diplomatic he wanted to be. And considering that she’d already nearly been reduced to tears and they hadn’t even sat down yet to eat, his desire for diplomacy was splintering into nonexistence.
He shifted his grip from her wrist to twine his fingers with hers. “I know there’s the precedent for seating according to rank,” he said aloud, looking over her head to catch her father’s eye, “but I prefer to sit next to Theodora.”
The viscount cleared his throat. “I... I have good cause to believe there would be a riot, Vashton, if I monopolized you by seating you between my daughters.”
“Miss Meacham may sit where she likes. I wish to sit beside Theodora.” He glanced at her, catching the incredulous, dawning amusement in her eyes. “I likely should have said something when I arrived, but I wanted a chance to discuss matters with Theodora, first, to see if she returned my interest. My infatuation. And now I should be speaking privately with you, Beldath, but I’ve never been in love before. I fear I may have circumvented tradition.”
“‘In love,’ my lord?” Lady Beldath squeaked. “With Theodora?”
Ignoring that, he returned his attention to Theo. “Well, this isn’t going at all like I’d planned,” he said dryly, willing her to meet his gaze. “Come with me.”
“My lord!”
Geoffrey glanced over his shoulder at Lord Beldath. “I’ll speak with you shortly.”
Theodora nodded, walking hand in hand with him through the gawping crowd and out to the hallway where he pulled the door closed behind them. Her visit to his bed chamber earlier made more sense now. She believed his interest in her, thank God. Her concern had been that no one else would believe it.
She’d dressed to look compelling when she hadn’t a need in the world to do so, as far as he was concerned. He’d meant to give her a secret with which she could tease her family and friends. She’d trusted him, and had been embarrassed as a result. He vowed right then that that would never happen again.
“Have you changed your mind?” she asked, green eyes avoiding his and a frozen, clearly unfelt smile on her face.
“Is it ridiculous,” he returned, taking her chin in his free hand and tilting her face up, “that a man who’s seen war, who’s had lovers, who’s laughed at friends for writing silly, sentimental poetry about the charms of women they barely knew, is it possible that such a man could fall in love at first sight?”
“You didn’t love me at first sight,” she countered, her expression easing despite her words. “You called me a cold fish.”
And he would likely be paying for that for the rest of his life. He hoped he would be. Slowly Geoffrey leaned down to touch her lips with his. “You made me angry that night. You made me realize that I’d begun listening to all the drivel being fed me by the herd of sycophants and lick-spittles who appeared the moment I became the Earl of Vashton. But I was never angry with you. I was angry with myself, and I took it out on you.”
“That’s un–“
Kissing her again, both to keep her from telling him that his rudeness was understandable and because he wanted to, he shook his head. “It was mean and thoughtless. And no, I did not fall in love with you that night. You caught my attention that night. I don’t think you’ve been out of my thoughts, since.”
“Well. That’s very nice,” she murmured, sliding an arm around his shoulders and lifting up on her toes to kiss him again.
“I asked about you, as well. Your friend Agnes Rawlins lives fairly close to me at Vashton. I called on her so many times that I had to confess to her parents what I was about or they would have expected a proposal.”
“Oh, my. Did she know what you were about?”
“She did. Miss Rawlins was quite helpful. She told me about the plays you used to author and stage as a girl, about how you would do anything for your family and friends, about how you’d given up on the
He shifted his grip from her wrist to twine his fingers with hers. “I know there’s the precedent for seating according to rank,” he said aloud, looking over her head to catch her father’s eye, “but I prefer to sit next to Theodora.”
The viscount cleared his throat. “I... I have good cause to believe there would be a riot, Vashton, if I monopolized you by seating you between my daughters.”
“Miss Meacham may sit where she likes. I wish to sit beside Theodora.” He glanced at her, catching the incredulous, dawning amusement in her eyes. “I likely should have said something when I arrived, but I wanted a chance to discuss matters with Theodora, first, to see if she returned my interest. My infatuation. And now I should be speaking privately with you, Beldath, but I’ve never been in love before. I fear I may have circumvented tradition.”
“‘In love,’ my lord?” Lady Beldath squeaked. “With Theodora?”
Ignoring that, he returned his attention to Theo. “Well, this isn’t going at all like I’d planned,” he said dryly, willing her to meet his gaze. “Come with me.”
“My lord!”
Geoffrey glanced over his shoulder at Lord Beldath. “I’ll speak with you shortly.”
Theodora nodded, walking hand in hand with him through the gawping crowd and out to the hallway where he pulled the door closed behind them. Her visit to his bed chamber earlier made more sense now. She believed his interest in her, thank God. Her concern had been that no one else would believe it.
She’d dressed to look compelling when she hadn’t a need in the world to do so, as far as he was concerned. He’d meant to give her a secret with which she could tease her family and friends. She’d trusted him, and had been embarrassed as a result. He vowed right then that that would never happen again.
“Have you changed your mind?” she asked, green eyes avoiding his and a frozen, clearly unfelt smile on her face.
“Is it ridiculous,” he returned, taking her chin in his free hand and tilting her face up, “that a man who’s seen war, who’s had lovers, who’s laughed at friends for writing silly, sentimental poetry about the charms of women they barely knew, is it possible that such a man could fall in love at first sight?”
“You didn’t love me at first sight,” she countered, her expression easing despite her words. “You called me a cold fish.”
And he would likely be paying for that for the rest of his life. He hoped he would be. Slowly Geoffrey leaned down to touch her lips with his. “You made me angry that night. You made me realize that I’d begun listening to all the drivel being fed me by the herd of sycophants and lick-spittles who appeared the moment I became the Earl of Vashton. But I was never angry with you. I was angry with myself, and I took it out on you.”
“That’s un–“
Kissing her again, both to keep her from telling him that his rudeness was understandable and because he wanted to, he shook his head. “It was mean and thoughtless. And no, I did not fall in love with you that night. You caught my attention that night. I don’t think you’ve been out of my thoughts, since.”
“Well. That’s very nice,” she murmured, sliding an arm around his shoulders and lifting up on her toes to kiss him again.
“I asked about you, as well. Your friend Agnes Rawlins lives fairly close to me at Vashton. I called on her so many times that I had to confess to her parents what I was about or they would have expected a proposal.”
“Oh, my. Did she know what you were about?”
“She did. Miss Rawlins was quite helpful. She told me about the plays you used to author and stage as a girl, about how you would do anything for your family and friends, about how you’d given up on the
Similar Books
