“Yes,” Lucy continued, “and I have to say I’m delighted. You know I fancy myself a matchmaker, and so does Lady Delilah.”
Lavinia’s narrowed gaze darted to Delilah. “Do you?”
Lucy nodded. “Yes, in fact, I’d love to introduce you to my friend Lord Stanley. He’s just over there.”
Lavinia’s face lit with obvious interest, and Lucy twined her arm through Lavinia’s and led her off toward Lord Stanley.
Thomas turned to Delilah. “I do hope she hits it off with the chap.”
“So do I,” Delilah replied. “Lord Stanley is a nice man.”
Thomas winced. “I’m not certainniceis the best fit for Lavinia.”
Delilah smoothed her hands down her sleeves. “We’ll see. These things take time.”
“Ah, but your courtship of Branville is on quite a short time schedule, is it not?”
She pretended to read her script. “Yes, but that is because I have no choice. Now, would you care to practice our lines?”
He opened his mouth to reply when Jane Upton shouted, “Delilah! Please come fetch your bird. He’s repeating everything and impacting the performance.”
Delilah hurried over to the stage to get Miss Adelinefrom his perch nearby. She brought him back to where Thomas stood. Thomas and the parrot exchanged scornful looks before Miss Adeline leaned over and unceremoniously bit Thomas on the wrist.
“Ouch!” Thomas rubbed his wrist. “You’ll be looking for some new feathers if you bite me again, bird.”
“Bite me again, bird,” Miss Adeline squawked, flapping his bright blue wings.
Delilah sighed. “Must you fight with Miss Adeline?”
Thomas narrowed his eyes on the bird. “I fight with anything that bites me as many times as he has. And for the thousandth time, his name is not Miss Adeline.”
Delilah rolled her eyes. “As he ismybird and I have named him Miss Adeline, I must tell you for the thousandth time that itis, in fact, his name. Now come over here. We’ll practice our lines before Branville gets here. I daresay I’ll be distracted afterward.”
Thomas followed her to the corner, keeping a watchful eye on the bird, who was balanced on Delilah’s forearm and had the temerity to look smug. “Very well, but tell that lump of feathers to pipe down.”
Delilah turned to face Thomas and glanced at her script. “This is the scene where Helena follows Demetrius into the forest.” She cleared her throat. “Stay, though thou kill me, sweet Demetrius.”
Thomas cleared his throat too. “I charge thee, hence, and do not haunt me thus.”
“Oh, wilt thou darkling leave me? Do not so,” Delilah replied.
“Do not so!” shouted Miss Adeline.
Thomas gave the bird a dark look, but continued with his next line. “Stay, on thy peril. I alone will go.”
Delilah rolled her eyes and momentarily abandonedcharacter. “I must say, I would find this difficult to play if I didn’t know that Demetrius ultimately sees the error of his ways and falls in love with Helena. He’s positively awful to her otherwise.”
“Awful to her!” Miss Adeline squawked.
“Miss Adeline, shush,” Delilah commanded.
“I’ll come and get him, Delilah,” Danielle Cavendish said from her seat in the opposite corner of the room.
“Demetrius doesn’t see the error of his ways,” Thomas pointed out. “He’s charmed by the juice from the flower.”
“Yes, it’s all quite ridiculous, isn’t it?J’adoresuch silliness,” Delilah said with a laugh.
“J’adore!” Miss Adeline squawked.
