He stiffened. How had he gone from confronting her about stealing a book from his library to offering to let her borrow one? He was saved from answering her question by the waiter bringing their desserts followed by the proprietor himself.
“Lady Joanna, a sweet for a sweet. I do hope you enjoy.”
Her face lit up like a child upon receiving a new pony. “Oh, Monsieur Armand, of course I will. Unless, you made it differently.” She pouted. “Please tell me you didn’t experiment with your recipe.”
“Non, non. I would not for you. There are so few who appreciate my love of this cheese. I could not disappoint you.”
She smiled kindly. “You are such a dear.”
“I do wish to please. Bon appétit.” The monsieur gave a short bow and strode off.
James watched as Joanna took a small amount of the white ice cream onto her spoon and placed it in her mouth. Her eyes closed. “Hmmmm.”
At her actions, his body grew alert, specifically an inconvenient piece of his anatomy. This was unacceptable behavior. Did she not know that she mimicked a woman being pleasured in bed? Of course, she didn’t. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable. If she did indeed have his book, she soon would know a lot more about the matter. When had it becomeifshe had it?
Joanna opened her eyes and smiled, her gaze meeting his. “You need to try this, Your Grace. No matter how your life is progressing, it will make it better.”
For the first time that evening, he was positive that her words were sincere. Could ice cream truly gentle a prickly woman like music tamed a wild beast? He looked down at the confection before him and lifted his spoon. If it did, it had powers that needed to be studied thoroughly.
Taking a spoonful, he closed his mouth around it and let it glide around his tongue. The flavor was much more subtle than the parmesan cheese ice cream he’d had, but that made sense since mascarpone had far less saltiness. In fact, the dessert tasted of sweetened cream. As it melted to liquid and he swallowed, the aftertaste, instead of satisfying, was such a shadow of the flavor that it caused a need in him for more.
A quiet chuckle had him opening his eyes. When had he closed them?
Joanna’s knowing smile was conspiratorial, as if they shared a special secret about this ice cream.
He gave a short nod. “You are correct. This is a flavor like no other.”
Her smile widened before she turned to Mabry. “Some gentlemen can appreciate the finer nuances of Monsieur’s delight.”
Mabry waved his hand. “Nuance, bah. It’s downright tasteless. If I’m going to freeze my tongue, I’d much rather do it with anise seed ice cream. Now that’s a flavor that will top off an evening. Better yet, a strong French cognac is more to my liking.”
Lady Joanna sighed before pushing her spoon into her small bowl. “There are just some things we will never agree upon.” She filled her spoon again and held it aloft as she lifted her gaze to look at him. “Do you find that is the case with you and your cousin?”
The answer to that was so obvious, it didn’t warrant an answer, but for the sake of politeness he indulged her. “Of course. She is much younger, less experienced, and a different gender. I feel we have far less in common than that which we hold in agreement. It’s stunning, actually. I believe it has to do with the fact she was born of my father’s sister. Perhaps if he had a brother, her thought process would be aligned with mine, but I have my doubts.”
Her smile appeared to have frozen, but she had not yet taken the spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. She gestured with her spoon toward him. “Eat your ice cream.”
Taken aback, he wasn’t sure how to respond, but since her mouth was full and her eyes closed once again, he took another bite. The conversation lapsed as they all enjoyed the confections they’d ordered. As he scraped the bowl, tempted to lift it to his mouth, but refraining in such a public place, he had to admit, his mood had improved. He needed to do further research on the properties of ice cream and their effect on the mind.
“Your Grace.” Lady Mariel’s soothing voice was far different from her sister’s. “Were you meeting someone here in the Pleasure Gardens?”
“No. I simply came to observe them.”
Mabry leaned forward to stare at him. “Have you never visited before?” The incredulity in his voice made it quite clear that he thought that fact to be unheard of.
“No, I haven’t. I don’t come to Town often and when I do, it is for business, not for the Pleasure Gardens.”
Lady Mariel gave Mabry a stern look before speaking. “Then is this your first season in London?”
“It is.” And hopefully his last. “We are here only for Elsbeth to have her time in society. She hopes to be engaged by the end of the season. She is learning quickly and will be out in a few weeks, I believe. It is Lady Astor’s decision.”
Though Mabry lifted his glass in salute, it was Joanna who responded. “And what of you?”
“Me?”
“Are you not looking for a wife? I’m afraid that is the impression that Lady Caroline is under. If you plan to marry someone near your country estate, you should let her know. She is on the hunt for a husband, and it would be a pity if she wasted time with you if you have no interest in her.”
He blinked unbelievingly. Had the woman just advised him on how to handle his search for a bride? “You needn’t concern yourself with Lady Caroline.”
