He didn’t smile back.
She added an encouraging wave of her fingers.A friendly littlecome-on-over, the-stars-are-fine.And an even wider smile.
His expression did not change.
He didn’t see her, she realized in mortification.He was staring right at her, but his mind was on something more interesting, his thoughts a thousand miles away.
“Miss Godwin?”one of the tourists asked hesitantly.
Gloria’s cheeks flushed with heat.Heaven help her.The group had caught her gawking at one of the castle guests as though he were a celestial being she’d just discovered.
“Let’s go,” she said quickly, hurrying them out of sight from the castle doors before she could make a bigger cake of herself.“Overhead, do you see the three bright stars in a crooked line?”
The only reason Gloria was able to give a flawless introduction to the stars visible in tonight’s sky was because she knew each one as if it were family.Their habits, their secrets, in which positions and seasons they were most likely to appear.None escaped her notice.
Her smile faltered.Perhaps she felt such a kinship with the stars because she, too, was always present and just as forgettable.
As they did with the constellations above, gentlemen might repeat her name, possibly even note her general appearance, and then immediately confuse her with any other nondescript young lady they’d ever met.Time after time, they looked right at her without ever registering what they were seeing.
Exactly like Christopher Pringle.
Her chest tightened.Just once, Gloria wished a gentleman would become entranced with her at first sight.Or speak to her.Or recall her enough to pick her out from a crowd.It would be the first step toward finding love.
“The constellation to the right,” she continued, “is known as Leo.Who can tell me what’s special about this formation?”
Thatwas what she wanted.To be special.To be remembered.To be actively sought out.
And yes, a part of her hoped whoever finally noticed her would be as dashing as Mr.Pringle.
“Imbecile,” she muttered.
The tourists snapped startled gazes in her direction.
“I said ‘sea serpent,’” she corrected smoothly, pointing overhead.“Some know the constellation Hydra by that name.If you trace the undulating pattern…”
Clearly, Christopher Pringle was in no danger of falling in love with her at first sight.She was not as distraught as might be expected, given how much she yearned for her happy ever after.
Mr.Pringle was an unknown factor.Handsome but risky.
Despite him arriving in town two weeks earlier, one of the reasons Gloria hadn’t contrived to throw herself directly in his path was the possibility that he was as transient as his rakish brother.
But now that England’s most unrepentant rake appeared to be falling tail-over-teakettle in love with her dear friend Penelope, Gloria couldn’t help but reconsider.Better yet, she would soon have someone who could introduce her to gentlemen like Mr.Pringle.
If it happened under exactly the right circumstances… well, a dreamer like Gloria wasn’t ready to rule out love-at-second-sight quite yet.
“And lastly,” she said as they neared the end of the first trek about the castle, “who can tell me the name of this handsome beast in the northern sky?”
“Duke!”Nigel blurted in triumph.
“We’re not doing wishes yet,” Annie scolded him, then puffed out her chest.“Draco, the dragon.”
“Just so.”Gloria lifted her palm toward the stars.“The curve to the right represents—”
“Why did he say ‘Duke?’”asked one of the tourists.
“He’s ahead of the game.”Gloria pinched Nigel’s grinning cheek.“When I was little, I misheard several constellation names, and believed for years that ‘Draco’ was actually ‘Duke’.My father found my mispronunciations amusing and adopted the new names as a private joke.”
“He taught you to always wish upon a star,” Annie said.
