Verity spun at her cousin’s yelp and frowned as a dark-garbed gentleman reached for Sephi’s arm to steady her, the parasol now strewn on the path.
“My apologies, lass,” a grave Scottish brogue intoned. “My thoughts were elsewhere.”
Sephi tutted. “You nigh walked over me,Sir.”
The gentleman, soberly handsome and dressed in smart black, bent to retrieve her parasol. “I don’t know how t’would be possible…” His eyes roved from her bonnet to her dress. “As I’ve not seen such a brightly dressed lady in some while.”
Snatching her parasol back, Sephi scrunched her nose at his dark attire. “Then perhaps you ought to look where you’re going more often, Sir, for the world is not all black.” And with a harrumph, she twisted and stomped towards them. “Shall we?”
Verity stared back at the gentleman who was unfortunate enough to have vexed Sephi and thought to give an apologetic nod but…
A smile had cracked the gentleman’s serious features, his eyes – blue as a winter sky – abruptly stirred with vivid life. They flicked to herself before, with a doff of hat, he strode off down the path that had crossed with theirs.
Verity hastened to catch her relations, Sephi’s grumbles likely heard in Whitehall.
“Well, then,” said Verity, “who’s being crabby now?”
“And peevish,” joined in Aunt.
“I’m not! I merely responded in kind after his snide remark about my bright dress.”
Aunt Theo slanted Sephi a look from beneath her bonnet brim. “He was not snide, darling.”
“Hah! Did you see the manner in which he stared at me? With such a…a look of disapproval. I’d wager he’d read the gossip papers. Knew who I was.”
“Erm.” Verity nibbled her lip. “Sephi, not that I know overmuch the ways of men, in fact after that letter, far from it, but I would not have called his look disapproving.”
“What was it then? Scornful?”
“No.” Verity patted her cousin’s shoulder. “I thought it was…admiring.”
“As did I,” said Aunt.
Sephi frowned and blinked at the same time.
“He looked at you with admiration, Sephi.”
Her cousin briefly closed her eyes. “No… No, you have it all wrong.”
Anger filled Verity and she cursed her cousin’s father and that lamentable libertine. For how wretched that Sephi should think all comments from men would be derogatory or snide. That she could no longer recognise admiration. “I do not think so. And you do look beautiful.”
“Thank you but… I just saw his stare and I thought…” She hit her forehead with a palm. “I wasn’t very nice to him, was I?”
“No, Sephi. In fact, you were quite rude.” And Verity cocked her head.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” Verity said with all innocence.
“You want me to apologise. I can see it in your eyes. Well, I can’t. He’s gone.”
Verity merely pursed her lips.
“Oh, not the lips as well,” Sephi groused. “Well, I suppose, if I ever see him in the park again, I could…smile. Maybe. In his direction.”
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” muttered Aunt.
“I can smile at a man.” And Sephi pulled her lips back to that of a gargoyle on a cold north-facing wall.
