“Not at the moment.” Gavin Turley grinned as if he’d won a hard-fought match. “Join us for tea. She will be here then.”
Standing, Geoff held out his hand as the other man came around the table between the two chairs. “Thank you. I shall do as you suggest.”
“We shall see you then.” Turley escorted Geoff to the front door. “I wish you the best of luck in your quest. If it makes you feel any better, I think you and my sister would suit as well. She is, however, the one you’ll need to convince.”
“Thank you again.” The door closed behind him as he walked down the steps.
Devil take it. His grandmother and cousin were right. He would have to go beyond dancing twice in an evening with her, sending flowers, and taking her for rides in the Park. There was no way around making a fool of himself. He’d have to find that dratted list again.
No matter what he had to do, one way or another, he would convince Miss Turley to be his bride. If only he could find a way to get Littleton out of Town, Geoff would have no competition for her hand.
Chapter Eleven
Elizabeth peeped around the corner at the top of the stairs just in time to see Lord Harrington walk out the front door. Her dances with him left her feeling more confused than ever. Lately, he seemed to have lost all his conversation.
She waited until he would have had time to reach the pavement before glancing at her brother. “What did he say?”
“I’ll tell you in the library. If our aunt is here, you’d better bring her, too. I don’t want to have to tell the story twice.”
“She has gone to visit a friend.” Elizabeth hurried down the stairs, catching up with Gavin as he held open the library door. Sinking onto the smaller of the chairs facing the desk, she folded her hands in her lap. “Tell me everything.”
“I suspect you know he asked to marry you.” She nodded. That was the only reason Lord Harrington would wish to speak with her brother. “I told him only you could make that decision.” She opened her mouth, and he held up a hand. “He was not happy, but I went on to say that I would give him permission to court you.”
Oh, that was perfect! “And what did he say to that?”
“He didn’t look any happier than he had before, but thanked me and asked if you were at home.”
“We were all correct. He is interested in marrying me, but without the effort of fixing my attentions.”
“You are probably right.” Her brother nodded. “On the other hand, he might simply want to make sure he’d cut Littleton out. I told him he could join us for tea.”
“Tea again?” The last time he had come for tea, it had accomplished nothing.
“I’ll make sure you have some time alone with him.” Her brother’s easy manner suddenly became sober. “Lizzy, is this . . . he is what you want, isn’t he?”
“I am almost positive,” she tried to assure him. “We do have a great deal in common.” Even if Lord Harrington did not realize it yet. “And I would dearly love the life of a diplomat’s wife. I have always had an interest in foreign travel.”
Gavin came around the desk and took her hands. “Lizzy, I want you to have a good life. The life you want. If you think Harrington is the one, I shall continue to help you.”
“Thank you.” Blinking back tears, Elizabeth recalled how angry she was when he had interfered with her cousin’s plan to force Lord Merton into marrying her. Yet, Gavin had been right. Dotty and Merton belonged together. Papa, on the other hand, wanted Elizabeth to marry well and this Season. He had been furious with Gavin for interfering, but her brother remained firm, and now he was helping her again. “You are the best brother I could have. But Papa—”
“I’ll take care of him.” Gavin scowled for a moment. “Mind though, if you find you don’t want Harrington, I’ll send him to the right about before Papa returns.” Her brother lightly squeezed her fingers. “I don’t want to rush you, but you’ll need to make a decision soon. I doubt Grandmamma can keep our father in the country the rest of the Season. Not since he knows Harrington is looking for him.”
She was surprised her father had agreed to leave at all. “Yes.” Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, of course.” Not only was Papa a problem, but Aunt said that Lord Harrington had only a short time to wed and leave for the Continent. Even if she wished to wait, she could not. “If he begins to seriously court me”—because after all no one would say that one dance an evening, although he had begun asking for two even though it had not yet happened, and the occasional ridecouldbe considered serious—“I should be able to soon know my mind.”
“That’s all I ask.” The corner of Gavin’s lips tilted up and the sparkle came back into his eyes. “Do something to take your mind off Harrington for a few hours. Take your maid and a footman.”
“That is a wonderful idea.” Elizabeth took out her handkerchief, dabbed the tears gathering in her eyes, and blew her nose. “I believe I shall go shopping.”
“Tell you what, have the bills sent here, and I’ll pay them. No point in you ending up atpoint non plusbefore quarter day.”
Not that she ever was short on funds. She’d discovered early on to manage her pin money. “Thank you again.” She reached up to hug him and he stepped back. “I almost forgot you don’t like your cravat mussed.”
“No, I don’t.” He smoothed one of the folds in his neckcloth. “If you knew how long it took me, or how many cravats I went through to achieve the Mathematical, you’d never try to embrace me again.”
Even though she loved seeing a gentleman in a well-tied neckcloth, she did not understand the necessity of them tying their cravats themselves. “It would probably not take half as long if you had your valet tie it.”
Gavin’s jaw dropped in astonishment. “I’m not such a coxcomb that I’d have my valet tie my cravat.” He reached up as if to grip his neckcloth, then dropped his hand. “I’d never be able to hold my head up again.”
