straightened, the butler scratched at the door.
âYou have a caller, Miss Munroe.â
She wanted to smile, and sternly stopped herself. Rawley was dangerous, with his easy wit and charming grin. She would not be dominated, and he clearly didnât care about anything but his own amusements. âPlease tell the marquis Iâll be down in a minute.â
âThe earl, miss. Iâll inform him.â He backed out the door.
Evangeline put out a hand to stop the butlerâs retreat. âWait a moment, Clifford. Who is downstairs?â
âLord Redmond. Shall I still have him wait?â
âOh. Yes. Thank you.â
Another flutter ran through her. This time it didnât feel as much like anticipation as it didâ¦annoyance. Evangeline shook herself. No, of course she wasnât annoyed to have Redmond calling on her. It was only that she hadnât been expecting him, and her mind had been preparing for a different kind of encounter altogether.
âCome along, Doretta. Letâs see what the earl wants.â
Her maid giggled. âHe wants to marry you, miss. Thatâs no secret at all.â
âI mean this morning.â Heâd barely survived Almackâs last night. Sheâd hoped that he knew enough to stay in bed and rest. If he expired now, he wouldnât be doing anyone any favors.
She swept into the morning room. The earl rose from his seat and gave a reverent bow. âMiss Munroe. I apologize for calling without making prior arrangements, but Iâd hoped you would be available to have luncheon with me today.â
âGoodness,â she said, letting the annoyance she felt color her voice just a little. âIâm so sorry, but Iâve already made plans. I wish you had asked me last evening. You know how I dislike having to tell you no, my lord.â
âOh, my humble apologies again, Miss Munroe.â He hurried forward and clasped both of her hands in his. âI didnât mean to upset you.â
âItâs of no consequence. If you like, we can sit for a few minutes and you can say complimentary things about me. You did come all this way, after all.â
The earl chuckled, releasing one of her hands to guide her to the couch. âYouâve given me a very easy task. How can I not accept?â
For the next ten minutes he did exactly as she asked, complimenting her features, her hair, her gown, her overall keen sense of fashion, her voiceâevery insignificant quality she possessed. Evangeline smiled and contemplated the silliness of men that they could be so easily convinced to apologize for having the audacity to appear with a luncheon invitation. Her mother was correct; they needed to be guided, if only for their own sakes.
She glanced at the clock above the fireplace. Rawley was already ten minutes late. Perhaps heâd had another friend in need of assistance and had decided not to come calling at all. Again.
âYou know,â Redmond was saying, âI feel the need to mention especially your fingers.â
âMy fingers? There are ten, an altogether unremarkable fact.â
âOh, no, my dear. Itâs not that. Itâs how well one of them would look with my signet ring on it.â
Good God, he was proposing, and better than a week ahead of her estimate. Of course, marriage to Redmond was precisely what she wanted, and it didnât matter that he smelled of moths and horse liniment. But she had to admit she was somewhat disappointed that Rawley hadnât even bothered to appear for their luncheon.
The diamond . More than half convinced that absolutely nothing would happen, she slipped it out of her pocket and tucked it under the closest couch pillow. Then she smiled. Now for the experiment. âYou say the most flattering things, Lord Redmond. Iââ
The morning room door opened. âMy apologies,â Rawleyâs deep drawl came, and he strolled into the room as