She dashed away the wetness of her eyes with her thumb. “Ah, Kitty. Who will marry me if I cannot even garner the attention of an older gentleman? I am truly hopeless.”
“A graying gentleman with a paunchy waistcoat and a set of stained wooden teeth, I must remind you,” I retorted, my ire completely roused in defense of my friend. “The loss is entirely his, rest assured.”
Soft footsteps sounded from the drawing room, and there stood my irascible brother, his hair more disheveled than ever, as well as his fashionable cravat tugged loose at the collar. My friend and my brother stared at each other.
“Edward,” she finally croaked.
“Fredericka,” he answered, sounding equally gravelly.
I couldn’t help but wonder how much he’d heard of our conversation while remaining tucked within the safety of the drawing room.
My friend’s cheeks reddened as she pulled the strings of her bonnet loose. “Are you enjoying the London season?”
“Hardly,” Edward quipped, his piercing gaze still pinned on her.
I frowned, truly taking in his appearance. “Do you have a bruise on your cheek? What on earth have you been doing this past week, darting in and out of the house like a thief in the night?”
Both Fredericka and I inched closer to him. He stepped back.
After clearing his throat, he raised a hand to force us to keep our distance. “It’s nothing. I’ve taken Sebastian to Angelo’s fencing studio. The men often prove unruly.”
“Don’t draw blood,” I said. “I’m uncertain Grandfather will approve of you manhandling our esteemed guest.”
“Believe me, Kit, the man can handle himself. He is a champion fencer, a prodigy, having toured Europe to study with the best teachers.”
I couldn’t imagine the skill Edward described. Occasionally, he hadtried to show me the art of fencing. I proved terrible at it and he swore to hide his sabres to keep mankind safe from my clumsiness.
“You fenced just yesterday?” I asked, confused, since I had encountered so little of him this past week, leaving me and Aunt to entertain Sebastian.
Edward didn’t answer but brushed past us before pausing and turning around. “It’s good to see you again, Fredericka. I very much enjoyed the book you mailed. I would be happy to return it to you.”
“No, please. It was a gift,” Fredericka replied. “I wish you to keep it.”
I had the distinct impression that neither of them noticed me in the slightest.
He inclined his head once in her direction and swiftly headed toward the library, leaving the two of us alone in the hall.
She glanced at me, her lashes somewhat darkened from tears.
My kindhearted friend, who assumed no man would ever want her...
I would berate Edward later for his ridiculous formality around her. After all, we had grown up with each other, running wild in the countryside when Aunt wasn’t looking.
Fredericka smoothed the front of her dress with trembling hands. “I am grateful for the colonel’s generosity to let me accompany you for the season. It will feel almost like old times at Seven Oakes.”
“I am grateful too,” I told her as I linked arms with her. “But don’t for a moment get snookered into Grandfather’s plans. He thinks himself clever and intends for me to behave through and through now that you are here to demonstrate the proper way of a lady. Let me show you to your room. We’ll talk privately there and strategize our stay in London.”
“Oh, Kitty—” Laughter bubbled from her. “I couldn’t rein you in no matter how hard I tried. Besides, you’ve a wedding to plan. I’m here no doubt to be your best maid.”
Goose pimples flared across my skin as we climbed the stairs to the second floor. Marriage to Sebastian Sinclair loomed ever nearer.
“Kitty—” She stopped mid-step on the thick carpet, pulling me back. “Youaregetting married? At least one of us will find our happiness, yes?”
“Come,” I said. “Not here. I promise to tell you everything.”
Freddy’s guest bedroom stood next to mine. Farther down the hall, Grandfather and Edward kept rooms, and Sebastian had been given the largest and best of the guest rooms at the end of the hall, which barely gave me space to think with his constant presence pulling at my attention.
Once inside her room, I shut the door. Blue walls and lace curtains brightened the space. A cheerful fireplace flanked by petite chairs offered a private spot for conversation.
