But she clearly hadn’twantedto be charmed.
Not by me, anyway.
As she danced, she laughed at something Sir William said. The poor man had no idea of how false it really was. Vexation rose in my throat, and I suddenly sympathized with Colin’s plan. I had no qualms about being deceptive if Miss Sharp was going to be the same.
I may have been pretending to be someone I wasn’t, but at the moment, so was she.
After enduring one more hour at the ball, mostly keeping to the balcony, I sneaked through the front door of Colin’s townhouse. In the safety of the entrance hall, I released a long breath. My shoulders were still tight, my neck sore from how tense it had been all evening. Was this how Colin felt all the time? I rubbed the back of my neck and tugged away my cravat. It was a relief not to smell starch every time I breathed through my nose.
I had seen light from the study window, so I started toward it. Colin was surely awaiting the news of all that had occurred that evening. I had planned on telling him how impossible my task now seemed, but I stopped a few paces outside the door. Would it be wise to make my failure obvious? I did need his help finding clients, and the allowance would be useful as well. Giving up didn’t feel like an option.
“Colin?” I knocked lightly on the door before he called me inside.
He sat behind the desk, a half-empty cup of brandy beside his open ledger. The moment I entered the room, he leaned his elbows on the desk. “Well? Tell me everything.”
I laughed shakily. I couldn’t very well tell him that Miss Sharp had rejected my invitation to dance. I bit the inside of my cheek as I considered where to start. “I think I made progress, but it is too soon to tell.” There. That was honest enough.
Colin eyed me suspiciously. “Did you dance with her?”
“I tried.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Sir William beat me to it.”
Colin groaned. “How did you allow that to happen? If he develops an attachment to her, we’ll be too late to change his mind.”
“Why don’t we tell him what Miss Sharp told you? We might simply inform Sir William what Miss Sharp’s intentions are, and if he proceeds in his pursuit, then that is his own fault.”
“Where is the fun in that?” Colin asked with a scoff, taking a sip from his glass. “Miss Sharp has proven that she will simply move on to the next unassuming gentleman. Besides, I quite enjoy being accounted for at social gatherings, yet not having to attend them myself.” His eyes gleamed with rare amusement.
I shook my head. “This is ridiculous.”
“You don’t enjoy it? Not even a little?” Colin jested more when he was on the verge of being drunk.
“I might enjoy it more once Miss Sharp learns her lesson.” I reached for Colin’s glass and took a sip from it myself.
He rose from his chair to snatch it out of my hand. “I’m glad we are on the same page. You must have seen the truth of her character this evening. She is quite devious, don’t you agree?”
Deviouswas putting it kindly. I wouldn’t admit that I was also intrigued by her. I wouldn’t easily forget how befuddled her words had left me, nor how beautiful she had looked in her ivory gown. But I nodded, staring blankly at the wall behind my brother as I struggled to envision a step forward in my quest. It seemed that Miss Sharp’s resistance to courting me centered on the fact that she believed me to be insincere. After Colin’s rejection, she must have been thoroughly confused by my attention. She wouldn’t easily fall into the trap as Colin had expected.
She was smarter than we had given her credit for.
So how could I convince her? The question lingered in my mind. There was no clear answer, but I knew exactly where I should start. With Miss Sharp, I needed to stop acting so much like Colin. He was dull and boring and didn’t know how to flirt.
I needed to start acting like Clark.
CHAPTER 7
ARABELLA
Freddy tossed a raspberry in the air and caught it in his mouth. He grinned victoriously, the berry forming a small lump in his cheek.
Aunt Julia applauded.
“Stop that,” I scolded from my side of the tea table. “You’ll choke.”
In one swift motion, Freddy swiped a lump of butter over a piece of toast, taking an overly large bite. Had he forgotten what dire straits he was in? I felt a scowl forming on my brow as Freddy threw another raspberry into the air and caught it in his mouth again. He laughed.
