Delilah reached over and slowly patted his hand. “Thomas, you are kind.”
A surge of satisfaction rolled through Thomas’s chest. Another check off the list. Of course, he hadn’t said those things to gain her favor. He meant every one of them, especially the part about how Branville should be trying to impress Delilah, not the other way around. But he would take his successes, however slight.
The door to the library cracked opened, and Lucy came hurrying over to them. The Duke of Branville was not with her. “Thomas,” Lucy said, “Lady Rebecca is in the foyer, and she’s asking for you.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
When Branville returned from the salon with a fresh, unripped shirt, Delilah was too busy glaring at Lady Rebecca to hardly spare him a glance.
Rebecca had come marching into the library after Branville had left and spied Delilah sitting on the floor next to Thomas. She’d wasted no time. “Lady Delilah, it’s so good to see you,” she gushed, hurrying toward them. “Thank you for inviting me to the rehearsal.”
Delilahhadn’tinvited her to the rehearsal, Rebecca had insisted upon coming. But Rebecca was her friend, and Delilah reminded herself that shedidlike her, despite the woman’s recent brash interest in Thomas.
Thomas helped Delilah to her feet and then turned to Rebecca. “Good to see you again, my lady.” He bowed.
“I’d hoped you would be here this evening, Your Grace.” Rebecca’s grin was ridiculously wide, and she performed a perfect curtsy. One from which she did not need to be rescued, Delilah noted with mild pique.
“I bet you did,” Delilah mumbled under her breath.
“What’s that?” Rebecca asked, frowning.
“Nothing.” Delilah forced a smile to her lips.
Delilah watched them together. She tried to picture how Thomas must see her friend. Rebecca was a beautiful young woman. Well-mannered. Good family. No doubt she was precisely the type of young woman Thomas should marry.
And Rebecca definitely seemed enamored of Thomas. Delilah had simply never thought about it before—Thomas, her friend, her closest friend, falling in love and marrying someone… a woman. Perhaps she’d been terribly naïve not to have envisioned this moment, but she’d somehow thought she and Thomas would go on forever as they always had, talking and laughing and ribbing each other. She’d matchmake, and he’d avoid marriage, and they’d both grow old together. It wasn’t that she’d planned for it to happen that way. It was only that she hadn’t specifically considered it happening any other way.
Delilah watched with narrowed eyes as Rebecca laughed at Thomas’s jests and reached out to touch his sleeve. Twice. She also noted that Rebecca did not rattle off poorly pronounced, nonsensical French, nor did she rip any of Thomas’s clothing. How a courtship should be, Delilah thought with intense chagrin.
Moments later, Lucy swept toward them with a welcoming smile. “Lady Rebecca, it’s good to meet you.”
“Yes,” Delilah said, happy to have someone else to introduce Rebecca to in order to divert her attention from Thomas. “Lady Rebecca Abernathy, the Duchess of Claringdon.”
Rebecca and Lucy began talking as if they’d been friends for an age, and soon the Duke of Branville came strolling toward them in his new shirt. As he made hisway over to their little group, Delilah tried to scrunch herself into a ball in the corner as if she might hide from him.
“Your shirt looks better,” Lucy said. “I do hope the incident didn’t put you off from playacting.”
“Not at all,” the duke replied graciously.
Delilah still wanted to hide.
Branville smiled and turned to Rebecca. “Won’t you introduce me to your friend, Your Grace?” he said to Lucy.
She nodded. “Ah, yes, my apologies. Your Grace, this is Lady Rebecca Abernathy. Lady Rebecca, the Duke of Branville.”
Rebecca smiled and curtsied and was perfectly polite, but she didn’t show Branville half the attention she’d lavished upon Thomas. Which, of course, was good because with Lady Emmaline as her competition already, the last thing Delilah needed was more rivalry for Branville from Rebecca. But when Rebecca turned her attention back to Thomas, Delilah couldn’t help but find herself even more irritated.
“Will you join our company, Your Grace?” Lucy asked Branville. “Will you play Hermia’s father?”
The duke inclined his head. “Thank you for the invitation. I do believe I will accept.”
Lucy clapped her hands this time. Thomas rolled his eyes. And Rebecca’s focus remained on Thomas.
“Excellent,” Lucy replied. “We meet three nights a week. See you tomorrow.”
“I do hope there’s room in the company for one more,” Rebecca blurted. “I would so like to be a part of this wonderful performance for charity.”
Delilah opened her mouth to decline even the mere thought, but Lucy was faster. “Of course, Lady Rebecca. We’ll find you something. Peaseblossom, perhaps.”
