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His host looked at the women holding court among a bed of flowers.

“Lady Gillian, daughter of John Bowman, Lord Lyndwood. Or do you mean her sister Allie standing behind them? And a dear friend of my wife’s.”

Lady Gillian.

“A marriageable sort,” Geoffrey warned, as if reading his thoughts. “As is her sister standing behind them.”

Which meant she wasn’t for him.

“And soon to be married herself, I believe.”

“To?” He didn’t care. Or shouldn’t care. But he found himself asking anyway.

Geoffrey hesitated. “The Earl of Covington.”

He didn’t bother to hide his shock. “The Earl of—”

“Aye. And I do believe my wife is attempting to talk her out of the match. But it was, or soon will be, arranged by her father. I don’t believe Sara will win this battle.”

The Earl of Covington. Graeme didn’t know much about him, but none of what he’d heard was good. And he must be . . . “How old is he?”

Geoffrey shrugged. “I’ve not asked the man, but at least Peter’s age.”

He watched Lady Gillian hand Emma a flower and tried to imagine such a woman paired with the decrepit old earl. What could her father possibly be thinking?

Just then, all four women looked up. Directly at him.

Sara smiled. Emma winked, the little minx.

And Lady Gillian simply stared. Did she recognize him? She clearly did for she looked down just as quickly as she’d glanced his way.

So she was shy today? That had certainly not been the case last eve when she’d watched him pleasure the girl he’d walked away from moments later.

Had Lady Gillian been in his arms instead, he had a feeling he may have just stayed.

4

“Out with it.” Sara knew her too well.

“I don’t believe I—”

“Your cheeks are as red as that dress you wore that one year when—”

“Is he still looking?” There was no use denying anything was amiss, so she might as well enlist her friend’s aid in escaping.

“Who?” Sara looked back up while Gillian handed Allie a flower, pretending to finish the wreath in front of her. “Graeme?”

Graeme. So that was his name.

“The one talking to Geoffrey.”

When all four of them immediately glanced at the men, Gillian whispered, “Don’t look,” and put her head back down.

“Emma, did you just wink at him?” Sara asked.

“Indeed. I had thought it might be awkward to see him again, but his smile is just as charming as I remember it. I thought mayhap it would ease the tension.”

“Tension?” Allie asked.