Page 86

“The dowager duchess told me she would like to attend the upcoming A. Stone painting exhibit,” Mei interrupted her. She had absolutely no desire to discuss the Duke of Bolton’s marital prospects or her reaction to him, which she knew Astrid had noticed. The less said, especially in public, the better. “I told her I might be able to secure a private showing for her if she was so inclined.”

“Did you now?”

“Yes.” Mei slanted her friend a glance.

“Well, then. I am sure something can be worked out.” Astrid tilted her head back, rolling her head around her neck with a thoughtful expression on her face. “She is a duchess after all, and not the first lady to be interested in a private showing.”

Mei inclined her head. She did not often remind Astrid that she knew her secrets, but to cut off the direction the conversation had been about to take had required drastic measures. She knew Astrid had understood the underlying message—I don’t want to talk about Sebastian.

Perhaps when the house party was over, she would be ready to, but right now it felt like he was her secret. She did not want to share him yet. No more than she had to under the circumstances.

“Astrid, it is our turn.” Drake had come closer again, tension in every line of his body.

“Lucifer, I know.” Astrid rolled her eyes. “You truly must think me cabbage-brained if you think I need to be told when my turn is.”

“If you say so, mon petit chou.” Bowing slightly, Drake gestured with his hand for Astrid to move ahead of him as her mouth tightened at the hated endearment.

Truthfully, if she had not objected to it so strongly, Mei suspected Drake would not use it so often. And this time, Astrid truly had been asking for it by bringing up being cabbage-brained, which was what she had accused Drake of calling her the first time he’d termed her that.

On the other hand, she’d been calling him Lucifer for ages, so it’s not as though he was alone in using a pet name to get under the other’s skin. Drake clearly hated being called that as much as Astrid hated being called his little cabbage.

Mei found herself glancing over at Sebastian again. He was speaking to Miss Fenley, and Lord Owen was glaring at the pair of them again, while Lady MarcyAnne looked thoughtfully around at the company. She seemed to have given up on keeping Lord Owen’s focus.

When it came down to it, Mei did feel some sympathy for Astrid. She would not like being called a little cabbage either; she much preferred being Sebastian’s little minx.

Sebastian

The morning went by quickly enough. Sebastian was no longer worried about losing Mei’s affection to Simon Fenley, though he’d had a few moments of worry that he might lose her entirely. The young man had not been jesting about his inability to play Pall Mall. Enough so that Sebastian pulled Tiffany aside for a quick word about the afternoon’s archery competition during luncheon. After seeing Mr. Fenley’s lack of skill at Pall Mall, she might not have needed the word, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Watching Mei from a distance was pure torture but a necessary one. Sebastian was already aware of the way his friends were watching them. He was not sure if she had noticed or not. Her attention had been mostly taken up by staying out of the way of Mr. Fenley’s flying mallet, as well as watching the non-married members of the company.

Zachary and Lady Annabelle made for rather depressing watching. He was grim-faced, making his way through the course, while she kept a serene smile on her lips and pretended nothing was wrong. As a glimpse of their future, it was lowering, and another point toward Sebastian marrying the woman he wanted to, not the woman he felt he had to.

It was clear Christian was being his usual self with Lady Darcy—charming, attentive, and not at all truly engaged. Whether or not she realized that last was up for debate. He was saying all the right words and doing all the right things, which she accepted as her due. Sebastian supposed they would not make the worst couple… though he did notice that Christian’s gaze kept going to where Rose was standing and speaking with the elder Mr. Fenley. The two of them did not seem to have much to talk about.

That did not stop Christian from looking.

Once luncheon was over, they all made their way to the field where the targets had been set up, along with seating to watch. Mr. Fenley would be stationed at the target the farthest away from the seating area.

“Ladies first?” Lady Darcy asked, her eyes sparkling as she reached for one of the waiting bows. Sebastian had no doubt she was a splendid archer and was looking forward to showing off her skill. His supposition was confirmed when she expertly tested the bow’s weight, ensuring she would be able to draw it.

“Absolutely,” Astrid agreed, also stepping up to take one of the waiting bows.

The company sorted itself out into watchers and archers. Sebastian was unsurprised, but a bit disappointed, when Mei joined the watchers on the side of the field. The opportunities to speak with her would not have been very much increased even if she was taking part in the competition, but there would have been a greater possibility.

On the other hand, he realized, this way she could watch him to her heart’s content. And no one would be able to single out who he was actually looking at when he looked over at the audience, which meant he could look at her far more than he could during Pall Mall. It might be from a distance, but for now he would take what he could get.

Surprisingly, Lady Isabella had opted to sit with the audience rather than join the competition. He knew she was a very good archer. Perhaps she was tired after the morning… or perhaps she wished a break from Northumberland. The man was stretching and joking as he chose his bow and constantly glancing toward the seated watchers. There was no doubt in Sebastian’s mind who Northumberland was looking at.

Lady MarcyAnne and Miss Fenley had also decided to sit out. After a moment’s hesitation, so had Lord Owen, and he was now seated between the pair of them, though his focus was on Miss Fenley. While Sebastian had enjoyed her company this morning, and the buffer she’d given him from Lady MarcyAnne and Lady Darcy, he silently wished Lord Owen luck.

All the young ladies Mei had chosen were exemplary in their own way… just not for him.

Christian had decided to sit out as well, and was seated beside Matthew and Johanna, with Rose on the other side of Johanna. The dowager duchess had taken the seat beside Rose and was chatting with her amiably. Christian was actually an excellent archer, but that meant he rarely did so publicly. Even after his father died, he hated to excel at anything where someone might see it. It also meant that Monkey Sinclair could watch the proceedings, tolerating Christian’s shoulder as a substitute for Zachary’s.

“There is a prize for the winner, yes?” Nathanial asked Gregory, who grinned.

“There are three prizes,” Gregory informed him. “One for the ladies, one for the gentlemen, and one for our overall champion of the day using both our scores from Pall Mall and archery. Tiffany suggested doing a footrace as well, but I put the kibosh on that idea. I was not of a mind to do any running after luncheon.”