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Leah exhaled to release the tension in her shoulders before glancing to her right. A man was seated there. Mr. John Newton. Or was it George? George sounded more familiar, however she didn’t need to remember his Christian name, did she? He had a somber look about him, as if he were reflecting on a deeply distressing memory.

His glazed eyes stared down at the table.

“I confess I have never seen such a grand dining room,” Leah said in a confident voice.

Mr. Newton didn’t look up.

Did he even know she was addressing him?

Her face burned. Mr. Hawthorne had noticed her failure, a faint smirk touching his lips as he turned his attention back to Miss Benson.

Leah gritted her teeth before putting on a pleasant smile. “Mr. Newton?”

The man’s attention snapped away from the table, and his gaze finally settled on her face.

Oh, my. He looked even more sullen from that angle.

“Have you ever seen such a grand dining room?” she asked with a cheerful expression. He did seem to need a little cheer in his life.

Mr. Newton shook his head softly. “No, indeed. I find it quite formidable,” he confessed. A faint smile tugged on his mouth, but it was gone in an instant, that distant look returning to his eyes.

Leah studied his features. Though he looked quite morose, he was still handsome enough. She had seen him earlier in the day conversing with a Mr. Oliver Cole, who Leah was much more wary of. She caught Mr. Cole glancing in her direction from across the table before his flirtatious gaze drifted away to the other ladies in attendance.

She doubted he would have marriage in mind.

But Mr. Newton seemed to be a practical choice.

And how convenient that he was seated directly beside her. His eyes darted back down to the table as he cleared his throat. Perhaps she could blame the formidable dining room for his discomfort, not her polite smiles. She wasn’t being overly flirtatious at all…unlike Mr. Hawthorne.

She accidentally glanced in his direction again, just in time to see him chuckling at something Miss Benson had said. His smile took on a flirtatious edge, and he whispered something that Leah couldn’t overhear.

Miss Benson’s cheeks turned pink.

Was it that easy for handsome men to charm women? She contained an exasperated breath. If Mr. Hawthorne had decided he wanted to marry, he could easily accomplish that objective in a matter of weeks by flirting, showing attention, and offering a proposal. Leah had much less control over her own situation. She could not propose to a man. All she could do was encourage and wait and hope. It was entirely unfair. Mr. Hawthorne could accomplish his task far faster than she could.

Somehow it already felt like a competition. And she was losing miserably.

Mr. Hawthorne’s gaze jumped in her direction periodically, as if he were also assessing his advantages.

Leah turned more fully toward Mr. Newton as the second course was served, asking about his home and interests and family. He was quiet but polite, and there was nothing concerning about his manners. He even smiled once or twice.

Once was a more realistic estimation.

Unfortunately, Miss Benson smiled a great deal more than once at Mr. Hawthorne.

Just when Leah was prepared to retire her efforts for the evening, the dining room door opened and a young man strode through it, stopping most of the conversations abruptly. His presence commanded attention, even if he appeared not to want it.

Leah sat up straighter, as did most of the other guests.

Lady Dalmeer stood abruptly with a smile that made her eyes nearly disappear. She crossed the room to the man and extended her hand for him to kiss. “His lordship has arrived.”

With some urging from Lady Dalmeer, the butler stepped forward to announce him. “His lordship, the Earl of Dalmeer.”

Leah examined the man quickly from head to toe. He carried himself elegantly, as she would expect from an earl. He was handsome too, much like many of the other men there. Her head seemed to fill with fluff as she stared at him, the words passing between Lady Dalmeer and her son lost within her observations of him.

“I am quite happy to take one of the empty seats,” he said.

Leah had already told herself that Lord Dalmeer was not a realistic option, but her heart jumped to her throat when his gaze settled on the empty chair beside her. Her pulse raced as he started toward it.