It was an uncomfortable tableau. Alexander was frozen but for his eyes, which flashed to Saffron and back to the older man. Beside him, Elizabeth smiled broadly. “Good evening, Lord Easting.”
Lord Easting paused at the end of the hall. “Eliza,” he said curtly. “I see you’ve not come to your senses, either.”
“Quite so, my lord,” Elizabeth replied cheerfully.
Lord Easting grunted and finally exited the flat. Cold air from the stairwell had crept inside, leaving Saffron with gooseflesh. She made to follow him, unsure if she ought to help her grandfather down the steps.
“Grandpapa—” she began, stopping when he cut her a scowl.
He was right next to Alexander, plainly ignoring him. She could feel Alexander’s focus on her, and a sense of helplessness swamped her. It would be terribly rude not to introduce them, but it would likely be disastrous to do so.
“Have a safe journey home,” she said, internally wincing at the squeak in her voice.
He grunted again and began toward the stairs. With his back turned, she turned to Alexander and mouthed, “I’m sorry,” before inching down the hall after her grandfather.
Saffron did not breathe easily until Lord Easting had made it out of the building. She rushed back inside and into the parlor, where she knelt on the armchair in front of the window to peer out to the street. Her grandfather was being helped into an old motorcar by the driver.
She slumped into the armchair and closed her eyes.
“That was your grandfather?”
She flinched. She hadn’t noticed Alexander in the room. “Yes,” she said with a sigh.
“I take it his visit was unexpected.”
She opened her eyes to look at the ceiling. “Whatever gave you that impression?”
He chuckled at her sarcasm, and she looked at him. He was sitting on the couch on the opposite wall. The table was between them, the flower arrangement partially blocking her view of him.
“Lucky guess,” he said. “Come here.”
She rose, skirted the table, and dropped onto the cushion next to him. He was no longer wearing his coat, and he was wonderfully handsome in his dinner jacket. A little severe, with his darker coloring, but softened by a small smile.
Her throat grew tight at the kindness in his expression. “I’m sorry I didn’t introduce you.”
“He didn’t look to be in the mood to make a new acquaintance.”
“He came to take me to Ellington.”
“I gather you disappointed him.”
She nodded. He placed his arm around her shoulders, gently drawing her to his side. “Good.”
CHAPTER23
Dinner was off to an awkward start. Saffron was still shaken from her argument with her grandfather and hadn’t much spirit for conversation. Elizabeth had the opposite reaction, raving about the absurdity of the patriarchal society in which it was acceptable for a woman to be yanked from her life like a puppet from the stage.
Colin and Nick arrived nearly at the same time, cutting off Elizabeth’s rant. Saffron saw the moment when it occurred to Elizabeth what she’d put into motion: Nick, her estranged brother whom she couldn’t help but want to impress, was going to meet her beau. Nervous energy drenched her the minute Colin strolled into the parlor.
And it was an uncomfortable introduction. Colin, looking cool and collected in his own expensive dinner jacket and perfectly starched white shirt, offered his hand to Nick. Nick straightened to his full, impressive height and took just a moment too long to accept his hand to shake.
“Smith, is it?” Nick drawled. “I feel I must have met you before somewhere.”
Colin quirked a pale brow. “I don’t recollect—”
“Ah!” Nick dropped his hand with a grin that was not entirely pleasant. “I’ve got it! I saw you at the racetrack, didn’t I? Ascot, for the jumps a few weeks ago?” Nick squinted at Colin as if trying to remember. “No! It was cards at—” He broke off with a glance at Saffron and Elizabeth, then winked at Colin. “I’m sure we’ve met before.”
Colin had slowly flushed to brick red. Through a tightly held jaw, he said, “Indeed. I might have seen you around town, but I should be surprised. Eliza tells me it’s been years since you’ve been to London.”
