“Yes, I believe so,” he said. “Lord Blake as well.”
There was a strange intonation in his voice that I instantly picked up on, but Tarik didn’t say anything more as I put away the last of the paste and tried to clean up some of the mess. Since he had access to a shared housekeeper here, I didn’t have to, but I also liked picking up after myself. Luckily, I had set down some extra sheets of newspaper, so cleanup was quick. I washed my hands and returned to the drawing room. I needed a proper bath, but there was no way I could take one here.
“Roz,” he said softly.
I glanced over, hearing the subtle hitch in his breathing. “Yes?”
“Do you think that your cousin is interested in Lord Blake? She said that they were friends, but they seemed…intimate, like they might be more than that.”
My heart started a drumming cadence behind my ribs at his cautious words. How much did I want to reveal? Did I say that Blake had been the closest to the perfect suitor until recently? Did I mention the ill-fated kiss we had shared one season at Vauxhall? I sucked in a breath to keep my tone calm. “Blake isn’t the type to settle down, and honestly, he’d be interested in you just as much as he’d be interested in her. They’re friends. Good friends, and ever since her first season, that’s all it has been.”
“What happened the first season?” he asked, not missing a thing.
I cleared my throat. “I believe they might have shared a brief embrace.”
If I hadn’t been looking right at him, I would have missed the darkening of those eyes at my answer. Tarikwasjealous of Blake. I ignored the small thrill that gave me because even if he was resentful, it hadn’t stopped him from dancing with Lady Petal, who’d turned herself into a girl-shaped barnacle the entire evening.
“Why does it matter?” I asked. “You seemed to be enamored with Lady Petal, at least according to the scandal sheets.”
He huffed an embarassed laugh. “Gossip flies quickly here. Honestly, I was…hoping…,” he trailed off, shooting me an odd look. “Never mind.”
“No,” I said. “You were hoping what?”
He scrubbed a hand through his dark hair with a frustrated noise. “Nothing. Lady Petal was fine. Good-natured and sociable. A capable dancer and she seemed interesting to talk to.”
A better dancer than me? I couldn’t bring myself to ask the question, knowing it would be decidedly strange coming from Ansel. He wouldn’t give a hoot whether one girl was a better dancer than the other, even if one was his cousin. “Do you think she’s pretty?” I pressed.
Tarik flushed, making me scowl. “Pretty enough, I suppose. She’s charming and wants to see me again. She asked if I would call upon her this week.”
“Well, good for you. Enjoy your time with Princess Charming.” Inexplicably peeved, I reached for my coat and hat. “I better be going. My uncle has some ledgers on the estate he wants to go over with me, his steward, and his solicitor. I’ll be back to finish this when I can.”
He frowned. “Roz, wait. What’s the matter? Did I say something off-putting?” When I didn’t answer, he moved to block my path to the door. “You don’t fancy Lady Petal, do you? I don’t want to step on your toes or cause any confusion.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to lie and get Petal out of the picture, but all it would take for Tarik to verify the truth was to ask anyone, even Petal herself. She’d been smitten with Ansel for years, but she wasn’t his preference whatsoever. Perhaps I should introduce her to Will, which might distract her with another option. I warmed to the idea for reasons I did not wish to dwell too deeply upon. I had no right to be jealous when I could not consider Tarik’s suit, but my stomach still tightened at the thought of Petal’s simpering advances.
“No, of course not,” I said. “We’re not a good match.”
“Why not?”
I stopped at the door, peering over my shoulder. I couldn’t resist a parting jab, repeating words Ansel had once said. “Ever heard the saying ‘Empty vessels make the most noise’? She’ll talk your ear off with nothing valuable to say, but I suppose some gentlemen like that.” I shot him a sharp look. “Besides, what if your wandering attentions affect my cousin? You did give me your vow, if I recall, that you would not harm one hair upon her head.”
He blinked owlishly at me. “I assure you, I’mnotinterested in Lady Petal. I just hoped that perhaps Lady Rosalin might have shown me more attention…if there was competition.”
I wanted to laugh, but instead, I thought diligently on what my cousin would say. Or any boy, for that matter, who did indeed often attempt such ploys to sway a lady’s interest. Girls did it, too.
“Be yourself, mate,” I said eventually. “You don’t need to play games.”
I swallowed that down like the bitter medicine it was, knowing I was the one playing the most dangerous game of all.
Tarik sat forward, elbows on his knees, and listened, enthralled. I’d heard Zia play the piano before many times, but for anyone who hadn’t, her talent was truly extraordinary. She played the usual piano pieces to start the musicale at her home—Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven—her fingers dancing over the keys with practiced elegance. Her mother and her fiancé both looked on with pride as most of the spectators who’d been invited to their soiree enjoyed the blissful music.
“By God, she’s amazing,” Tarik whispered when she finished playingSonata Pathétique. “I didn’t know human fingers could move so quickly.”
“She’s very talented,” I agreed. “But just wait.”
He glanced incredulously at me. “There’s more?”
“Watch.”
