“We should go down to supper.” Although, no matter what delicacies were offered, none of them could match his kiss.
“I suppose we should.” Geoffrey—she loved saying his name—appeared to be as reluctant as she was to leave the confines of the conservatory. “Although, I would much rather remain here with you.”
Frissons of pleasure swept over her. Slowly, she placed her hand on his arm, and they ambled to the far end of the glasshouse back up the other path. He opened the door to the corridor, the cooler air washing over her as they left the hotter air keeping the plants safe.
Chapter Fourteen
“There you are, Harrington.” Two older ladies that Elizabeth had seen before but had not been introduced to approached. They were both dressed in the height of fashion, but the lady in a coquelico red gown, a color few women could wear, had something about her that commanded one’s attention. “I was told you were viewing the conservatory.” The lady in the red gown raised a pair of jewel-studded spectacles on a stick. “You may also introduce me to the young lady.”
Next to her, Geoffrey had stiffened slightly. Elizabeth tightened her fingers on her arm in an attempt to comfort him.
“Grandmamma.” He bowed. “May I have the pleasure of introducing you to Miss Turley. Miss Turley, my grandmother, the Dowager Marchioness of Markham.”
His grandmother! Elizabeth was not prepared to meet Geoffrey’s family. She had assumed they were all in the country. Before her nerves overcame her good sense, she schooled her countenance, remembered her training, and sank into a deep curtsey. “My lady, it is a pleasure to meet you. I was unaware that Lord Harrington had relations in Town.”
“Very pretty.” Her ladyship nodded approvingly. “Harrington probably wishes we weren’t always underfoot.” Without waiting for Geoffrey to respond, Lady Markham glanced at the woman next to her. “Miss Turley, this is my cousin and companion, Miss Covenington.”
Elizabeth’s curtsey was respectful but shallow. “It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Covenington.”
“Have you had supper yet?” Geoffrey asked as they all turned and began to stroll back into the ballroom.
“No,” his grandmother responded. “We decided to find you and join you for supper. I assume you have not been down either.”
“No. Miss Turley and I wanted to view the conservatory while most of the guests were elsewhere.”
Elizabeth admired how quickly he came up with an answer to her ladyship’s question. He hadn’t even flushed.
“And how did you enjoy the glasshouse, Miss Turley?” His cousin strolled with her as Geoffrey took his grandmother’s arm.
“It was lovely.” After the kiss, Elizabeth had barely noticed anything about the conservatory at all. “The plantings are interesting and there are hundreds of small lanterns that make it almost magical.” There. That was a better answer than she had thought to give. “Have you seen it?”
“Only during the day, I am sad to say. Your description of it sounds charming. I must make a point of viewing it before we leave this evening.”
Fortunately, as she could not think of anything more to say at the moment, they had reached the supper room. Geoffrey found a table near the entrance, and once she and his family were seated, he went off to the refreshment table.
“Miss Turley.” The dowager focused her sharp gray eyes on her. “What a pleasant surprise. I am very pleased to be able to get to know you.”
It was all Elizabeth could do to keep her jaw from dropping. What had he told his grandmother about her? Or had she simply noticed or heard about the attention Geoffrey was paying to her? She fought the heat rising in her neck. She would not lose her countenance, not with a woman she hoped to have as a family member and who might have a good deal of influence over Geoffrey.
“Indeed, my lady. I am happy to meet members of Lord Harrington’s family.” Elizabeth didn’t know why it was so difficult to find a topic about which to speak. She had been trained for years in making small talk. “Do you reside in Town all year?”
“For a great deal of it. I have a house in Bath, and the Dower House in the country.” Lady Markham folded her hands on the table. “This is your first Season, is it not?”
“It is. My aunt, Lady Bristow, is sponsoring me.”
“I remember when both she and your mother came out,” her ladyship said, fondly. “You are very like your mother. She would have been proud of you.”
Mama had been an accredited beauty, which Elizabeth was not. Although she was well enough. “I wish she could have been here.”
Miss Covenington reached over and patted Elizabeth’s hand. “It is difficult to lose one’s mother. I am not sure one ever completely recovers from the loss.”
Her throat began to close painfully at the other lady’s thoughtful touch. Mama’s death could still bring tears to her eyes, and she did not wish that to happen this evening. “Yes, it is. I did not have enough time with her, yet she prepared me well.”
“I am sure she did,” Lady Markham said. “Did you know that a duke offered for her?”
Elizabeth shook her head. Her mother had told her many stories of her come out, but never that one. “I had no idea.”
“Her father was not happy about it when she refused him, but she insisted on Turley. I hope they were happy.”
