“Good lord, you will believe any nonsense at all, won’t you? As long as it’s about a Scot.” Then he crossed over and clasped Clara’s hands. “Thank you, my lady, for the most entertaining evening I’ve had all year. This has been truly delightful.”
“Delightful?” Clara echoed, obviously confused. “But the ghost of your Nana just told you we can’t marry.”
“Yes, well, she was always a terribly busybody in life. I didn’t listen to her then, so I can’t see as how I’d listen to her now.”
“But…but…we can’t! You’ve had a message from beyond the grave!”
He lifted her listless hands up to his mouth and pressed kisses onto her hands. “Come riding with me in Hyde Park tomorrow morning.”
“What? No!”
“We can walk in the afternoon at the fashionable hour.”
Clara actually shuddered. Aaron knew his sister hated the fashionable hour. “I cannot do that.”
“Then dance with me at a ball. What do you attend? I shall gain an invitation even if it is at the palace itself.”
“The palace?” She sounded even more repulsed than she had at the mention of Hyde Park. “I do not dance, my lord.”
The man tweaked her chin in a fond gesture. “I’ll bet my castle that you do.”
“You’d lose!” Clara said, obviously not guessing that the man meant a decidedly more carnal type of dance. And that was Aaron’s cue to put a stop to things.
“I think this evening is done, Lord Loughton. Perhaps you could try again with an afternoon visit.”
“Yes,” the man said as he smiled at Aaron. “You may be right.” Then he bowed to the room in general. “A capital evening, one and all. A capital evening.” Then as he grabbed his cloak from the butler, he glanced back at Aaron. “Sorry about your table, though. That’s a bloody big gash in it.”
“Yes,” Aaron said mournfully. “So I surmised.” Then he waved his hand and the man departed. Would that the rest of the people in the room could disappear so easily. All but one in particular…
Chapter Five
In the yearplus a week since she’d last seen Lord Chambers, Lilah had imagined all sorts of ways that they might meet again. Never in her wildest imagination did she think he’d walk into their fake séance. But there he was, storming into the room and throwing open the window enough to let out that cloying smoke. If only she could take a deep breath of fresh air, but her chest was tight as she looked at his towering form.
Despite her embarrassment, she drank in the sight of him. She’d wondered if his Lord Ares costume had made him look more handsome. Who could resist muscular arms as they gripped a spear? Tonight, she realized that his shoulders were just as broad as she remembered, and now they were encased in riding clothes that emphasized his narrow waist. His neckcloth was askew, and his hair was disordered enough to make her want to smooth it down with her fingers. But what she saw most was the way he looked around the room with the air of one too tired to make sense of his surroundings.
Fair enough, she thought as she looked at Margarite in her hooded cloak. Jamis was coming out from behind the door to pick up his cleaver. And Lady Clara’s servants were scrambling to curtsy and bow their way out of the room. If only she could flee as well, but she wouldn’t abandon Clara who was twisting her fingers together as she looked everywhere but at her brother.
“Thank you for your work, Margarite, Jamis,” said Lilah. Best get them out of here, too.
Margarite threw her hood back and grinned. “Cor, it were ever so much fun.”
But Jamis, ever suspicious, thrust out his chin. “We were promised two shillings each.”
Lord Kittrel’s head shot up. “Four shillings!”
It was an exorbitant amount, but she’d made the mistake of letting Lady Clara handle the financial negotiation. Meanwhile, the lady was fumbling in her pocket for the money. She pulled out the coins, but Lilah intervened, taking them from her hand before handing them over.
Jamis held out his hand while the other made a fist. “I’ll take that,” he growled.
“And you’ve already received half,” Lilah said firmly as she tossed Margarite a single shilling. Her friend grabbed it out of the air with a grin. Lilah held back Jamis’ share with a hard stare. “I expect all of my mother’s mail to be sent to me immediately from now on. I’ll even pay for the missives. But if I ever hear that you burned them again—”
“I don’t know wot yer talking about!” Jamis bellowed.
“Then now you do,” she said sternly. “Send my mother’s mail to me.” Then she held out the shilling.
He snatched the coin from her fingers then jerked his head at Margarite who was gathering up the brazier. She blew a kiss to Lilah and winked at Lady Clara before trailing in Jamis’ wake. Just before the door, she turned and called back. “Sorry about the table, gov!” Then with a final impudent kiss, she left the house.
That left her, Lady Clara, and Lord Kittrel alone in the dining room since the servants had all disappeared. Silence built between them to an uncomfortable degree. Enough that Lilah finally touched her friend’s hand.