“Lady Palmer, I must have a rose petal bath prepared every morning,” Lady Montvale informed her. “The petals are necessary for my skin.”
“I must have chocolate in the morning,” Mrs. Pomfrey announced. “And my husband only eats beef. No fish, no fowl, no pork.”
“What time are we hunting on the morrow?” Lady Lila wanted to know.
“I must have a horse for the morrow,” Lady Sophie informed them. “Mine has taken lame. Will someone bring horses up here for me to give a look over?”
So many questions. So many demands. Thea felt as if she was juggling a hundred expectations thrown at her all at once.
All the chatter came to a sudden halt.
Thea felt a sudden awareness tickle the back of her neck. She turned from listening to Mr. Pomfrey’s complaints about the poor quality of the roads to see Neal standing on the stairs. He’d changed into dinner dress and cut quite a handsome figure in his elegant black.
Smiles replaced frowns.
Even on Thea’s face. And she found herself wishing Mirabel’s theory was correct, that there could be something more between them. Here was a man she could respect. Calm, confident ... kind.
For the briefest moment, their gazes met. She looked away first. She had to, partly out of an awareness of how many eyes were watching his every move and partly because she felt vulnerable around him. Neal could slip past her guard and find his way to her heart.
But hewantedto marry someone else. He waschoosingto do so.
And what if Neal was attracted to her with the same intensity she was feeling toward him? This horde would tar and feather her. They’d comehere expecting Lyon to choose one of their daughters as his lady and, by George, Thea had better deliver.
Having him throw their girls over for the matchmaker would be very bad form.
Neal came down the stairs to welcome everyone and be introduced to those he didn’t know. The young women Thea had thought rather difficult and selfish suddenly became the most pliant of souls. Even Lady Lila toned down her strong personality.
Of course, Neal said all the right things. What had seemed impossible moments ago, the meeting of all the demands and expectations of the recently arrived guests, disappeared effortlessly in his skilled hands.
Mirabel personally escorted the people she dearly wanted to impress, the Montvales and the Pomfreys, to their rooms, and Thea guided the others.
Lady Lila was the last one Thea directed to her room. Her room was next door to her father’s. She looked inside at the blue and green furnishings and gave a dismissive sniff. Thea attempted to not be offended for Mirabel.
“Where is Lord Lyon’s room?” Lady Lila asked.
“In the other hall,” Thea said. “Will you be needing anything else?”
“Wherein the other hall?” Lady Lila persisted.
Thea knew where his room was, but she didn’t think it was proper for a young unmarried woman to be making such inquiries.
“Around the corner,” she said, putting a firm note on her words. “We’ll see you in an hour for dinner—”
“Mrs. Martin, when I ask a question, I’m accustomed to people answering it.” Lady Lila dropped her voice, leaning close to Thea. “I intend to marry Lord Lyon. I’ve been waiting for a man like him. You would be wise to help me.”
Thea leaned forward, dropping her voice to say sweetly, “I am helping you, but you would be wise not to threaten me.”
She assumed the girl would back away. Instead, Lady Lila smiled, an expression that did not reach her eyes. “I do whatever I desire.” She then shut the door in Thea’s face.
Thea stared at the wood paneled door and decided right then and there that Neal would not choose Lady Lila.
Who was she to think everyone would jump to her bidding? Well, she’d just met her match.
It took Thea barely ten minutes to dress for dinner. She wore a simple lavender muslin with a demure lace neckline. She liked lavender. It reminded people that she was a widow and gave her an air of respectability that her relatively young age lacked.
When she went downstairs, she found Neal in the sitting room, lounging by the window reading a paper and enjoying a drink. When she entered the room he set the paper aside and rose to his feet.
If he was as interested in her as Mirabel claimed, she didn’t see it. He seemed friendly and cordial, his usual self.
