“Oh? What’s wrong with Lord Clement?”
“He condescends to the ladies, and he has no conversation that doesn’t involve either his matched set of grays or his phaeton. He’s also wearing a canary yellow waistcoat this evening. Didn’t you notice it?”
“Well, yes.” There was no overlooking that waistcoat. “But surely he’s not as bad as all that?”
“Heisas bad. He’s a fop and a dandy, but without the wit. He nearly fell into a faint when Ciaran mentioned the bloody nose Lachlan gave him. Now, I’ll grant you Ciaran and Lachlan discuss bloody nosesfartoo often, but what sort of man faints at the mere mention of blood?”
Hyacinth choked back a laugh. Oh, dear. Poor Lord Clement. “Not the sort of man who’d suit you, I daresay, but my goodness, Isla. I never would have guessed you weren’t enthralled with him. The smiles, and the laughing and flirting your fan—that’s all feigned?”
“I’m afraid so. Now, before you think me very wicked, I can assure you Lord Clement doesn’t give a fig about me. He wants Lady Joanna, and pays attention to me only to irk her. Not that it does the least bit of good, because Lady Joanna is too busy flirting with Lachlan to even notice Lord Clement.”
Hyacinth thought of Lady Joanna’s laughing red mouth, and her stomach tied itself into a tight knot. “D-does Lachlan flirt back?”
“No. He scowls darkly at her, just like he does everyone else. I adore Lachlan, but he’snotcharming, you know. But then that’s what Lady Joanna likes about him.”
“I—what do you mean? Why should Lady Joanna like to be scowled at?” Hyacinth preferred his smiles to this scowls, though he’d been so distant with her since their kiss, at this point she’d take either.
“She likes him because he’s enormous, and dark and rough and scowlish, and—”
“Scowlish? Is that a word?”
“Not a real one.” Isla shot her a mischievous smile. “Ciaran and I made it up years ago, just for Lachlan. It comes in quite handy. Anyway, Lachlan’s scowlish, and he doesn’t have the least interest in impressing Lady Joanna. That’s why she likes him. Well, that and because he’s brother to a wealthy marquess.”
Hyacinth managed to hold her tongue, but she was quite indignant on Lachlan’s behalf. Hewasdark and rough, and perhaps he was even scowlish, but there was far more to Lachlan Ramsey than that. If Lady Joanna couldn’t see it, then she didn’t deserve his scowls, or his smiles.
“Does…do you suppose Lachlan cares for Lady Joanna?” Hyacinth asked, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.
Isla shrugged. “I’m not sure. It’s difficult to tell with Lachlan, but something is certainly distracting him.”
Hyacinth’s heart sank. Lady Joanna was what was distracting him. What else could it be?
Isla dragged her chair closer to Hyacinth’s. “Otherwise he’d have noticed at once how shamelessly Lord Sydney’s been flirting with me. But for the moment it suits me for Lachlan to remain distracted.”
Hyacinth didn’t want to hear anything more about Lachlan and Lady Joanna, and she leapt at the chance to change the subject. “Why, are you flirting back? I wouldn’t blame you if you were. I’ve always liked Lord Sydney. He’s very handsome and gentlemanly without being dull.”
“Oh my, yes. Lord Sydney is lovely, and great fun, too. I like him very much, but there is another gentleman…”
“Indeed?” Hyacinth tilted her head closer to Isla’s. “Who?”
A becoming flush rose in Isla’s cheeks. “Lord Pierce. I don’t know him well,” she rushed on, before Hyacinth could interrupt. “He’s not one of Lady Joanna’s set—though not from lack of effort on her part—but he’s friends with one or two of the gentlemen who are, so he comes over now and again. He’s quite…arresting, isn’t he?”
Arresting. Yes, that was a good word for Lord Pierce. He was a marquess, for one, which was quite good enough for thetonto approve of him, but he also happened to be very tall, very broad-shouldered, and very handsome. More than one young lady in the Hayhursts ballroom tonight was angling for his attention.
“He is, yes, but he’s so…” Hyacinth hesitated.
“What? Do you know something to his discredit?” Isla clutched at Hyacinth’s hand with such sudden energy, Hyacinth had to wonder if her friend found Lord Pierce a great deal more than justarresting.
“No, not at all. Quite the opposite. He’s a well-respected, honorable gentleman. It’s only that he’s a bit…stern? No, that’s not quite right, but he’s very serious, and a trifle forbidding. Perhaps he should smile more.”
Then again, Lachlan rarely smiled, and it hadn’t done much to deterher, had it? It only made his smiles more precious, and made her more determined to coax them loose.
“Oh, I don’t know. I like his stern countenance. He has the most deliciously firm lips. They’re shown to best advantage when he doesn’t smile.”
“Isla!” Hyacinth laughed. “My goodness. Don’t say you stare at his lips!”
“I do indeed, and since he disapproves of me and never smiles at me, I’ve had quite a lot of time to study his frowns. I’ve decided they suit him.”
“Why should he disapprove of you?” Hyacinth asked, with a touch of pique. No one was lovelier than Isla.
