“Carry on,” he said to the boy, with a nod at the bowl, and then deciding to beard the lion in its den, he passed through the space between the counters and followed Miss Rare-Foure through the velvet curtain.
Chapter Five
Charlotte whirled around upon hearing the footsteps, knowing as she did that they didn’t belong to Edward and instantly wishing she’d kept her back to the curtain.
Too late, she faced Lord Jeffcoat while she was still wiping at her tears. His surprised, discomfited expression probably mirrored her own.
“I apologize,” she said, knowing it marked her as an emotional female to be found crying in the workroom. What’s more, people didn’t come to a confectionery to encounter sadness, and she’d tried desperately to tamp down her sentimental feelings over the past two weeks. In most cases, holding her misery at bay had caused her to be dispirited and uncharacteristically crabbed, as she felt that day.
“My fault entirely,” the viscount said, not taking another step closer. “You have nothing for which to apologize. I said something to upset you out there.” He gestured behind him to the front of the shop. “And then I barged in here when you were indisposed. I am extraordinarily sorry. My actions are unforgivable.”
He probably thought her a mawkish ninny. She could hardly tell him that any mention of her being an artist felt like an arrow to her heart.
“Truly, my lord, I’m glad you liked the marzipan, and it was good of you to notice the subtle hint of orange blossom.”
“But neither of those things were what upset you,” he pointed out.
She considered his intelligent face and decided to tell him something of the truth.
“I’m afraid I have a bit of a bruised heart at present, and try as I might to ignore it, it causes pangs at the most inconvenient times. Sometimes, I wish I had no heart to speak of.”
His expression flickered with surprise again, but then, against all expectation, he smiled slightly. It was a nicely symmetrical curving of his lips, reminiscent of a Renaissance portrait. And the pain returned as her thoughts went to Lionel painting somewhere on the Continent.
“Don’t say that,” Lord Jeffcoat ordered. “I’ve seen your warm heart in action, and it was splendid.”
Charlotte gasped softly. “What do you mean?” She had a terrible vision of him having seen her kissing Lionel in the dark hallway of the academy’s upper floor.
“Before Easter,” Lord Jeffcoat explained, “the way you defended Edward to that female customer, it was truly heartwarming, and here he is, working for you.”
She felt her cheeks grow warm.
“I’m sorry about your bruised heart,” he continued, sounding sincere. Then, rather abruptly, the viscount added, “Perchance, would it feel better after a night on the town?”
Lord Jeffcoat was full of surprises. If anyone had told her he would ever ask her out for the evening, she would have said they were a lunatic. Ever since she’d first met him at the duke’s home, he’d been polite but distant, during each of their previous encounters. Staring at him, she recalled the moment when he’d held the door for her and she’d caught a whiff of his appealing scent. It had given her pause, and she’d flirted with the notion of being attracted to him, but only because she thought Lionel was waiting at class. She’d been giddy with anticipation.
When everything seemed possible, before she’d found out Lionel had left.
His lordship’s cheeks grew a little red, too, as the long moments of silence stretched on.
“That was presumptuous of me,” he muttered. “I had best leave you to your work.”
Drat it all!She had embarrassed him. As the counter clerk for Rare Confectionery, she’d helped hundreds of customers over the years and tried to do so with graciousness taught by her mother, something that had entirely eluded Beatrice. Now, Charlotte could sympathize with her sister’s short-tempered disgruntlement. Being pleasant and cheerful lately seemed a tremendous chore for her. She’d failed at both all day, and now she’d offended the duke’s good friend.
He certainly didn’t deserve it after demonstrating such kindness.
“My lord, I would very much enjoy a night on the town, as you call it. It sounds most inviting. I was simply shocked into silence.”
His slight smile returned. “Shocked into silence? I didn’t realize my asking you out would be so outrageous. After your Season, with all the young bucks who were buzzing around you, I thought I would be standing in line for the chance.”
And now he was bolstering her spirits and her confidence. He was being a prince.
Regaining a little spirit, Charlotte asked, “Except for the Marlborough House ball, you and I weren’t at any of the same events last Season. How would you know about bucks, young or otherwise, doing any buzzing?”
“You have got me to rights, Miss Rare-Foure, but I can imagine them. Am I right?”
Her cheeks grew even warmer. She was probably blushing profusely.
“I suppose I had my share of dance partners,” she admitted.
