“Then you must go,” Lady Everly said without blinking.
“But...” Amelia read the letter again while trying to detect if this might have been Coventry’s doing. “Is it not odd that she would invite only me?”
Lady Everly shrugged. “I shouldn’t think so. You are the elder sister and the one we are most eager to find a suitor for. I am sure she just wishes to offer some private guidance.”
More puzzled than ever by that remark, Amelia refolded the piece of paper and continued with her lesson. She would not worry about the visit, she told herself, even though her heart began to pound at the idea of having to face the duke again. It was his house after all, so she might run into him, which was something she wasn’t prepared to do quite yet. Not after the argument they’d had the day before. Which was why she immediately asked his butler if he was at home upon being admitted to Coventry House at precisely three o’clock that afternoon.
He shook his head and relief swept through her. “No, my lady, but Her Grace awaits you in the parlor. If you will please follow me.”
Showing her into the spacious room, Amelia greeted the dowager duchess with a short curtsey that hopefully didn’t look nearly as awkward as it felt. The dowager duchess smiled. “Thank you for joining me, Lady Amelia. I was not sure if your schedule would allow it.”
“I am grateful for the invitation, though I must confess I find it a little surprising.”
The older woman laughed and gestured for Amelia to take a seat on one of the sofas. “My son did mention your forwardness.”
Amelia bit her lip. “I’m sorry. It does appear as though I have a tendency to speak without thinking sometimes.”
“Oh, you need not apologize to me, dear. I find you quite delightful and refreshing. I can see why Coventry enjoys your company.”
The comment, accompanied by a welcoming smile, gave Amelia pause. She suddenly wondered what exactly Thomas had told his mother about her, or rather, how much.
Steeling herself, she watched as the duchess poured tea. Her curiosity continued to climb. Eventually, she had to ask, “Why didn’t you invite my sister?”
Nudging a teacup in Amelia’s direction, the dowager duchess said, “Because as charming as I find her, she is not the subject of my interest. You are.” When Amelia stared at her in amazement, the dowager duchess’s smile broadened. “You see, I can be forward too.”
Silenced by that comment, Amelia picked up her teacup and took a sip.
The dowager duchess looked at Amelia with assessing eyes. “The thing is that I find myself intrigued.”
“By me?”
Surely not.
The dowager duchess gave a slow and very deliberate nod. “Coventry has taken notice of you, and as his mother, I therefore feel it is my duty to evaluate you myself.”
Momentarily startled, Amelia wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry in response to such an outrageous opinion. Training her features to the best of her abilities, she spoke softly in an effort to come across calmer than she actually was. “If you imagine that he might be thinking of courting me, then you are mistaken. Your son and I are friends, Your Grace. Nothing more.”
The dowager duchess sipped her tea while eyeing Amelia over the brim of her cup. Returning the fine piece of Wedgwood porcelain to the table, she simply said, “We will see about that.”
Oddly perturbed by the comment and the thought of the poor woman hoping for something that would not be, Amelia allowed her to turn to other subjects of conversation. When the lady asked about her past, she held nothing back as she spoke of the difficult life she’d led in St. Giles and how Mayfair posed an entirely different challenge.
“The minuet is proving to be particularly difficult,” she said when they started discussing ballroom etiquette. “My feet always feel as though they’re moving in the wrong direction when I dance it.”
“I have seen you dance it several times now, and in my opinion you do not do it too badly.”
Amelia laughed. “That doesn’t sound very reassuring.”
“As long as you continue to practice daily, you will master it eventually.”
Appreciating the confidence with which she spoke, Amelia reached for a biscuit. She was just about to bite into it when a slight movement off to one side caught the corner of her eye. She glanced toward it, pausing at the sight of a small face peeking out at them from behind the doorjamb. His eyes were beautiful—a rich chocolate color, wide with interest.
Forgetting that she was sitting in a formal parlor with a dowager duchess, Amelia set her biscuit aside and placed her hands over her eyes. Carefully, she parted them just enough to meet the boy’s gaze before covering her eyes again. She repeated the gesture, noting that more of his face had come into view—a handsome mouth that failed to smile even as he joined in her game.
For the next several minutes, Amelia covered and uncovered her eyes while the boy stepped further into the room. When he was well inside the doorway, she dropped her hands to her lap and smiled. He averted his gaze and shifted from foot to foot, his body twisting as though he was thinking of fleeing. So rather than drawing too much attention to him, she focused on the paper that stuck out of his pocket.
“What do you have there?” she asked, pointing to the rolled-up sheet.
His gaze slid sideways, and Amelia became suddenly aware of the dowager duchess again. The lady hadn’t spoken a word since the boy’s arrival, and Amelia chose to ignore her now, in favor of encouraging him to speak. Instead, he silently took the paper she’d pointed to out of his pocket and stepped closer still. He handed it to her without a word, and she unrolled it to find a stunning display of color. It didn’t look like anything in particular, but that didn’t make it less beautiful.
