‘Thank you,’ she said, relieved. Things sounded so reasonable when he said them. It made her feel quite normal.
‘And you do not need a man,’ he said, smiling.
‘I don’t?’ she said, smiling back.
‘You already have Tom Smith, remember?’
‘Of course.’ What had she expected him to say? It was not as if he was going to offer for her for real, after a single wayward kiss.
He went on without noticing the change in her mood. ‘As for the nonsense about the menus and what you might choose to eat?’ He nudged the butter dish even closer to her plate. ‘Do not think you need to starve yourself for economy or any other reason. You are lovely, just as you are. It would be a shame to see you waste away because of a spiteful old man.’
‘Thank you,’ she said softly. Then, she buttered the last bite of her roll and popped it in her mouth.
‘Beautiful,’ he said more firmly. ‘I happen to know that Tom Smith is quite taken with your appearance.’
She dipped an asparagus spear in the mayonnaise and nibbled the end. She swallowed and dipped again. ‘Tom Smith doesn’t exist.’
‘He is right across the table from you.’ His voice was lower than she’d heard it, husky and closer to a whisper. For a moment, she could almost believe that he was the imaginary stranger who had fallen in love with her and come to get the family’s approval.
Would it do any harm to believe in the lie, just for a moment? Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his, willing herself to see the farmer who loved her.
‘Well, Tom…’ She stopped to take another sip of wine. ‘Will you tell me why it was necessary to dine with Grandfather? He has refused you once and will likely send you away after the scene you caused just now.’
‘Will that make you sad?’ he asked, his eyes locked on hers.
‘Do you wish me to be?’ she whispered.
‘I wish…’ He paused again. ‘That you would never be unhappy again.’ Something flickered in his eyes, as if he was imagining their future again. Then, it disappeared. ‘You must be away fromhere for that. It is why Percy and I lured your grandfather out of his room with our singing.’
‘What are you after?’ she said in a low, urgent tone. ‘I still do not understand.’
‘I can hardly impress on him my persistence as a suitor if he means to hide in his room all day, every day,’ he said turning playful again.
The duke was back and she did not like him nearly as well as she had at dinner. ‘I will not like it if meals as a family become a habit,’ she said with a shudder.
‘They will not bother you if you are leaving soon,’ he said airily, his smile never fading. ‘As I keep telling you, we are here to gain your freedom. When we do, it will not matter in the slightest if he eats in bed, or at table, or squatting in the garden with a plate balanced on his knees.’
For a moment, the image of her grandfather in that undignified posture put every other thought from her head.
She chased it away. ‘Do not try to distract me with jokes, Thomas. He is not a pleasant person. And while I do not know why he recused himself from our company, I am glad that he did. I was able to survive this evening’s meal because you were here to help me. How many times must I do this again?’
He stretched across the table, offering her his hands, although she was not sure if it was done with genuine affection or just part of the game he’d been playing.
The motive did not matter. She was helpless to resist. She put her hands in his, taking comfort in the warmth of them.
‘It will not happen again,’ he promised, as his finger brushed the gold and turquoise ring he’d given her. ‘My plan tonight was to lure him from his lair, as I would if I were hunting a vicious animal. There is no point in arguing with him in the bedroom. He is king of that kingdom. But here, he was wrong-footed. When I challenged him, he was driven from the room.’
‘And what have you proved by that?’ she asked, eager to understand. ‘He just went to his room again.’
‘He won’t want to cede the ground to me. He will be back down tomorrow, I’ll wager.’
‘You’ll wager?’ she said with a huff. ‘Such bets hold no risk for someone who is both rich and free to leave.’
‘You are giving me such a look,’ he said with a raised eyebrow. He tightened his grip on her hands. ‘It is surprisingly pleasant to see you glare at me.’
‘It was not my goal to amuse you,’ she replied, even more annoyed.
The look in his eyes changed. Suddenly, she was sure she was seeing the real Thomas Carew, who was so distracted by being near her that he’d lost his train of thought. ‘You never used to glare, you know. I have seen you smile, blush and look away if I get too close. Sometimes you even bat those lovely lashes of yours and make my thoughts scatter like butterflies. But none of those are adequate indications of what is going on in your mind.’ He tipped his head to the side, considering her. ‘Occasionally, you look worried, which I believe is genuine. But as for the rest? Now that I’ve had a chance to study you, I don’t believe those smiles one time in five. You are not nearly as happy as you should be, Louisa. I will not make you sit at a table with your grandfather again.’
