She blinked at him, a confused look on her face as if she didn’t understand the question. “Everyone,” she finally ventured. “Those that are here, at least.”
“And why would one want to be seen?” he prodded.
This time she cocked her head to the side and frowned. It was as if he’d asked the question in a different language. “What do you mean?” she asked, the smile momentarily slipping from her lips.
“Never mind,” David said, shaking his head. That was clearly a question for Annabelle to answer. Not one for poor Lady Elspeth.
After their failed attempt at communication, David and Lady Elspeth sat in silence for several moments only smiling and nodding to the others who passed by. Finally, after what seemed to be an agonizing wait, they approached Murdock’s carriage.
Annabelle was sitting next to the marquess atop the seat, her back perfectly straight. Her cheeks flushed from the cool spring air. Her light-blue pelisse buttoned up and her bonnet with a matching blue ribbon tied expertly beneath her chin at a jaunty, fetching angle. Her gloved hands sat in her lap and her face was completely devoid of any emotion. Wasn’t that just like her? To be out on a ride in the park with a man and display neither enjoyment nor misery? Members of theton, David had learned, were taught from birth to give nothing away with their facial expressions. It seemed far too much work, as far as he was concerned.
As Murdock’s coach passed by, Lady Elspeth was the one to begin the conversation. “Good afternoon, my lord,” she called over to Lord Murdock.
Murdock and David were both forced out of politeness to bring their respective conveyances to a halt. David eyed Murdock’s carriage. Expensive. Well-tailored. His horses looked good. The man himself was handsome, David supposed, if one didn’t mind eyes that were set too closely together. But Murdock was certainly well-dressed and appeared wealthy. Apparently, one could not tell from mere looks if one was prone to throwing fits.
“Elmwood,” Murdock intoned after returning Lady Elspeth’s greeting. “We were just talking about you.” The marquess turned to Annabelle whose cheeks became even more pink.
“Were you?” David drawled. “What, pray tell, were you saying? Something good, I hope.”
An unctuous smile spread across Murdock’s face. “Lady Annabelle was asking me if I’ll be attending your sister’s wedding next week.”
“Yes, you know it’s also the wedding of LordWorthington, and Lord Kendall,” David was quick to point out.
“Oh, yes. Yes, of course,” Murdock replied, waving a hand in the air as if the name Worthington held no significance to him.
“Well.” David forced himself to keep a smile plastered to his face. “What did you answer, Murdock? Are you coming to the wedding?”
Murdock’s smile grew even more obsequious if that were possible. “Why, I wouldn’t miss it. Things may not have worked out the way I’d hoped between Lady Julianna and myself, but I wish her nothing but the best.” There. Murdock had ground out that last bit through clenched teeth. He wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended to be.
Was it David’s imagination or did Annabelle bite her lip at that pronouncement?
“So, youwereinvited?” David asked. Behind Murdock, Annabelle’s eyes widened, and she gave David a look that clearly indicated he should not have asked such a thing.
The marquess’s eyes narrowed. “My invitation was no doubt lost in the post,” he clipped. “But no matter, Lady Annabelle here has agreed to allow me to escort her to the wedding. I will come as her guest.” Murdock finished that pronouncement with a thin smile.
Annabelle’s gaze quickly dropped to her boots.
“Is that so?” David clarified.
“Excellent,” came Lady Elspeth’s bright voice from beside him. “Mother and I have been invited as well. Haven’t we, Mother?” Lady Elspeth glanced back toward her mother, who gave her a nod and a doting look. “We’ll see you both there,” Lady Elspeth finished, turning her attention back to Lord Murdock.
David didn’t quite like how she referred to the two of them as ‘we,’ but he was hardly in a position to correct her when apparently Annabelle had invited Murdock, of all people, to the weddings.
Annabelle cleared her throat. “Yes, well, we should be going.” She placed a gloved hand on Murdock’s coat sleeve.
“Of course, my lady,” Murdock replied, nodding and shaking the reins. He tipped his hat to David and Lady Elspeth.
As the carriage line started up again, David didn’t hear a word Lady Elspeth was saying. The sight of Annabelle’s gloved hand touching Murdock’s sleeve was burned into David’s brain, making him want to punch something.
Damn. If there had ever been any doubt, there was none now. He was definitely jealous of Murdock.
Chapter Twenty-Two
David strode into the salon at Bell’s town house the next morning, completely resolute. Today would be his last lesson. He didn’t care how much more he needed to learn. Spending more time with Annabelle was a bad idea for several reasons.
If hewassmitten with her, it certainly wouldn’t help things to continue to spend more time with her. And if hewasn’tsmitten with her… Well, all signs currently pointed to his being smitten and he certainly didn’t want to make more of an arse out of himself than he already had.
Additionally, after yesterday’s meeting in the park, David couldn’t bear to listen to her deny the fact that she was allowing Murdock to court her. It was none of David’s business, true, but he also didn’t need to continue to expose himself to the harsh reality that if Annabelle was interested in being courted, it was clearly by the Marquess of Murdock and not him.
