“Who was that dark-haired chap I saw you talking with, my dear?” her father asked after a moment.
Alex snapped her gaze to him, but there was only curiosity in his eyes. Of course he didn’t know, she reasoned. She had been very careful.
“Benjamin Chisolm.” She could feel Lucien’s gaze on her, but she fought against the urge to glance back at him.
“Ah! I’ve heard of him,” her father said. “He was one of the first to invest in the Sheridan project out of New York, no?”
“Yes,” Alex replied tersely. That had been onherrecommendation—and her money.
“You could do far worse than partner with him, Lucien,” her father casually remarked while Alex had to fight to keep the grimace from twisting her lips.
“I will consider it,” Lucien answered diplomatically, all while continuing to stare at Alex. She pointedly turned toward the window.
The rest of the drive home was then spent discussing other potential investors and how Lucien could tailor his new business proposal to appeal more directly to them. Normally Alex lived for this kind of strategizing, but she was too distracted by her own thoughts to offer more than a few passing comments and questions.
He returned to London because his father is ill.
Alex refused believe that. It might have been partly the reason, but something else had to be afoot, as Benjamin was always thinking three steps ahead, and prepared to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. She stiffened as those old memories threatened to pull her under, but Alex refused to let her personal feelings affect Lucien’s decision. Benjamin was still a successful entrepreneur and thiswasbusiness, after all. If Lucien did decide to partner with him, she wouldn’t stand in his way.
It would be just one more reason to sever their connection once this agreement ended.
“What else do you two have planned?”
Her father’s question roused Alex from her thoughts.
“The theater next week.”
Her father tsked. “That’s too far away. Come to the Turners’ with us on Thursday.”
Alex snorted a laugh. “I amnotgoing to the Turners’.”
Their neighbors hosted a weekly musical evening largely so their eldest daughter, who possessed more confidence than talent, could make a fool of herself in front of an audience. Alex hadn’t gone in years.
Her father looked affronted. “The Turners are delightful!” Then he narrowed his eyes. “And more importantly, Hank Jr. will also be in attendance.”
Alex crossed her arms, feeling very much like a petulant child. But she knew what he was implying. The expectations for a courting couple’s behavior at such an event would be far different than at a salon. And with Hank Jr. there, the stakes were higher.
“Then I suppose Dierdre Turner won’t be the only one putting on a performance,” she groused.
“Yes, well, let us hope you are more of a crowd-pleaser than she is,” her father returned darkly.
Alex’s cheeks heated and she avoided Lucien’s gaze. Luckily, they were nearly home, so at least her embarrassment was short-lived. Father then harangued Lucien into accepting the use of the carriage back to Hackney after they were dropped off.
“You aren’t cross with me, are you, darling?” Father asked as they made their way inside.
Alex instinctively lifted her chin. “What would I have to be cross about? You merely spoke the truth.”
Her father had the decency to look chagrined. “But I could have put it a little better, I suppose. And I do know you are trying your best,” he added gently.
The implication being that it was still far from good enough. Alex’s shoulders slumped as she handed her cloak to the footman.
“Then I suppose I’ll just have to try harder,” she said, unable to mask her weary tone. Her father began to speak, but Alex brushed a kiss on his cheek and bid him good night. Then she turned on her heel and headed upstairs. She had heard quite enough from everyone that evening.
Sixteen
As Lucien rode back to Hackney in the Atkinsons’ carriage, he couldn’t dispel the image of Alex’s face from his mind. She had tried to hide the sly glances she kept giving Benjamin Chisolm all evening, but it had been clear enough to him that the man had caught her interest. The reason why it bothered him, however, was less clear. And so what if Alexdidstill have a lingering tender for that man? He had feelings for her own sister, after all. Feelings that were very much a part of his present. And yet, Lucien couldn’t help feeling a bit protective of her, especially when Chisolm had been quite clear about his own lack of affection for Alex. Lucien would hate to see her hurt even while he acknowledged that she seemed imperviable to something as pedestrian aslove.
Still, she had been more quiet than usual on the ride back to Park House and lost in her own thoughts. But while Lucien and Mr. Atkinson discussed potential investors and stratagems, Alex tossed off sharp, insightful comments and pointed questions every so often as if she were flicking off specks of dust. It was, in Lucien’s opinion, a stunning performance that would have earned a round of applause in any board meeting. Yet Mr. Atkinson barely seemed to notice or appreciate his daughter’s cunning perceptiveness. Did he truly not see what an asset she was to him? What a marvel? Themore time Lucien spent with the family, the more he suspected that they did not, in fact, understand what they had in her. To them she was as commonplace as the wallpaper.
