“Stop grooming Walter, Romulus,” the duchess snapped.
“True love,” Lord Plunge sighed, looking at the canines.
“For pity’s sake, Plunge, exhibit some manly behavior,” Benjamin Hetherington snapped. Lord Plunge simply pulled out his lace handkerchief and bowed in the doorway of his carriage. “There is no hope at all.”
“Meanwhile, I am still standing on my horse surrounded by handsome men, not entirely uncomfortable,” Lady Levermarch said, “but still I should like to begin.”
“Begin!” the duchess commanded.
“La, Captain Broadbent—”
“Does he have a first name?” Nathan asked. “I wonder why, if they are as close as supposedly they are, she does not use it, or he hers for that matter.”
Silence fell in the circle.
“Horatio,” Zach said.
“You made that up,” one of the Sinclair twins declared.
“Of course.” He gave them a roguish smile that had the girls blushing.
“Do you know, Nathan, that is an excellent point. I don’t think we’ve ever been told their names,” Michael Deville added.
“Who cares, read on!” the duchess demanded.
“We shall call them Horatio and Dorothea,” Lady Levermarch declared.
No one appeared to take issue with that, so the reading continued. Beth listened, alternating between watching Lady Levermarch’s brilliant performance and Nathan. From her position, she had his side profile. His nose was slightly crooked, courtesy of Zach, who had punched him when their play turned rough when they were children.
Thinking back, Beth realized what had drawn her to him was his passion for life and his family. He loved them and would do whatever it took to ensure they stayed safe and happy. Nathan was a man who lived life as if each day mattered. His temper, he’d told her, was not his finest quality, but he was working hard to control that. Beth had never known a man like him.
“‘Alack, my poor lady love has fallen down a crevice,’ Captain Broadbent said.”
“Weren’t they just running down a path? What the hell is a crevice doing on a path in an English woodland?” Lord Raine asked.
“Language!” the duchess shrieked.
“Your pardon.” Gabriel bowed.
“I thought they were in Spain?” Lord Plunge asked.
“That was in book one, Plunge. Do keep up,” the Duchess of Raven declared.
“My love, are you harmed?” Lady Levermarch continued from her position on top of her horse.
“She really does have marvelous balance,” Miss Saint-Bonnard said. “I’m amazed Zach is still standing. The man trips over his own feet regularly.”
“I heard that.”
Zacharial Deville read next, his voice rising and falling between characters. Lady Levermarch held the book for him. The brothers stood silently watching them from below.
To have that honor and attention focused completely on her had been a wonderful thing. She’d loved how Nathan had wanted to protect her but had also felt a trifle stifled. But then she’d allowed that because she’d wanted to be the perfect future wife. She was no longer that innocent girl.
“And now you may stand down, Devilles,” Lady Levermarch said, elegantly lowering herself back to the saddle, while beside her Zach did the same, tumbling sideways. Nathan simply raised a hand and righted him.
Why had Nathan been in that street? What possible reason could have placed him there? Had he thought about that kiss as she had?
“Frowning like that will cause wrinkles,” Michael Deville said after he’d remounted his horse beside her. She knew Nathan had done the same, as she felt his thigh brush hers.
