“Of course. I had a lovely time. Thank you for accompanying us, Lord Easton,” Mia said. She’d been hoping to have more time with him. She was still unsure about how she felt about him—was he merely a family friend or was he becoming something more to her? One moment, she was indifferent, and the next, a stab of jealousy had lodged in her chest when he asked Lady Victoria for a dance at the Gardner ball.
What?
Jealous?
No, she wasn’t jealous, she told herself. She was merely put out because he was talking to one of the most beautiful young ladies of the Season while ignoring her. No one could deny Lady Victoria’s beauty, and the fact that she was also one of the kindest young ladies to debut this year made it hard to dislike her. Mia liked her very much and decided that her friendshipwith Lady Victoria was not something she would ever take lightly. If Lord Easton wanted to speak with her, then Mia told herself she wouldn’t dwell on it because she wouldn’t want to jeopardize her fledgling friendship with Lady Victoria.
“The pleasure was mine, Miss Parker,” Easton said. “Good day, all.”
“And I’m afraid I have another appointment to attend to,” Lord Chandler said. “I look forward to seeing you at the ball. Until then, Miss Parker, Fletcher,” he said, tipping his hat.
“Good day, Lord Chandler,” Mia said.
“Chandler,” Fletcher said as he dismounted and helped Mia down from the saddle, handing Lucille’s reins to Easton.
“Thank you again for loaning me the mare.”
Easton nodded. “My pleasure.”
Mia watched for a moment longer as Easton and Kathryn trotted away.
“Shall we go in? I’m rather parched,” Fletcher said.
“Of course,” Mia said, following him inside.
They found Audrey in the drawing room. “How was your ride?”
Mia skipped into the room and plopped down next to her sister on the sofa. “Oh, Audrey, it was so wonderful. I met Lord Easton’s friends, Lord Chandler and Lord Ludlow, and Lord Chandler has already requested a dance at the Gardner ball.”
“Well, that does sound exciting,” Audrey said.
“And we saw Lady Wright and Lady Victoria. It was lovely to see them again.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” She looked up at her husband. “I’ve ordered a tea tray. It should be brought in shortly.”
“Excellent. I’m quite parched,” Fletcher said, kissing his wife’s cheek. “How are you, my darling?”
“I’m quite well.”
It wasn’t long before a maid brought in the tea tray and placed it on the low table in front of the sofa. She bobbed a quick curtsey and exited the room.
“Mia, will you pour out?”
Mia nodded and prepared cups for all of them before sitting next to her sister again.
“Thank you, dearest. I’m pleased you had an enjoyable time in the park.”
“You’ll never guess who we also saw today,” Mia said.
“Oh? Who would that be?”
Before Mia could respond, Fletcher spoke up. “Lady Whitestone and Lady Nestle. Busybodies as usual, and they were quite disrespectful of Lady Clifford.”
Mia jumped into the conversation before Fletcher could explain. “They addressed her as Lady Kathryn. It seemed purposely done to humiliate her, and they were shocked when Lord Easton corrected them and said his sister is now Lady Clifford.”
“Oh my! I can imagine that didn’t sit well with those two. They claim they know all the best gossip, and yet they had no idea about Kathryn’s marriage. It must have been delightful to see the look on their faces.”
Fletcher nodded. “Oh yes, it was. However, Lady Clifford was as gracious as always and merely greeted them with her usual kindness.”