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You. God, he had to stop wanting to say provocative things to her, stop thinking of her as his. There was no point. Eve would make him feel things, when he would rather not. He was considering a witty retort that would hide his true emotions, when the door opened and his mother hurried out to greet them.

Mother was even smiling, which she seldom did these days. “Here you are! I am so delighted to see you, Eve,” she said as she took Eve’s hands in hers. “And haven’t you grown into a beautiful woman, my dear? Don’t you agree, Noel?”

“I do,” he said, wishing it weren’t too dark to see if Eve was blushing.

Then his mother turned to the other two Archers with another rare smile. “I’m delighted to meet the pair of you, too, of course.”

Noel made the introductions, then added, “But we should probably go inside, Mother, before we all freeze to death.”

“Oh, pish,” his mother said, “the cold never bothers you and you know it.”

“I’m wearing a greatcoat, aren’t I?” he told her.

“For once.” Mother sniffed as she ushered them into the town house. “Half the time you walk around with the thinnest attire possible, risking your very life.”

Now that sounded more the way his mother used to be— overprotective and worried about him, thank God. Not walking about in a fog of grief.

He removed Eve’s embroidered pieces from his coat before letting the footman take it, then tucked them under his arm as he bent toward James. “You see what I mean, lad? She scolds me often.”

“Not often enough, apparently,” Mother said. “And when I do, it’s because you deserve it.”

He chuckled. “No doubt.” He turned to their guests. “Welcome to Cokesbury Place.”

Meanwhile, James was staring about him. “God bless me, you live in a palace!”

“Don’t say that in front of the queen. She would not agree.” Noel glanced over at Eve only to find her reddening, clearly embarrassed by her brother’s behavior. “Your sister used to come here quite a bit, James. Do you think it has changed much, Miss Archer?”

That must have been the right approach to lessening her mortification, for she cast him a grateful smile. “Hardly at all. For one thing, I remember that staircase well. The finials are so lovely. Although I see that your entrance rug is new. It’s quite pretty.”

“Father bought it after winning money in a card game,” he said tightly. It had been one of the few times he’d won, and Noel had wanted to spend the money on the tenant cottages. But as usual, his father had refused to do such a practical thing.

With a veiled look at him, his mother stepped in, making sure everyone else shed their coats, scarves, and hats and handed them to the footmen. When Eve faced him once more, he caught his breath.

Her red sarsenet gown ornamented with fading ribbons clearly wasn’t new, nor was it richly made. But it fit her perfectly, pushing her breasts up just enough to make his mouth water. And it had embroidery all about the bodice, as if to draw attention to the treats inside.

He wanted treats. He dared not have them. Still …

“What my son is trying to tell you with his rude stare, Eve,” Mother said, clearly amused, “is that you look lovely in that gown.”

“You do,” he managed to choke out.

“Is the embroidery yours, dear?” Mother asked. “It’s quite good.”

“Thank you, Lady Cokesbury,” Eve said, sparing a soft glance for him. “Yes, I embroidered everything on our clothing. And I owe my skill, such as it is, to you. I must thank you for all you showed me. I learned so much from you during those days when Natalie and I were together, plying our needles and giggling over nothing.”

Noel tensed and glanced at his mother, but she barely reacted to the mention of Natalie, which surprised him. He’d been walking on eggshells around her ever since his sister’s death, trying not to speak of Natalie or hint at things from that time. Perhaps he should have spoken of her more.

Suddenly, he remembered the other pieces he’d brought and handed them to his mother. “These are Eve’s … I mean, Miss Archer’s, too, Mother.”

His mother examined them, then broke into a broad smile. “You were right, son. These are perfect.” She gestured to the Archer family. “Come, come, let us all go into the drawing room. I have something important to discuss with Eve before dinner.”

Eve shot him a quizzical look, but he merely smiled as he accompanied her into the drawing room.

Once there, his mother offered glasses of sherry to all but James, who had to be content with punch. Then she bade the ladies sit on the settee. She perched next to Eve on one side while Lady Archer sat next to Eve on the other. That left him and James to take the chairs opposite.

Mother patted Eve’s knee. “Noel has been raving about your intricate embroidery designs.”

“Lord Cokesbury raves about things?” Eve said in a teasing tone. “I confess I have trouble imagining that.”