As if unable to help himself, his gaze drew back to Beatrice as he heard her laugh, the sound making his heart skip a beat.
“A lovely young woman Lady Beatrice seems to be,” Emerson noted. “She seems to be getting along quite well with Henry. Though that is not hard. He seems to get along well with any young lady.”
Algernon tried to laugh, but the sound he made was not quite that.
“Yes, well, Henry has always had a flirtatious spirit when it came to young ladies. Even when he was a boy,” Algernon said. “However, he is different with Lady Beatrice. I believe there is affection stirring between them.”
“That would be good,” Emerson countered. “I was lucky to find such affection with Elaine. I never had much interest in an arranged marriage. They seem so stiff and boring.”
Algernon only nodded, his attention pulled more to Beatrice by the second.
“Tell me, is she any relation to Simeon Cooper, the Earl of Farhampton?”
That snapped Algernon’s attention right back to Emerson, and he looked at him with a quickness as his mind raced to come up with an answer.
“Distantly, I believe,” Algernon said, the lie coming out smooth. He then leaned in toward Emerson and whispered dramatically, “Do let the others know not to bring it up to her, however. While I am not certain, I believe there is bad blood between them.”
“Oh,” Emerson whispered, his eyes darting to Beatrice and his wife. “What sort?”
“Well in France their laws are more liberal when it comes to women and money,” Algernon whispered, “It is said that the Earl is quite jealous of his young relative as her fortune is so much more vast than his own. They do not speak, nor should we speak of it either. Poor taste, you know.”
“Of course, of course,” Emerson murmured though by the look on his face, Algernon knew he was giddy from the new gossip.
“Excuse me while I let my wife know,” Emerson added, patting Algernon on the shoulder as he walked away.
As the four guests moved away from Beatrice and Henry, Algernon approached the two.
“How are you doing?” he asked, looking from one to the other expectantly.
“As usual, Beatrice here is a refreshing delight to speak with,” Henry praised. “She was just telling me she could do a bit of gold embroidery to my jacket, which would help bring out the gold in my eyes.”
Algernon shifted his eyes to Beatrice, giving her chastising look.
“Is that so?” he mused.
“It would take no time at all,” Beatrice answered, her cheeks flushing as he looked at her.
Algernon could practically feel her nervousness radiating off of her, and as his gaze traveled down her person, he noted how anxiously she was rubbing her right thumb over her palm. She needed something to soothe her nerves and soon, he suspected, or he feared she would rub a hole right through her hand.
“Come,” he commanded, loud enough for all to hear, “I am certain that dinner is ready to be served. Let us gather in the dining room.”
As he turned, he did not wait to see if the others were following him—he knew they were—and instead of waiting for Henry to escort Beatrice, he wrapped his arm around hers and escorted her himself, keeping several steps in front of the others.
Algernon hurried her to the dining table to the seat where she was positioned between himself and Henry, and he put her full wine glass in her hand.
“Drink,” Algernon commanded in a low tone.
He expected Beatrice to question him, as was her pattern as of late, but instead she immediately lifted the glass to her lips and began to obey him.
“Oh, dear,” Henry said, alerting them to his presence as he strolled casually to his seat. “I see my brother attempts to command you as he does me. Annoying, is it not?”
Algernon shot him a warning glare, but it was Beatrice that broke the tension with a nervous laugh.
“Oh, I am so glad you understand how annoying it is,” she said to Henry. “At last, I have a comrade in arms when it comes to this commanding man.”
Algernon’s brows lifted in shock, surprised that she would make such a familiar jest about him—and in front of company no less! Yet her words sent Henry into a fit of laughter, and as the two seemingly began to bond, Algernon frowned and let himself be the butt of their shared joke. After all he was supposed to be happy for the two of them to get along, was he not?
CHAPTER FOURTEEN