nicholas said firmly.
Sophie bit the inside of her lip so that she wouldn’t snap at him. There was every reason to linger. She had finally caught Colonel Moore’s attention. She should be capitalizing on the moment. Solidifying herself in his mind as a marriage prospect.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t say as much to Nicholas in front of her mother without revealing that he wasn’t a genuine suitor.
Hopefully there would be further opportunities to speak more with the colonel. Preferably when Nicholas wasn’t present to behave so strangely.
Outside, they all climbed into the Carlisle carriage, and Nicholas made inane small talk with her mother while they drove to Blackwell House.
Once there, Nicholas hurried out like the devil himself was on his tail, waving awkwardly as he backed toward the house. He almost crashed into Kate as she strode briskly through the front entrance, beelining toward the carriage.
Uh-oh. That didn’t bode well.
Sophie wriggled lower down in her seat. She had a sinking feeling that her friend intended to have stern words with her. She just didn’t know exactly what about.
Kate popped her head through the doorway. “Good afternoon,Lady Carlisle. May I borrow Lady Sophie for a few minutes, please?”
Lady Carlisle nodded, completely unconcerned. Perhaps because she knew that Sophie and Kate were good friends, she assumed that Kate’s sudden appearance was nothing to be concerned about.
Sophie, on the other hand, was convinced that she had a very real need to worry.
Disembarking from the carriage as slowly as possible, she wished she had a deeper pool of confidence to draw on, but she’d used up much of what she had during her performance.
“What is it?” she asked, following Kate farther from the carriage. “Is something the matter?”
“Is something the matter?” Kate demanded incredulously. “Yes, it most definitely is. My best friend is sneaking around behind my back, making plots with my irresponsible brother-in-law. Why did I have to hear about your latest scheme from Theodore instead of you?”
Sophie cringed. Was it too late to run back to the carriage and urge the driver to pull away? “I didn’t think you’d approve, and I didn’t want to worry you.”
Kate’s expression softened. “I only disapprove because I want to protect your heart, and spending more time with Nicholas surely won’t do that.”
“I’ll get through it.” It wasn’t a lie, exactly, but it didn’t quite feel like the truth either. “I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Kate touched her arm. “Next time you’re plotting something, please tell me yourself.”
“I will.” Impulsively, Sophie hugged her. “I’m sorry, Kate.”
“It’s fine. Just….” She sighed. “Don’t expect Nicholas to keep secrets from Theodore. Assume that I’ll find out anything you say to him. The brothers are close.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” She hadn’t intended for Nicholas to hide things from them. She’d just assumed that he wouldn’t mention it. In hindsight, that had been a mistake.Of course he’d want them to know the truth so that they didn’t worry about his intentions or her reputation.
Kate hugged her back, then released her, and Sophie returned to the carriage, emotions swirling through her. She wasn’t quite sure what she felt. Relieved that Kate was in on the secret and hadn’t reacted too badly but also unsettled for a reason she couldn’t put her finger on.
“What on earth was that about?” her mother asked.
Sophie smiled distractedly as the carriage rolled forward. “The ball she’s planning.”
