During the nearly two years they’d been acquainted, she’d learned she could count on him to entertain her with his childhood stories. She loved a good laugh, and he was quite witty in the retelling. Most men wouldn’t be so willing to retell a story, even a childhood one, where they looked the fool, but not Lord Berkeley. He seemed to relish it.
“Is that really true?” she whispered to him.
He let loose a dramatic sigh. “Absolutely. As much as I’d like to embellish the story to make myself out to be the hero, the sad truth is that I was out walking when I stumbled over a trap holding the rabbit’s foot, and somehow, it released. The poor little thing didn’t waste any time scampering off into the forest while I lay on the ground with a mouthful of dirt.”
Mia couldn’t contain her giggles. The very image of Lord Berkeley on the ground spitting out dirt was too delicious. “You must stop. You’re going to get me in trouble.”
“My dear lady, that’s the last thing I would ever want to do,” he said with a cheeky grin. “Now pay attention. Your sister is about to sing,” he said in a mock reprimand.
She had to look away from Lord Berkeley to stop herself from picturing him on the ground, probably cursing the groundskeeper who’d set the trap. She took a deep breath and adjusted her skirts before glancing at Lord Easton. He wore a frown, and she wondered what had annoyed him.
“Lord Easton, is something amiss?” she whispered as her sister walked to the pianoforte.
“Nothing is amiss,” he said, smoothing his face. “I’m looking forward to hearing Lady Fletcher sing this evening.”
Mia thought that an odd explanation for the frown he wore, but she didn’t comment on it. Why was Lord Easton frowning if he was looking forward to hearing Audrey sing? That didn’t make sense to her. Had something happened since she saw him earlier? She let that thought slip away and turned her attention to Audrey.
Her sister had the most beautiful voice she’d ever heard. In her short time on the marriage mart two years ago, Audrey had become a favorite among the hostesses who’d heard her perform at a few events hosted by Lady Devon, but she hadn’t had much opportunity to enjoy their friendship. Audrey had only attended a handful of events before she and Fletcher wed, and they’d all spent the last year at Dandridge Manor, caring for baby William. Both Audrey and Fletcher had thought it would be better for the child’s well-being to stay in the country and away from the grimy air in London.
Mia agreed that the country was better for the baby, but it wasn’t better for her. She wasn’t as enamored with country living as her two older sisters seemed to be, and when Fletcher agreed to sponsor a Season for her, she was beside herself with joy.
Even though she grew up in London and was the daughter of a baron, her father had either gambled or drunk away most of their coin. There’d been no money for any kind of entertainment. Growing up in London hadn’t been very pleasant, but now everything was different. She was out in Society and determined to enjoy everything she could.
Mia snuck a look at Lord Easton once more while he was engrossed in listening to Audrey sing, and then she glanced at Lord Berkeley. Both men were deliciously handsome in exactly opposite ways—Berkeley with his black hair and soulful brown eyes, and Easton with his blond hair and startling blue eyes.
How lucky was she to be seated between the two most handsome men in the room? Did she prefer one over the other? Not really. She enjoyed both of them. Lord Berkeley was wildly entertaining with his stories, but Lord Easton was more mysterious, with a more serious demeanor that made her wonder what he was thinking about.
When Audrey finished singing, Mia leaned over to Lord Easton. “Did you enjoy that, my lord?”
“I did indeed. Your sister has no rival in her singing ability. Did you not enjoy it?”
She nodded. “Of course. It was wonderful, but it’s just…umm…I’ve heard her sing my entire life, so I’m kind of used to it. Of course, I certainly mean no disrespect to my sister. She’s truly talented, and I adore her. Does that make sense?”
“It does. Sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what is right in front of us.”
“Exactly.”
“Would you care to accompany me to the refreshment table?”
“Yes. I’m parched,” Mia said, standing and smoothing down her skirts. She turned to Lord Berkeley. “Please excuse me for a moment, my lord.”
Lord Berkeley nodded and walked away to chat with some of the other guests.
Mia looked for her sister to see if she’d like a glass, but she’d been waylaid by Lady Carter, who was introducing Audrey to some other guests.
Lord Easton held out his arm. She placed her fingertips on his sleeve and got an immediate jolt that seemed to travel up her arm and down her spine in the most delicious way. She’d never felt anything like it before.
What was that?
She looked at him to see if he’d felt it as well, but he was looking straight ahead. It was probably nothing, although it did make her want to spend more time in his company to see if it would happen again.
“I’m ever so glad you decided to attend tonight,” Mia said as they walked to the refreshment table, where Easton procured two glasses of lemonade and handed one to her.
“Really? You seemed quite enthralled with Berkeley when I arrived.”
“Enthralled with Lord Berkeley?”
Before Mia had a chance to clarify that he was merely a friend who told funny stories, Lady Devon came over to the refreshment table.