Grey was surprised to see Rob leveling a rather ferocious scowl on the petite redhead. “That’ll be quite enough of that, young lady.”
Which only made her laugh. “Youhavebeen gone too long.”
“Not so long I can’t turn you over my knee.”
Now Lady Charlotte was scowling. “I’d like to see you try.”
Her cousins took up position on either side of her. “So would we.”
Suddenly Rob was leveling a blinding grin on the three. “Ferocious.”
The returning smiles proved the point.
“Something to remember,” Lady Charlotte answered. “Where is this notorious Irish rake? I’d love to meet him.”
“Not you,” Rob protested. “You don’t want to frighten the man all the way back to Wexford before we can make use of him.”
“If he’s that easily frightened,” Miss Charlotte said, “I doubt we’d haveanyuse for him.”
“Enough, children,” Lady Georgianna intervened. “My lord,” she said, turning those sharp green eyes towards Grey. “Have you spoken to Priscilla yet tonight?”
“I have not. I did reserve a dance with her.”
She nodded. “That might be a good time to tell her about the girls.”
He scowled. “It might sound just a touch overwhelming in public, don’t you think? I’d prefer not to spend my evening catching swooning females.”
“Possibly. But she’ll thank you later. I promise. You can also tell her that we are devoting our every attention on freeing her up for her Timothy. She is over by the windows, Grey.”
“In that case,” Rob said, holding out his hand to Miss Charlie. “Might I have this dance, Miss Packham?”
She tilted her head. “You haven’t called me Miss Packham since you were in short pants.”
His grin was unrepentant. “I am quite the gentleman, now. Didn’t you know? The Beau himself complimented me on my waltzing when we were bivouacked in Portugal.”
Charlie tilted her head, her smile a gamine’s. “Why would you waltz with the Duke of Wellington?”
Grey couldn’t believe it. He found himself wanting to stay with these Packhams, these female kings who were so oddly like their ferocious brothers.
“Lady Georgianna?” he asked. “Might I sign your card as well?”
She handed over the dance card, and he signed for the last dance.
She nodded toward the windows. “Now go relieve the mind of your fiancée. I believe I have a hussar to enchant. Eddie, are you available to shadow Mr. Mayhew a bit? Let us know if we need to enlist Aunt Berenice.”
Miss Edwina smiled, which should have been breathtaking. Why wasn’t it? Grey wondered.
“I would be happy to,” she said, tugging a bit on her gloves. “Better than standing by the potted palms with the mothers ordancing with…oh, bother. This dance is Lord Black’s. Would you mind making an excuse?”
“Gladly,” Lady Georgianna assured her. “Let him bore somebody else with his Tamworths.”
Grey looked back and forth between the dramatically scowling cousins. “Tamworths?”
Georgie leaned in as if she was imparting state secrets. “Pigs. In fact, my Lord Coleford, it might not be a bad idea for you to take Eddie’s place. Tamworths are nice hardy stock, cross-bred with Irish grazers by Sir Robert Peele. Might be perfect for a Welsh estate.”
He couldn’t help but blink. “Why do you know that?”
It was Charlie who laughed. “What I know about horses, Georgie knows about the estate. Especially livestock and the still room.”
