At his words, Mr. Kroger—following much too closely behind him—stiffened, his body straightened.
The suspicions pricking Logan’s conscious minutes before were now swinging axes.
When Haven thread her arm through his, he saw one of her gloves missing. The heaviness in his belly was quickly replaced by sourness.
He couldn’t understand the intensity of his anger. Yes, she’d been alone and in a hurry. Yes, her glove was missing. Yes, her expressive face turned his insides to molten lava, but that didn’t mean she’d done something.
Did it?
He escorted her to the seat beside his aunt, and after giving him a look of shy appreciation, she sat.
Aunt Mildred smiled brightly, stood, and announced, “Well, now that we are all here, I would like to invite Miss Minerva Hughes to play for us. She has graciously volunteered to make the conclusion of our evening together a musical one.” Turning to Miss Hughes, she continued, “My dear, please proceed.”
Logan took a seat in the back of the room, and Divinia Kroger sat beside him, her fan in her lap, and her gaze on his face. He avoided eye contact.
Offering her a polite nod and bland smile, he turned his attention to the woman seated to his front left. Haven appeared nervous, fidgety, which wasn’t something he expected. Hating the direction of his focus, he looked away.
Minerva Hughes settled down at the piano and began to play a lively folk piece made popular by an influx of composers from the Urals. Though the music soothed, and as much as he said he wanted thoughtless musical bliss, the lilting melodies didn’t take his mind from the beautiful American time traveler in the deep-green gown.
So tangled up in thoughts of her, his suspicions, and his unwelcome physical responses to Haven, he was surprised whenMiss Hughes played the final chord, and then rose to gentle, appreciative applause.
She’d played three pieces of music, and he hadn’t heard a single note.
He glanced about the room. Did anyone notice his embarrassing preoccupation?
Divinia Kroger peered at him, her expression blank but her fingers were strangling the delicate fan in her lap.
She’d noticed.
How could she look so calm, yet be displeased enough to destroy an ivory-framed fan?
This is becoming troublesome.
He flashed his most charming smile, but met a cold rebuff.
Without a word, she rose.
Her eyes said enough.
She was angry.
He would be the first to admit he didn’t give Miss Kroger the attention she deserved, but did his lack of attentiveness warrant such malice? He stood to give his apologies, but she cut him off before he could utter a sound.
Turning, she made her way to her brother who’d been standing alone at the back of the room.
Sulking?
The twins spoke in hurried yet hushed tones, and glanced in his direction twice.
Logan fought the urge to groan aloud, feeling the utter ass as the evening deteriorated quickly. Relief washed over him when Aunt Mildred rose from her seat.
The evening had finally come to a close.
Chapter Thirty-Five
“Millie, thank you for a wonderful evening. It has been entirely too long since your last dinner party,” Melisande clucked.
“Thank you for coming, dear, and for bringing your charming niece and nephew with you.”
