“Of course you must treat me with respect, but nothing further. I am not of your standing, Mr. Howarth, as you very well know. I cannot be seen to be…” She waved a hand about, attempting to come up with the right word.
“Canoodling?” Mr. Zachariel Deville said.
“Fraternizing?” Mr. Michael Deville said.
“This is silly,” she muttered. “I wish for you all to desist at once.” Ruby was nobody’s fool. You didn’t slip away in the middle of the night with your brother who struggled to walk, and not have your wits about you. This, she knew, was not the way to behave.
“Being familiar with those below you is not right,” she said calmly. Ruby congratulated herself on her wording.
“Hello!” A tall man with fair hair waved them closer as he and the others at his table got out of their seats. He had a gentle smile on his face.
“Come along, Ruby, and meet another lord,” Forrest Howarth said. “That should give you conniptions.”
“What? Absolutely not.” She dug her heels in, but he simply towed her forward.
She could not make a scene, as there were too many people around, and many were looking their way. And who wouldn’t when the Deville brothers and Mr. Howarth were present?
“The Duchess of Raven, Lord Ryder, Lord Sinclair, Captain Sinclair, and Mr. Harry Sinclair.” Mr. Michael Deville hauled in a breath. “And Mr. Warwick Sinclair.” He bowed deeply, as did the others of their party. “And their progeny.” He waved a hand at the table of shrieking children.
Ruby had never been in the presence of so many powerful people in her life. Her father was a well-to-do man, but far below these people in society’s pecking order. She dropped into a curtsey that was so deep, she feared she’d not rise from it.
“Very nice.” Mr. Howarth hauled her up again. “Gentlemen, this is Miss Knight, Ella’s tutor.”
Lord Ryder smiled at her. A wide one that showed off nice white teeth.
“Good day to you, Miss Knight.”
The men were all smiling and nodding, almost like they were bowing to her. It was very disconcerting. All but the fair-haired man looked the same; large, with dark hair and green eyes. Very handsome men, Ruby thought.
“I bet you have your work cut out in their household,” Lord Sinclair said, nodding to the men who stood with Ruby.
“Th-They are very kind, my lord,” Ruby managed to get out.
“Lucky you, then. They annoy me constantly. Come, we will pull another table close, and you can share our fine repast.”
“There is nothing left on the plates, Sinclair,” Zachariel Deville said. “I will remedy that at once by placing an order inside.”
“Orange blossom, please, Uncle Zach!” Ella was swinging her father’s hand.
“Not chocolate then?”
She shook her head.
“Very well, although why anyone would wish to eat a flower-flavored ice is beyond me,” Zachariel Deville muttered, wandering inside the tea shop.
Ruby’s mouth didn’t exactly fall open, but it was a near thing. One of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen rose from her seat to greet them.
The women who frequented the Deville townhouse were pretty, but this raven-haired beauty was exquisite. She had beautiful grey eyes and pale, unblemished skin. Her hair was pulled into a soft style, and she wore a cream dress with small emerald flowers embroidered all over it.
“She’s stunning, isn’t she,” Miss MacDougall said from over Ruby’s shoulder. “There is another who rivals her, and they are friends. It’s quite bad of them to be so, when the rest of us struggle in their company to be noticed.”
“You being so whey-faced and plain, after all,” Mr. Michael Deville drawled, slipping an arm around his fiancée’s waist and bringing her to his side. “My love, you are more beautiful than any woman I have ever met.”
“Oh, now we both know that for the lie it is, but I will take the obvious flummery and love you for it.”
Ruby looked away as the couple gave each other a gentle smile. She’d never wanted a man devoted to her. But she thought the companionship of a man at her side to live out her days would be nice. A comfortable man who did not lecture her and want her to cater to his every whim. Which, of course, was often a woman’s lot in life.
The Deville family did not seem to be like that.
