Lord Dominic’s gray eyes flared with even more irritation. This could be a dangerous man, Caro sensed, in a different way than Eamon was.
“I see,” he said stiffly. “Is there a reason why not?”
“Steady, Wolfe,” Mr. McCormick said at his side. “A lady doesn’t have to give you an excuse. Maybe she’s afraid you’ll tread on her slippers. You do have a large foot.”
While Jo relaxed into a chuckle, Louise continued to fix Lord Dominic with her steady stare. Lord Dominic met it with grim determination.
“I am still in mourning for my husband,” Louise informed him.
Lord Dominic looked her up and down, taking in her finery in its subdued hue. For a moment, Caro thought he would argue with her, but he must have realized how gauche this would be, because he gave her a tense bow.
“I understand.”
He continued to stand before Louise, however, their gazes locked in some sort of battle. Jo leaned closer to Caro, her fan waving slowly as they observed the drama.
Mr. McCormick clapped Lord Dominic on his cashmere-clad shoulder. “Come along, Wolfe. We’ve been rebuffed. We must take it on the chin and leave these ladies in peace.”
Lord Dominic started, ending his rude stare. Caro thought he’d let out a growl, like the wolf of his namesake, but he swallowed it and also managed not to punch his friend.
“As you say.” Lord Dominic made another bow, this one a bit churlish. “Good evening, ladies. Your Grace.”
Mr. McCormick also bowed, but much more good-naturedly. He put both hands on Lord Dominic’s back, guiding him into the crowd. Lord Dominic shrugged him off with a scowl after a few paces, and Mr. McCormick turned to flash a grin at the three ladies.
Jo began waving her fan hard enough to stir her hair. “Well,” she said, a bit breathlessly. “Your Mr. Stone has very interesting friends.”
“Arrogant,” Louise stated. “At least his lordship is. Mr. McCormick seems much more friendly.”
“Well, the Scots are, aren’t they?” Jo asked.
Louise dragged her gaze from Lord Dominic’s tall form and rested it on Jo in surprise. “I don’t think it has anything to do with his being Scots.”
“He is from the Shetland Isles,” Caro corrected them. “Perhaps they are a friendly people there.”
“The Shetland Isles, yes.” Jo’s fan moved still faster. “How very interesting. I must obtain a book about these islands, and discover whether the inhabitants are, in fact, more friendly than Englishmen.”
Jo had spent her entire life in Britain, but she could play the curious foreigner when it suited her. This time, though, her curiosity was tinged with agitation.
“Read away,” Caro said. “It will give you something to do when I have shunned you for inviting Mr. Stone tonight. I know you caused it to happen, Jo, so do not pretend innocence with me.”
Jo’s nervousness evaporated. “Of course I did, my friend. When our previous conversation was so full of Mr. Stone, Louise and I agreed we had to know more about him. To meet this person and decide what to make of him ourselves.”
“You made the mistake of speaking of his army friends,” Louise put in. She’d regained her usual composure, but Caro noted her stealing a glance across the ballroom to Lord Dominic. “Jo discovered their names from Colonel Harper and decided the two gentlemen needed to attend as well.”
“I told Mama everything,” Jo admitted. “I didn’t need to coax her much at all to have Papa send them invitations. Papa and Mama were most curious as well.”
“Does all of London know I’ve hired a picture man?” Caro asked in consternation. “Is it being whispered throughout society that a gentleman waltzes though my house each day, going over every book and painting with a fine-toothed comb?”
“Not all of London,” Jo assured her quickly. “Only my family. And Louise and her family. That is all.”
“So, about twenty people then,” Caro stated. Louise had two sons, parents, and brothers who had wives and children of their own. “Jo, how could you?”
Jo shrugged. “Do not make your information so interesting and at the same time so cryptic that we must know. Is Mr. Stone truly waltzing through your house each day? He is a fine dancer, I could not help noticing. The pair of you were quite graceful together.”
Caro’s face went hot. “This is absolute nonsense. Jo, you must apologize to those gentlemen for dragging them here.”
“Pish tosh.” Jo brushed away Caro’s objections. “They could have turned down the summons. They were obviously as curious about us as we were about them. Very polite and handsome gentlemen they are too.”
Jo, while not overtly flirtatious, had no hesitance about looking over a gentleman with enjoyment. She knew none would come near her without passing the rigorous tests of her parents and their adjutants, so she indulged herself in admiring them from afar.
