After making their way to the theatre, he and Miss Parker waited in the lobby for Lord Davies. It didn’t take long for the young lord to appear. As with Easton, Jacob wanted to dislike him solely because of his interest in Audrey, but he was a most gracious host, introducing Jacob and Miss Parker to some of his friends and to his sister, Lady Georgina.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Georgina,” Miss Parker said.
Lady Georgina smiled. “The pleasure is mine. I hope that we’ll be great friends.”
“I hope so, too.”
“Good evening, Davies, Lady Georgina,” Jacob said with a bow.
“Lord Fletcher, good evening,” she said with a smile.
Why was it that he could elicit smiles from perfect strangers and not one from the woman he adored?
“Davies, there you are,” came a booming voice behind them.
The young man turned to greet his father, the Marquess of Hartley. “Good evening, Father. May I make known to you my guests for this evening, Lord Fletcher and Miss Parker? Fletcher, Miss Parker, this is Hartley.”
“Lord Hartley, good evening,” Audrey said with a curtsey.
Lord Hartley looked between Audrey and his sonand gave a slight nod of approval as he addressed her. “Miss Parker, I hope you’ll enjoy tonight’s entertainment. This opera is one of my favorites.”
“I look forward to it, my lord.”
Fletcher noticed the subtle sign between father and son when Audrey was introduced and could well imagine what it meant. Miss Parker was stunning, and people took notice of her wherever she went.
“Hartley,” Fletcher said. “A pleasure to meet you.”
“Fletcher. The honor is mine, especially knowing there’s another like-minded lord on our side.”
He didn’t remember seeing Lord Hartley at Parliament. There were a number of men he didn’t get a chance to speak with that day, but he didn’t want to speak about politics tonight. He’d ask Lord Devon what bills Lord Hartley was sponsoring the next time he saw him. While he was grateful for the various introductions, he wasn’t thrilled about the way Davies kept looking at Miss Parker.
“Where’s Mother?” Davies asked his father.
“She’s gone to our box already, and I suggest we make our way there as well.”
Davies held out his arm. “Miss Parker, allow me to escort you.”
“Thank you, Lord Davies,” she said, placing her hand on his sleeve.
Fletcher walked with Hartley to the box, where Davies sat on one side of Miss Parker, and his sister sat on her other side in the first row. Jacob sat with Lord andLady Hartley in the back row. He’d never been to the opera before, and he was surprised to find that he enjoyed it very much. Each time he looked at Miss Parker, there was a look of absolute happiness on her face. She was clearly enjoying the music as well.
During intermission, he stepped out of the box for a breath of fresh air. Miss Parker was talking with Lady Georgina, and Davies was conversing with his father. However, when he returned, she and Davies were gone. Lady Georgina was still in the box, speaking with her parents. Where was Miss Parker? Panic crawled up his throat, and he raced back out to the hallway. He didn’t want to make a scene, so he slowed his steps, but with each passing minute that Miss Parker eluded him, his emotions came closer to spilling out.
After a frantic few minutes of searching, he finally found them in a secluded alcove at the very moment Davies had leaned in to kiss her. His first instinct was to drag the young lord away from her, but he dialed back his anger and instead said, “Ah, there you are, Miss Parker. The next act is about to begin.” He held out his arm. “Shall we take our seats?”
If she was embarrassed at being caught in a compromising position, she didn’t show it.
“Of course, my lord,” she said, placing her fingers on his sleeve. That familiar jolt of awareness traveled up his arm at her touch. It didn’t matter how many layers of clothing he wore; whenever she touched him, he felt a deep connection. He led her back to their seats, and thistime, he took the seat next to her, forcing Davies to sit with his parents.
He found it hard to enjoy the rest of the opera, especially since he couldn’t get the vision out of his mind, seeing Davies’ lips a hair’s breadth away from hers. Jealousy was running rampant through his veins, and he knew he needed to declare himself to Miss Parker to end this torture before other men began courting her in earnest.
When the opera ended, Fletcher thanked their hosts for a lovely evening.
“I hope you enjoyed yourself,” Lord Davies said.
Miss Parker gifted him with a smile. “I did indeed. Thank you for inviting us.”
“I hope to see you again soon,” he replied.
