Lady Sommerset’s secret smile appeared, which was never a good omen. “Of course. That is my role during our stay. Where is she?”
He offered her his arm and she took it. “This way. She was in the library but decided to wait on the terrace. She is particularly concerned about incurring my mother’s scorn.”
“I don’t know why. Your mother seems to have taken a sudden liking to her.”
“Yes, well, that was not by her choice.”
“Hmm, why do I have a feeling this is all connected to you leaving your parents and sister alone to greet the guests as they arrive?”
He halted at the closed doors to the library. “Because, my lady, you are particularly astute.”
Lady Sommerset laughed even as she took her hand from his arm and opened one of the doors herself. “Flattery will get you far, Harewood.” Striding forward, the lady stepped outside and spoke to Lady Dorothea, who nodded before entering.
Not wanting anything to appear improper, he met her halfway. “May we speak, then?”
She looked over her shoulder to make sure Lady Sommerset was within sight then nodded. “Yes. What do you wish to discuss?”
Her manner was somewhat reserved, and he didn’t like it. “First, why did you seek the sanctuary of the library? Did my mother cause your wish to escape?”
“No. As I said, she’s been very kind. It was simply that there were so many women. I don’t believe I’ve ever been in a parlor with that many. Even at school, there are only the five of us. And I only know these women by acquaintance, so it is difficult to converse, not knowing what subjects they have an interest in that I might know something about.”
As she spoke, she relaxed. He was pleased that she could speak freely with him. “And what subjectswerethey discussing?”
“Well, there are the many activities that Lady Enderly has planned, which has spurred conversations on appropriate clothing, the latest fashion, the travel experience from when each came, and the men who have arrived or will be arriving.”
He stifled a grin. “Then I’m to assume my father has the men out and about?”
“Yes. They are in the stables at the moment, though—they have been there for hours. I imagine they went for a ride, but how could they if he doesn’t know when the next gentleman will arrive? I have never been to a house party, so I’m still assimilating to the protocols.”
Assimilating to the protocols? He found her phrasing intriguing. “Today is only the first day. I’m sure you will find this party very educational.”
Her face brightened and the lighter specks in her eyes seemed to dance. “I never thought of it that way. Here I was feeling awkward and out of place, but if I approach this party like a class at school or a lecture at the Royal Institution, then I’ll feel much more comfortable. No, not a lecture. It must be something where I am a part of it. If I think of this like going to a Panorama or Vauxhall or a museum, then it will be much more familiar. I hadn’t thought about this experience that way. The way we approach events creates the pathways we take in life. Each one offers us…”
He grinned, unable to hide his pleasure in her ideas. Part of him disliked it that he would try to help her better fit into society’s expectations, but if he was to make Belinda’s school a place that was revered, he had to. Still, if she proved able to make the necessary changes, he would miss this. Her mind was truly beautiful and far too many men would never see that nor understand it. She was like the rose that cross-pollenates and blooms not red and not white, but a mixture of both, beautiful in its uniqueness. Yet it would be dug out and discarded because it did not bloom the color that was wished for.
“…that is why making mistakes is so important. They are our most valuable lessons, yet there are many places where these are not accepted.”
A warmth filled his chest, and he found himself smiling even as she continued, completely unaware of how delightful she was.
“We must all be perfect, but that is not part of our creation. We are born imperfect and to aspire to such is fruitless. In addition, if we were to achieve such perfection—”
He pulled her to him and kissed her. Her lips were open and he slipped his tongue between them.
She responded with something close to glee and opened wider, grasping him around the middle and pressing her bountiful breasts against his ribs.
Not immune to the feminine curves in his arms, he deepened the kiss, tilting her head and inhaling the lemony scent that was her and her alone. It wrapped around his senses, leaving him in a cocoon of her making.
Her soft moan filled his mouth, and he snapped his eyes open. What was he doing? He pulled away, even stepping back as if she were a siren who had magical powers, but he could still taste her.
She opened her eyes. “…we would be boring.” She grinned, very pleased at something.
He, on the other hand, was anything but. His reaction to her was far from appropriate, especially since he hoped to get her married off post-haste. That she somehow linked him to being boring did not sit well with ego, either. “Boring?”
“Yes. If we were all perfect, I do believe it would be utterly boring. There would be nothing to critique. Can you imagine our conversations?”
He prided himself on being able to follow her, but devil it, he couldn’t seem to concentrate. How could she rattle on after that kiss? “I just kissed you.”
She nodded. “Yes, you did. Again.” She glanced toward the terrace doors, where Lady Sommerset stood, her back to them, no doubt purposefully. “I find it so very helpful.”
