As the woman retreated, Diana turned back to Graham with a satisfied expression.
“That was smoothly done,” Graham said, surprised to find himself genuinely amused. “Do you make a habit of rescuing gentlemen in need?”
“Well I am quite good at it, it would seem,” she teased, her adorable deep dimples on full display as she smiled up at him.
“I had better remain close to you then. If the events of the evening have been any indication, I am certain I will require the services of a beautiful knight on a white horse to come to my aid.”
She released a laugh that sounded like the tinkling of bells. “Perhaps not on a horse, but I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Do you not enjoy horses?”
Wouldn’t that be his luck: to meet an enchanting woman, only to learn that she despised horses?
“I adore them,” she answered quickly. “I just never learned to ride.” She glanced toward her brother and then back to Graham. “I’m not allowed.”
The admission caught him off guard. “Not allowed? By whom?”
“My father.” Her voice carried a note of frustration that she quickly tried to mask. “He forbade it after my mother died in a riding accident when I was eight. Elias can’t even ride a horse in his presence.”
Graham felt something twist in his chest at the sadness that flickered across her features. “I’m sorry for your loss. It must have been difficult to lose your mother at such a young age.”
He wasn’t that much older than her when he lost his father. But he wouldn’t allow any thoughts of his father to ruin what had become the most intriguing conversation he’d had since he’d arrived in London.
“Thank you.” She lifted her chin slightly, and he could see the effort she put into composing herself. “But enough about that. Tell me, what have you found most surprising since you have joined ushere in London?”
“Surprising? The sheer number of lemon cakes I’ve been promised tonight. Evidently, the single greatest weapon among the matchmakers is in their baked goods.”
Her dimples flashed as she laughed. “It could be worse. You might be promised pianoforte recitals instead of pastries. Those, I assure you, last much longer and are far less satisfying.”
He couldn’t help but grin like a school boy at the clever woman before him. “A fair point. I shall certainly run the other direction.”
“That shall only make them chase you harder, I’m afraid.”
“And here I thought it was the women who preferred to be chased.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and everything around them fell away. All he could focus on was her.
“Ah,” she started, “but perhaps we prefer to let men think they are the hunters, when really we’ve been leading them all along.”
Her words caught him off guard, clever and bold in a way he hadn’t expected. He should have laughed, offered some reply, but instead he found himself studying the curve of her smile and the way her eyes glinted with challenge.
The moment stretched, charged with something he couldn’t quite define. He tried to form coherent thoughts as he scrambled for a witty reply.
“Powis,” Matt called to him, breaking through the moment, “Lady Harrowby is approaching. She’s the one I warned you about.”
He did his best to hide his irritation at their conversation being interrupted. Graham glanced up at an imposing older woman in diamonds and an impressive number of feathers in her turban moving with purpose in their direction.
“Brace yourself,” Diana murmured with amusement.
“Lady Harrowby,” Matt said as the woman reached them, “It’s lovely to see you as always. May I present the Earl of Powis?”
Graham bowed over the lady’s gloved hand. “A pleasure to meet you, your ladyship.”
She studied him with sharp eyes that seemed to see everything. “So you’re the new Powis. I knew your cousin, you know. Dreadful man. I trust you’ll be an improvement.”
“I certainly hope so, my lady.”
Something about the woman made him straighten up out of fear. Matt was correct in his assessment that the woman was nothing short of a dragon.
