A bit of his glow dimmed for Georgie. “I would assume etiquette would not be as vital on a battlefield as, say, courage,” she said, leveling a glare on him. “Or adaptability. Or brains.”
It seemed she had surprised him. His sudden grin set her skin humming. Oh, dear.
“Well, there you have me,” he admitted. “He is all of that.” His shrug was a work of art. “As, I am forced to admit, are his cousins. Always up for an adventure.”
Georgie nodded. “You do indeed know them, then.”
For a second, he looked conflicted. Not certain, she knew, how to go on.
“The introductions,” she said, dipping a belated curtsy. “Since we have no mutual acquaintance to pretend we haven’t been speaking to each other for the last twenty minutes, allow me to introduce myself. Lady Georgiana Packham.”
“Also known as The Termagant,” he offered, eyes lighting.
She all but reared back. “I beg?—”
He shook his head. “You do know that that is what your brother calls you. You were evidently a trial to him growing up, your ladyship.”
Finally, Georgie could really smile. “As a matter of fact, I was. I hope I still am. It is, after all, the sworn duty of every sister.”
His smile softened, and Georgie wanted to just bathe in it. “And now you have come to be a trial to me, I presume?”
“I fear that I am. I have come on behalf of a schoolmate. If you would hear me out.”
He finally motioned her to one of the garish gold satin settees that were even more uncomfortable than they looked. Georgie thought they might have been stuffed with horsehair. Or nails. And amazingly enough, even her perfectly mild forest-green lustring walking dress clashed with the color. She would have loved to have seen what Charlie would have braved against it.
“You really do need that cash,” she mourned.
“What?”
She looked up to see that he had perched on another of the torturous structures. He sat just as uncomfortably as she. But she didn’t want to insult him by jumping straight into his lack.
The good news was that he seemed to be in possession of both feet.
Well, that was rude,Georgie thought.Good thing he wasn’t a mind reader.She did wonder how to find out about his injury, though.
A topic for another visit. She had to find a way to broach her mission.
“Should I ring for tea?” he asked.
“Thank you, no. I shared some with the girls.”
He frowned, vaguely waving a hand toward the dining room. “How did you...er...”
“Recognize the sounds of imminent disaster from down the hall?” She gave a small smile. “The surfeit of siblings and cousins in my own home. One learns to be ever on the alert for trouble.”
He nodded, still looking uncomfortable. “Then you all really do live together? I thought Rafe was exaggerating.”
It seemed she was always explaining their living situation.
“Since my father is away so much, it seemed more convenient to put my uncle in charge of the estates, and more convenient yet to collect all the children into one place. Add to that the children of my other uncle, whom we sadly lost some time ago, and it is an edifying and lively arrangement.”`
“And beneficial for the familiarization of the logic of small girls,” he agreed. “Thank you. I suppose I will pick up the knack eventually.”
She smiled, suddenly beset by the urge to reach out to this quite human man. She had spent so much time reading about his heroic feats she wasn’t prepared for the flash of helpless emotion on his face at mention of the little girls in the breakfast room.
“They are very dear,” she began.
His sigh was heartfelt. “They are also a trial. Soldiers are not trained in the gentler arts of miniature tea services and conversations with dollies. They also follow direction with more alacrity.”
