Now, her face felt so hot her ears must be steaming.
‘It’s all right,’ he said softly as he reached across the table to take her hand again. ‘I know that you are shy. But there is something that must be done before we arrive at your home. Something I should have done much earlier.’
Dear lord, what was he talking about now? ‘What might that be?’ she said smiling, keeping her tone as placid as possible.
He reached into his pocket and removed a small, leather box. ‘It is hardly a proper engagement if I have not offered you a token of some sort.’
She stared at the box, imagining the Bonham betrothal ring within, and shook her head.
‘It is nothing too fancy,’ he said, as if reading her thoughts. ‘Tom Smith might not have some ancient ring passed down from a long line of ancestors. The wedding ring would likely be a plain, gold band. But there should be something a little more special to commemorate the beginning of such a happy union.’ He opened the box to reveal a turquoise ring. The tiny blue stones were set as a pair of forget-me-nots, flanking a gold lover’s knot.
‘It is beautiful,’ she said staring at it in amazement. It was more than that. It suited her so well he might have chosen it specifically to please her. The idea that he might know and care about her true nature was a seductive one. He claimed he saw her as nothing more than the sister of his friend. What if it was more than that?
‘Give me your hand,’ he said, taking the ring from the box.
She should not be accepting gifts from him, even in jest. If she was not careful, she would be alone in her bed and spinning tales about this moment, making it into something it was never meant to be. But her hand was moving forward, even before she could think.
He took it gently and slipped the ring on her finger, where it fit perfectly. ‘There. Now, you look as you should. Happy and in love.’
Oh dear.
She blinked at him, surprised.
He laughed. ‘You needn’t worry so. It is only a game.’
‘Of course,’ she said, annoyed with herself for feeling cast down.
‘In my experience, a gift of jewellery usually puts a sparkle in a woman’s eye.’
‘That is… I mean…’ She gave him a warning look. ‘Ladies do not accept such gifts.’
‘Not without a promise,’ he said, resting a finger on the knot in the ring.
‘Since I know you have made no such promises, you should not be telling me how women react to presents such as this.’
Now, he was the one embarrassed. She could see a slight flush climbing up his neck. ‘You have caught me out and I am sorry for it. I have been too frivolous for too long. I cannot claim to be unfamiliar with the sort of woman who do accept expensive gifts. But I assure you, Tom Smith is not such an idler. He would never consider such alliances after taking a vow of faithfulness.’
He was speaking of his invention as if the fellow was real and she should care about his fidelity. She knew herself prone to fancy, but she did not dare stray this far from the truth. If she started believing there was a version of Thomas Carew who was truly devoted to her, this trip would end in the madhouse.
‘Tom Smith is a figment of your imagination, not mine. His loyalty is not important to me.’
His finger was still on the ring. She could feel the warmth of him where it touched her skin. He smiled down at it. ‘But it is to me. He is the sort of man I imagine for you, Louisa. Someone who sees you for who and what you are. When this moment happens for you, I do not want you to settle for anything less than a man who loves you. Or even worse, give up on marriage after a few bad Seasons.’
For a man who did not plan to make an offer, he was giving far too much thought to her future. ‘I do not need your help in deciding what my future shall be,’ she said, suddenly struggling to keep her temper.
He looked surprised. ‘I am only trying to help.’
‘To get my money so I will not have to stay with Grandfather,’ she said. ‘But after that, you will go back to your own life and I will go on with mine.’ And she would have to give this ring back since it would be wrong to wear a token from a man who did not want her.
He looked taken aback. ‘It is not as if we will never see each other again. You will always be my little sister.’
‘I have quite enough brothers already,’ she snapped. ‘One is sometimes more than I know what to do with. I certainly do not need London’s most eligible bachelor volunteering for the role.’
The minute the words were out of her mouth she knew she’d said too much, gone too far. The man across the table from her looked shocked, probably because she’d thrown his compliment back in his face. Only a fool would refuse the friendship of a duke.
Or perhaps an infatuated girl stupid enough to want something more. She could hear her grandfather’s laughter echoing in her mind as she blushed with shame.
Before she could apologise, or say something else she might regret, the door to the sitting room opened and Percy appeared, followed by a serving girl with a fresh bottle and a tray of cakes for dessert. By the time he was fully in the room, Thomas had pulled away and his hands were resting on his side of the table as if nothing had happened.
