Read Online No Groom at the Inn: A Dukes Behaving Badly Novella by Megan Frampton - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Megan Frampton
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and expose her.
Well, so much for not thinking about all of that. About all of him.
The worst part was she wanted him to peel back her layers and expose her, even though it would only be for a short time, and they both understood that.
Did that make it possible? That it was by necessity short-lived? And how did one broach such a topic? Excuse me, my pretend betrothed, but do you think we could pretend we were actually betrothed, so we could engage in things that actual betrothed couples do?
It would take someone far better with words to formulate that thought without seeming like an idiot.
Even her father wouldn’t have been able to do it, not that she would have asked for his help with that . He was a tolerant parent, but she had to guess he would draw the line at finding the right language so that she could embark on a meaningless but also meaningful limited-time relationship.
Now her head hurt with it all. She hoped they weren’t playing Dictionary tonight; she’d probably end up with definitions like “Thingy that does things” or “The opposite of dumb.”
Or “Inappropriately obsessed with a tall charming man.”
J amie had to restrain himself, not for the first time, from just taking his fake betrothed and his mother and leaving. But his mother would be disappointed, and what was more, these were the people with whom she socialized—he’d be long gone, but she’d be here to deal with the aftermath of his behavior.
So he did what he could, but felt the prickles of disdain Mrs. Green shot toward Sophronia. All the young ladies, including Miss Green, seemed to understand that he was no longer available, but it appeared that Mrs. Green took it as a personal affront—and perhaps a challenge—that he had arrived encumbered with a wife-to-be.
Although that just gave him more of an excuse to be alone with her, so perhaps he should thank Mrs. Green and her unpleasant behavior.
Meanwhile, he’d be damned if he or Sophronia would be forced into an uncomfortable situation.
“Mrs. Green, if I may, I have a suggestion for a game we could play.” He donned his most charming smile, as though he didn’t wish her to hell.
“Yes, Mr. Archer?”
“It has been a few years since my mother and I celebrated the holidays together, and one game we used to play is You’re Never Dressed Without a Smile. I thought that would be fun.”
“Oh, excellent suggestion, Mr. Archer,” Miss Green’s daughter said, making him less annoyed she’d interrupted the potential kiss he had yet to get. “Mother, I do love that one.”
“You’ll have to tell us how to play,” the vicar whatever-his-name said. “I am not familiar with it.”
“Mr. Archer?” Mrs. Green’s tone, as usual, made it clear what she wanted to happen. In this case, for him to explain the directions.
“Yes, well, one person is It, and tries to make everyone else in the room smile. The first person to smile then becomes It. At the end, the last remaining person who hasn’t smiled wins the game. Simple, really.”
He allowed himself to glance over at Sophronia, intrigued to see her cheeks flushed pink and a bright light in her eyes. Ah, so it seemed his Sophy liked to play games, as well.
That added yet another layer to his depth of knowledge about her. Layers, like the ones he’d said he’d peeled away from her, just a few moments ago.
And he would like to do that. Very much.
It wasn’t just the missed kiss opportunity that was piquing his interest; it was how she asked him what he felt about the objects in the abbey, and how she paid attention to him as he spoke about what he saw. As though she were truly engaged and interested, not merely being polite.
Even though she was, absolutely, and perfectly, polite.
Perhaps he should have suggested Hide and Go Seek, and then he could have found out for himself just how impolite she was willing to be.
Or no; perhaps later on in the visit, when they had gotten to know one another better. That
Well, so much for not thinking about all of that. About all of him.
The worst part was she wanted him to peel back her layers and expose her, even though it would only be for a short time, and they both understood that.
Did that make it possible? That it was by necessity short-lived? And how did one broach such a topic? Excuse me, my pretend betrothed, but do you think we could pretend we were actually betrothed, so we could engage in things that actual betrothed couples do?
It would take someone far better with words to formulate that thought without seeming like an idiot.
Even her father wouldn’t have been able to do it, not that she would have asked for his help with that . He was a tolerant parent, but she had to guess he would draw the line at finding the right language so that she could embark on a meaningless but also meaningful limited-time relationship.
Now her head hurt with it all. She hoped they weren’t playing Dictionary tonight; she’d probably end up with definitions like “Thingy that does things” or “The opposite of dumb.”
Or “Inappropriately obsessed with a tall charming man.”
J amie had to restrain himself, not for the first time, from just taking his fake betrothed and his mother and leaving. But his mother would be disappointed, and what was more, these were the people with whom she socialized—he’d be long gone, but she’d be here to deal with the aftermath of his behavior.
So he did what he could, but felt the prickles of disdain Mrs. Green shot toward Sophronia. All the young ladies, including Miss Green, seemed to understand that he was no longer available, but it appeared that Mrs. Green took it as a personal affront—and perhaps a challenge—that he had arrived encumbered with a wife-to-be.
Although that just gave him more of an excuse to be alone with her, so perhaps he should thank Mrs. Green and her unpleasant behavior.
Meanwhile, he’d be damned if he or Sophronia would be forced into an uncomfortable situation.
“Mrs. Green, if I may, I have a suggestion for a game we could play.” He donned his most charming smile, as though he didn’t wish her to hell.
“Yes, Mr. Archer?”
“It has been a few years since my mother and I celebrated the holidays together, and one game we used to play is You’re Never Dressed Without a Smile. I thought that would be fun.”
“Oh, excellent suggestion, Mr. Archer,” Miss Green’s daughter said, making him less annoyed she’d interrupted the potential kiss he had yet to get. “Mother, I do love that one.”
“You’ll have to tell us how to play,” the vicar whatever-his-name said. “I am not familiar with it.”
“Mr. Archer?” Mrs. Green’s tone, as usual, made it clear what she wanted to happen. In this case, for him to explain the directions.
“Yes, well, one person is It, and tries to make everyone else in the room smile. The first person to smile then becomes It. At the end, the last remaining person who hasn’t smiled wins the game. Simple, really.”
He allowed himself to glance over at Sophronia, intrigued to see her cheeks flushed pink and a bright light in her eyes. Ah, so it seemed his Sophy liked to play games, as well.
That added yet another layer to his depth of knowledge about her. Layers, like the ones he’d said he’d peeled away from her, just a few moments ago.
And he would like to do that. Very much.
It wasn’t just the missed kiss opportunity that was piquing his interest; it was how she asked him what he felt about the objects in the abbey, and how she paid attention to him as he spoke about what he saw. As though she were truly engaged and interested, not merely being polite.
Even though she was, absolutely, and perfectly, polite.
Perhaps he should have suggested Hide and Go Seek, and then he could have found out for himself just how impolite she was willing to be.
Or no; perhaps later on in the visit, when they had gotten to know one another better. That
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