“Oh my,” she muttered. “I do hate to disappoint anyone.”
“Maybe you will decide to go ahead with it. It is for fun, after all, and not meant to be dreaded.”
“I cannot make any promises,” she said.
Before he knew it, supper was upon them, and they sat together. In her company, the evening had flown by. Rupert couldn’t understand why she was so doubtful of her own appeal. She was attractive, articulate, and had a sense of humor. If he weren’t selfishly keeping her close, then she would indubitably make a match.
He was beginning to wonder if he oughtn’t to court her himself when they returned to London. She was an entirely different sort to Lady Lillian, who awaited his return, although by no means inferior.Different in a surprisingly refreshing way. Even if nothing came of it, his pursuit would elevate Lady Delia’s allure with the other bachelors in Town.
“You appear to be wool-gathering,” she said. “Thinking of horses?”
He chuckled. “I am not so single-minded as you have been led to believe.”
“Really?” She cocked her head enchantingly. Yet he knew she was artless, neither flirting nor coy. “Then what were you pondering?”
“You, actually,” Rupert confessed without thinking.
Her cheeks turned pink, and she sighed.
“Something pleasant, I hope. Nothing to do with my behavior last night.”
He shook his head. “I owe you an apology. I ought never to have offered you my flask.”
“I oweyouan apology for taking it,” she said. “My nerves were raw. Large gatherings, and most small ones, too, to be honest, make my skin feel too tight and my insides jittery. Andwhile I enjoy dancing, everything that goes along with a ball sets me on thorns. New people and so many pairs of eyes staring at me.”
“You are beautiful, kind, and gracious,” he said, without exaggeration. “You shouldn’t fear strangers or people looking at you.”
She shrugged lightly, making patterns on the carpet with the toe of her slipper. “I have ever been thus.”
Rupert wished he could help her. Most of the young ladies of his acquaintance were bold, even eager for attention. She was the opposite, yet had captured his interest without even trying.
THE FOLLOWING DAY,a master painter came to give a class to those who wished to learn. Others, mostly men, went out shooting, although it wasn’t hunting season, while some of the ladies begged off to read or stroll.
Delia was fascinated by the painter’s technique. He demonstrated quick motions that suddenly made a tree or a flower appear on the canvas.Magical!Whenever she had tried to paint, she used the same meticulous method as her sketches, and she failed. The paintbrush simply would not behave as her pencil.
Yet he showed her how, with a few swift strokes, she could create an impression of what her eyes were seeing.A revelation!
Even if she hadn’t been interested, Delia would have participated in the class because Lord Perish was ever on the prowl to get her to go riding. She was determined to thwart his efforts.
Undeniably, she liked his company. A dash-fire man, he was also the easiest to talk to of any male she’d ever met.They conversed upon every topic. Even better, she never felt a moment’s nervousness with him, nor had she from the start.
Working out how many partners she’d had at the dinner table, Delia thought it was her turn to dine beside Lord Perish at the five o’clock meal. While choosing what to wear, caring more about pleasing him than what she’d worn for the ball, she heard carriage wheels in the courtyard.
Peering out her bedroom window, Delia saw a fair-haired woman in a fashionable bonnet descend from a stately carriage. In no hurry to meet anyone new, she let finished dressing — in turquoise satin — and let Lucy do her best with her unruly hair. When Delia went down to the drawing room, the newcomer, an addition to their party, had already been taken to a guest room.
“I shall make formal introductions when we gather for dinner,” their hostess promised. “I cannot bear imbalance at the dining table. And how would we have managed at the upcoming ball?” She hurried off to one of her endless duties.
“How wonderful that you could summon another guest on short notice,” Delia remarked, trying not to think of the event at the end of the week.
“Indeed, yes. A welcome addition, too. This should prove interesting.”
With those strange words, Lady Osbourne hurried off to do one of her seemingly endless duties.
“Well met, Lady Delia,” Lord Perish surprised her.
“Well met, my lord. Did you enjoy your afternoon?” They each sat upon the divan by the front window of the drawing room.
“I did. The weather was splendid. Tomorrow, I was hoping we—”
