Part 6 (1/2)
”Neither do I,” Mr. Hunter remarked.
”It's not a secret, it's...Oh, never mind.” She pushed at a lock of hair that had come loose when Mr. Hunter had startled her. ”Lizzy, Mother's waiting.”
Lizzy pulled a face. ”Must I go?”
Kate hesitated, torn between desiring Lizzy's rea.s.suring presence in the parlor, and wanting Lizzy's comfort. The latter won out fairly quickly, but she let the silence drag out a few extra seconds in retribution for Lizzy's loose tongue. ”If you'd rather not, I'm sure I can manage it on my own. Although-”
”Excellent. I'll just be in my room, then.”
Kate sighed as Lizzy made a rapid escape down the hall. ”So much for loyalty in the face of adversity.”
”You could have insisted she come,” Hunter pointed out.
”No reason for the both of us to be miserable,” she grumbled.
He bent his head to catch her eye. ”What's changed since I left you on the lawn?”
”What do you mean?” she asked, noticing for the first time that he'd smoothed the flyaway locks of his hair. She wondered if the man was vain, or just very neat.
”You were happy enough to go in for tea when I saw you last,” he explained. ”What's changed?”
She shook her head. ”Nothing that warrants the waste of three perfectly good minutes.” She positively refused to admit it might have been closer to four.
He offered his arm and a rea.s.suring smile. ”Whatever it is, we'll brave it together.”
She looked at his arm, then him. She couldn't find a trace of arrogance in his dark eyes, nor teasing in his tone. ”Are you offering to be my friend, Mr. Hunter?”
His expression didn't change, but unless she was much mistaken, his voice softened a little. ”Would you like me to be?”
Yes.
Kate bit back the instinctual reply. The man was too arrogant by half all ready. No reason to go adding to his vanity with instantaneous agreement simply because she was curious. And given the fractious nature of their encounters thus far, it might serve her well to think the offer through a bit before accepting. It might serve her very very well if he knew she was thinking the offer through before accepting. well if he knew she was thinking the offer through before accepting.
”Lady Kate?”
She held up a single finger and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. ”A moment.”
He was was clever and witty, both points in his favor. Whit seemed to think highly of him, which helped. Furthermore, he'd been willing to speak with her of rakes and debauchers and matters of business. He'd danced with Miss Heins, and he treated Lizzy with respect. clever and witty, both points in his favor. Whit seemed to think highly of him, which helped. Furthermore, he'd been willing to speak with her of rakes and debauchers and matters of business. He'd danced with Miss Heins, and he treated Lizzy with respect.
”Right.” She nodded once. ”Yes. I would, I think.”
He dropped the arm she'd been rather surprised to see he was still holding up. ”You needed that long to decide?”
She decided, in the interest of friends.h.i.+p, to hide her amus.e.m.e.nt at his disgruntled tone. ”It really isn't a decision one should make in haste.”
”It generally isn't one that requires extensive deliberation either,” he said dryly.
”I found this to be an exceptional case.”
A spark of humor entered his dark eyes and he offered up his arm once more. ”A man can do worse than be exceptional. If you've made up your mind, then?”
Kate didn't square her shoulders before entering the parlor, but only because there was a chance Mr. Hunter would notice and comment. She did, however, immediately scan the room for a chair that would put the greatest possible distance between herself and Miss Willory. With that accomplished, she none too subtly attempted to steer Mr. Hunter in that direction. A futile effort, as it turned out. Miss Willory was out of her seat and coming toward them, false smile in place, before Kate had taken more than two steps into the room.
”Lady Kate! Mr. Hunter! How marvelous to see you both.”
Even with her mother, that relentless champion of etiquette, looking on, Kate couldn't manage a more polite greeting than a tight smile and a simple, ”Miss Willory.”
Next to her, Hunter made a noise that sounded suspiciously like, ”Ah.”
Miss Willory made a show of taking Kate's free arm and pulling her away from Mr. Hunter. ”Lady Kate, I'm so relieved to finally see you arrive for tea. Your mother was just saying that you'd been expected for some time. I was growing worried you'd met with a mishap.”
”I'm quite well, Miss Willory, thank you. I trust your journey was uneventful?”
There, that should please her mother. Or maybe not, Kate thought after a moment's reflection. The dowager Lady Thurston wasn't fond of Miss Willory either.
”Exceedingly,” Miss Willory replied with a dramatic sigh. ”I vow, I nearly perished from boredom.”
”I am sorry to hear it.” She carefully pulled her arm free as they pa.s.sed a small settee and she bent to place a kiss on her mother's upturned cheek. ”Afternoon, Mother. I'm sorry I'm late.”
Lady Thurston returned the gesture. She was a small woman with soft gray hair, cheerful rosy cheeks, gentle blue eyes, and a backbone constructed entirely of iron. ”Quite all right, dear. Did you enjoy your stroll on the beach?”
”I did, very much. I-”
”You went to the beach?” Miss Willory cried. Her voice came out shy of hysterical, but not shy enough. Every head in the room turned in their direction. ”You went alone alone?”
And so it begins, Kate thought, with a sigh. ”Yes. I-”
”But what if you had fallen in?”
”I imagine I would have climbed back out again.” She'd been strolling on the beach, for pity's sake, not sailing deep waters.
”But you might have drowned-”
”In a few inches of water?”
”Certainly the beach is safe enough for most most, but you you might have hit your head as you tumbled in, or tangled yourself in your skirts, or-” might have hit your head as you tumbled in, or tangled yourself in your skirts, or-”
”Miss Willory,” Lady Thurston cut in coolly. ”Your concern is noted. noted.” She let that word hang between them, countess to ambitious commoner, for a heartbeat before daintily reaching for her cup. ”But it might be better served by allowing Kate to take her seat and drink her tea.”
”Of course,” Miss Willory fairly cooed. ”How thoughtless of me. You must must sit down and rest, dear. You can tell us all about your little adventure, and-” sit down and rest, dear. You can tell us all about your little adventure, and-”
”I'm afraid I promised to take my tea with Mr. Hunter,” Kate cut in. He'd told her to save him a seat, anyway, and that very nearly qualified as the same thing. She turned and gestured to where he was standing on the far side of the room, his hands clasped behind his back and a smile playing on his lips as he watched the exchange.