Although Drake found that an interesting question, he replied honestly. ‘Yes, I am.’
Lifting his chin as if he needed to find a bit of courage, Blair said, ‘I—I see.’ He then glanced at Meridith with what could only be described as a look of longing.
‘Enjoy the evening, Mr Blair,’ she said.
‘Y-you, too.’ With that, Blair pivoted on his heel and walked away.
Watching him leave, Drake imagined that if the man had a tail, it would have been hanging low in defeat between his legs. ‘He was one of the men your family introduced you to?’
‘If you’re asking whether he was one of the ones that they thought I should be interested in marrying, yes, he was.’
Drake hadn’t been asking, simply confirming. ‘You were not interested in him?’ he asked as they moved away from the staircase, towards the hallway that led to the back of the house where the ballroom was located.
‘Mr Blair is a butcher,’ she said, gently hooking a hand around his elbow again. ‘Or rather, his family owns several butcher shops across the country. And though I fully understand that is a needed and respected profession, that is all he talks about. Different cuts of meat, different types of meat, and…’ A tiny little shake took over her entire body as she glanced up at him. ‘I found it quite disturbing.’
‘I can understand that,’ Drake said honestly. He also questioned whether Mr Blair could possibly have enough confidence to wield a block knife.
‘Thank you, because my family didn’t,’ she replied. ‘They said butchering was a fact of life.’
‘That doesn’t mean you have to like it.’
Meridith’s smile reached her eyes, made them sparkle. ‘Exactly. But no one else saw it that way.’
‘You did, and that’s something to be happy about.’ He patted her fingers that were hooked around his elbow. ‘Knowing your own mind.’
She frowned, then nodded. ‘You’re right, it is.’
He took delight in her understanding and had to confess that he liked the way her hand held on to his arm. In fact, he found that he liked walking beside her.
He didn’t have time to contemplate that further because another man stepped before them, causing them to stop walking.
This one was tall and slender, older than Mr Blair, and appeared to have a permanent frown due to the way his bushy, dark brows met above the bridge of his nose. ‘Good evening, Lady Meridith,’ he said.
‘Hello, Mr Harding,’ she replied, in a tone that hinted she wasn’t happy to see this man, either. ‘Allow me to introduce you to Captain Drake Taylor.’
Drake gave the man a nod. ‘Mr Harding.’
‘Captain Taylor,’ the man replied. ‘Are you a friend of Lady Meridith’s?’
‘Indeed, I am,’ he replied, giving Meridith a quick glance—and a grin.
‘As am I,’ the man said, taking a step closer. ‘Have been for some time.’
Drake wasn’t sure if the man was attempting to be intimidating or was simply arrogant. Either way, his bird brain kicked in.
That was a saying of his uncle’s. Drake had been a young boy the first time Uncle Donald had explained that a person felt a distinct impulse either to fight or take flight. And when that happened, his uncle had said, it was best to be a bird. Just smile and fly away. Drake had taken that approach to heart and perfected it. There had been a rare handful of moments when he’d resorted to fighting—even in moments when he was defending something dear to him. He always gave the other person the option of walking away first.
He’d do the same now, even as every instinct demanded he defend Meridith. Pulling up a smile, he asked, ‘Who needs enemies?’
He let his stare communicate that his statement wasn’t a compliment, all the while holding a smile.
‘I dare say, Lady Meridith and I are not enemies,’ the man said. ‘I am directly related to the queen.’
If Drake hadn’t already been too disgusted by the man for amusement, he might have laughed. ‘Good for you. Tell the queen hello from me, and tell her that Meridith and I are not enemies, either.’
‘Please excuse us, Mr Harding,’ Meridith said, while wrapping her fingers tighter around Drake’s arm. ‘Captain Taylor and I are looking for someone.’
‘I request a moment of your time, Lady Meridith,’ Harding practically commanded.
