Damn, she’d just ordered food, so she couldn’t leave. He rose when his eyes found her and came to her table.
“Good morning, Countess. I see you have a dog.”
“Good morning, Lord Coulter, and he is not mine.”
His eyes went to the dog, who was leaning on Timmy’s chair, and then back to her.
“He found us in the park and followed us here after a game of fetch,” she added.
“I think there is a rule that after a game of fetch, you own the dog you play with,” he said solemnly.
Before she could react to that, he’d bent to speak to Timmy.
“Hello. You must be Lord Monmouth.” His smile was genuine and nothing like the cool, emotionless ones he had given her. This softened his face and lit his eyes. It was lucky the women of society did not see this regularly, or they would all be smitten, and for more reasons than just his title.
“This is Timothy,” she said when the boy returned his smile.
“We are taking tea,” the boy said. “With Doddy.”
“Doddy is the dog,” Sophie interpreted.
“Well, you’ve come to the perfect place for taking tea, and I think Doddy is a perfect name for him,” he said, stroking thedog’s head. “And Timothy is far less of a mouthful for a young boy than Lord Monmouth is.”
“Sit,” Timmy then said, to Sophie’s horror, waving to the empty seat at their table. “We are having cakes.”
“I think Lord Coulter has things he needs to do.”
“I can sit for a minute.”
He did just that and instantly reduced the size of their table by half with his large body.
This man was suspicious of her right to be the Countess of Monmouth, and now he was seated at her table as if they were friends, which they absolutely were not. It was her worst nightmare. When Letty was near, she would step in if Sophie was struggling in a social setting, but here, she was alone with him.Is it wrong for me to be sitting here alone with him? What is the etiquette for such an occasion?
Looking around the tea shop, she did not recognize any of the other patrons, which was good. At least no rumors would start about her being seen alone with Lord Coulter. Well, not alone exactly, but still.
Looking out the window, she saw the men. They were staring at Lord Coulter, who had his back to them.
“Are you all right, Countess?” His eyes went from her to the window.
“I am, yes,” Sophie said, watching both men walk away. Lord Coulter’s presence had them leaving, she realized. On one hand, that relieved her. On another, she was now sharing tea and scones with him.
“You seem tense. Has something upset you other than my presence and the dog attaching himself to you?”
“No, and your presence has not upset me, but please don’t let us detain you, my lord.” She could hear the nerves in her voice.
“Do you know those two men?”
“What two men?” Sophie asked.
Their eyes locked for long seconds, and the waitress thankfully chose that moment to arrive with their tea and scones.
Surely it was too much of a coincidence seeing those men in the park and then here at the tea shop.
“That was my great-grandfather’s, Timothy.”
She focused on Lord Coulter and Timmy, who he was showing the ring he wore on his finger to. A large gold band with a ruby set in the middle.
“In my family, we always give it to the firstborn son,” he added as the boy touched the gem, clearly intrigued. “I’m sure there will be things handed down to you also when you are older.”
