While his sisters were with their governesses, Patrick had learned to become an earl under the ruthless tutelage of his father. The late Earl of Coulter had been a cold, mean disciplinarian and had beaten all the soft edges out of him. His parents’ death had been a relief for their children, as their mother had simply followed her husband’s lead.
When they were old enough, Patrick and Stephen had enlisted against their families’ wishes. After proving themselves, the foreign office conscripted them to spy. Often behind enemylines for long periods at a time, Patrick had soon realized that his friend was a man with a sharp mind and fought like two men. He was one of the few people Patrick would trust with his life.
“Now back to your countess,” Stephen said to annoy Patrick. “I thought she and I were at least on chatting terms after that day in the tea shop and the walk to the Monmouth town house. Alas, after that dance, I see I was wrong.”
“I don’t think it’s personal, Stephen.” Patrick glanced at his friend.
“How so?” the viscount questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Watch her for a while and then tell me what you think.”
“That’s your occupation most evenings, not mine,” Stephen said, but he did as Patrick asked, turning his body so that he had a clear view of the countess.
Lord Elliot placed her in the line across from him. It was a cotillion, which was one of the more difficult dances.
“Is she counting?” Stephen asked after a few minutes. “I’m sure her lips just moved.”
“Yes,” Patrick said, watching Elliot fail in his efforts at conversation with Sophie.
When had she become Sophie?She was an excellent actress, Patrick thought, or innocent of the fraud he’d laid at her door.But which was it?
“Elliot looks as frustrated as I was,” Stephen said when the dance finished. They watched as Sophie moved toward a group of four ladies.
“Look at her hands; she keeps opening and closing them and then tucking them into her skirts. How odd,” Stephen added. “I’ve never taken the time to watch her before. Do you think her cool facade is something she hides behind? That she is actually unsure of herself?”
“Perhaps,” Patrick said.
“She doesn’t offer a comment unless one is addressed to her. Very odd,” Stephen mused, turning once again to face Patrick. “She is also usually close to Lady Carstairs.”
“This is her first season,” Patrick said.
“She reminds me of you,” Stephen said so only Patrick could hear. “You had that look permanently etched on your face for the first year you entered society.”
He didn’t want to ask, but something made him.
“What look?” Patrick queried.
“Trepidation, almost as if you were waiting for the axe to fall.”
And Patrick knew Stephen was right because inside he had felt that connection with Sophie from the first. He remembered the gut-gnawing fear of failure that he felt all those years ago. It had taken months to go away, and in that time, he had earned the reputation of a man who loathed small talk and was hard to befriend, not unlike the Countess of Monmouth.
“I saw you dancing with Miss Logan earlier,” Patrick said to change the uncomfortable subject.
“She said that a man is only as intelligent and witty as a woman allows him to be,” Stephen said. “If my ego were a delicate thing like yours, Colt, I would be feeling raw about now. However, as I know my true worth, I am not.”
“Clearly, Miss Logan is a woman of discerning taste,” Patrick said.
“She dresses like my grandmother and has a waspish tongue. It’s hardly surprising she is not a society darling,” Stephen added.
“Considering who her mother is, do you think she has a say in how she dresses?” Patrick asked.
“Fine. Not her dress, but she has a say in the way she speaks,” Stephen snapped.
Not many women stood up to Stephen; most just gazed adoringly into his eyes and smiled idiotically. Women didn’t often challenge Patrick either, but unlike Stephen, it was usually because they were terrified of him.
“Cards?” Stephen asked minutes later. “That will stop you from glowering at all the men who want to dance with your countess.”
“She will never be mine. I am merely curious after meeting her late husband, as I told you.”
