‘Do you think she’ll say yes?’
‘Who knows?’
‘If she does, I very much hope she won’t regret it, because this really will be the talk of the town. You’ll be careful, won’t you? You know you can be devilishly charming when you try.’
Dan laughed. ‘I assure you, she’s quite impervious to my charms.’
‘If you say so, brother. Maybe I can offer a further thought about Miss Summerby, because—and this will come as a surprise to you—I’ve spoken with her myself, you see.’
Dan certainly was surprised. ‘You have? How on earth did that happen?’
‘We met one day outside the town library and spoke only briefly. She had no idea who I was. But it struck me—from an impartial viewpoint, you understand—that she could actually be quite lovely.’
So his brother had seen it too? That subtle yet haunting quality she had that just kept catching his attention unexpectedly? He felt disturbed again, recalling how after she’d stumbled and he’d held her in his arms, he hadwantedher. Really, physically wanted her. The heat surging to his loins had told him that.
‘I don’t think,’ Dan said casually at last, ‘that there’s any chance of her heart being put at risk by these outings, since she appears intent on putting men off. Especially me.’
Oliver laughed. ‘She’s a wise woman.’ He raised his glass. ‘May your plan bring no harm to either Miss Summerby or yourself.’
‘You’re assuming,’ said Dan, ‘that she will agree to it. But I might not even hear from her again.’
In fact, Kate Summerby arrived at Dan’s house the next morning at eleven. All of his guests had departed and Dan was upstairs in his brother’s bedroom because Oliver was unwell again. When a footman came to tell Dan that that Miss Summerby had arrived, Oliver gestured for him to go, and Dan went swiftly down to the hallway where she awaited him.
As well as a plain brown bonnet she wore an olive-green walking dress with a matching little jacket, and he surmised that she’d chosen the outfit in order to dispel any remembrance of the pink silk dress last night. But he wondered if she realised how well that shade of green suited her, and how the trim fit of the jacket flattered her neat waist and bosom.
‘Miss Summerby,’ he said, ‘good morning.’
‘My lord.’ She made a slight curtsy then said, with a hint of anxiety, ‘Perhaps I have come at a bad time?’
‘Why should you think that?’
‘I heard one of your servants say something about calling a doctor. And then—’ She pointed at him. ‘Your clothes, my lord. Your shirt.’
Devil take it! He wore no coat, his open-necked shirt was scarcely tucked into his breeches, and he hadn’t even shaved yet. He had waved Hamley’s attentions away this morning because of his concern over Oliver, but this was no way to greet a lady.
‘I apologise most sincerely,’ he said. ‘You see, my brother is unwell.’
‘Yourbrother?’
Of course. She didn’t know. ‘That’s right. My brother Oliver is staying with me for the summer, and I’ve been trying to persuade him that a physician should be called.’
‘Oh! I’m sorry. I thought…’
‘You thought what, Miss Summerby?’
‘I wondered,’ she said, ‘if a doctor might be necessary for some of your guests after last night’s indulgences.’
‘I imagine you thought they all richly deserve to be ill?’
That made her fire up. She declared, ‘Well, perhaps they do!’
‘My guests have all gone.’ He gestured around, as if to emphasize the silence in the rest of the house. ‘I told you I was ending their visit.’
‘You actually meant it, then?’
‘Of course. They were not best pleased.’
‘But won’t you miss their company?’
