“Scolded you?” he repeated in alarm. “Whatever for?”
Dahlia rolled her eyes. “Might we go somewhere more... more private?” she asked. “Most of the matrons are going to Weatherstone Manor to admire the arrangements for Tuesday night’s ball,” she added, when she noticed that Anthony’s attention was on the bevy of women who were departing the tables behind the mansion. “Including my mother.”
Anthony watched as a number of countesses and viscountesses gave Lady Morganfield their regards. In only a matter of moments, it seemed half the garden party attendees had left the premises. He couldn’t help but notice his father was still there, though, Daphne engaging him in what appeared to be a diverting conversation.
“Who’s the cheeky chit flirting with your father?” Dahlia asked.
Anthony let out a guffaw. “That cheeky chit would be my cousin,” he replied as he offered his arm. “Daphne. Father’s current favorite,” he added. “He desperately wants a daughter.”
Tittering, Dahlia lifted a hand to her mouth. “He won’t if she continues to talk his ear off,” she murmured. “Poor man.”
Stunned at seeing Dahlia so amused, Anthony took a moment to watch her. To note how the sun lit her face. To see the sparkle in her green eyes. The chestnut highlights in her hair. The way the peach of her gown complemented her complexion.
When she suddenly turned her attention on him, he pretended he had been staring at something behind her. “The library might be available now,” he said by way of a suggestion of where they could go for privacy. When he saw her quelling glance, he quickly added, “I promise, I’ll never tup you over a table.”
Dahlia’s eyes rounded. “Breckinridge!”
“You were imagining it. I could tell,” he accused.
“How do you even...?” She clamped her mouth shut as a blush bloomed over her face. Combined with the peach of her gown, she now displayed more color than the nearby tulips. “Did Father speak of it with you?” she asked. From her manner, Anthony feared she was about to kick the prone earl.
“Never mind,” he said as he once again offered his arm. When she didn’t immediately take it, he took her gloved hand and forcibly placed it on his arm. “There are other far more important matters to discuss,” he stated. “After I kiss you senseless,” he added, remembering what Danielle had told him to do.
Although Dahlia’s eyes once again rounded in surprise, a grin accompanied her expression of shock.
