Perhaps not, perhaps they were encouraging a match. Still, to have the gentleman move in seemed rather…shocking, he supposed.
Unless, of course, he was some kind of relative. A distant cousin perhaps.
That must be the likely answer.
Somehow, his horse turned down Portland Place. He thought he ought to turn round, as the street was enclosed and did not lead to another.
He did, though, feel the urge to go past the Bennington’s house. He could not say what he thought he would see there. Maybe he would spot Lord Darling coming or going. But what then? And why did he concern himself with it?
What he ended up seeing was not something he could have conjured in his imagination.
Lord Darden, Lord Baderston, and the Duke of Conbatten had surrounded a kid who was leaping into the air as if taunting those gentlemen. Miss Mayton stood in the doorway with the earl, cheering them on.
Lady Cordelia and another lady, who he presumed to be her younger sister stood just before his horse as he reined him in.
“Lord Harveston?” Lady Cordelia said.
Chapter Ten
She was lookingvery pretty in the moonlight, dressed in a simple yet well-cut muslin with embroidered roses round the bodice. He had an almost overwhelming feeling of wishing to begin again, to erase the encounters they’d had and just start over.
Her sister turned and looked him over. “So this is Lord Harveston,” she said. Her tone did not convey that she found anything good about being Lord Harveston.
He wondered what she’d been told.
Probably that he was insufferable.
“Lady Cordelia, Lady…”
“Lady Juliet.”
“Good evening. I am sorry, I seem to have intruded upon…”
Lady Cordelia had turned back to look at the scene. “Ah, there. Conbatten has got him, that naughty little boy.”
Lady Juliet called out, “Papa, do see that the window is closed so he cannot escape again.”
The earl gamely nodded and disappeared into the doorway.
“The goat escaped from your house?” Percival said.
“Well, he would have,” Lady Cordelia said, “he is our goat after all.” Standing on her toes, she said loudly, “Very well done, Conbatten! You too, Darden and Lord Baderston. Well done, gentlemen.”
Two other ladies raced out of the house to greet the returning heroes and Percival recognized them as Lady Rosalind, now Conbatten’s duchess, and Lady Viola, just recently become Lady Baderston.
It seemed the whole extended family was in attendance on the runaway goat, but for Lady Van Doren, who he understood was at home in the countryside.
Percival began to feel as if he had intruded upon a family party, which he supposed he had. He should probably not be surprised that a Bennington family party included a goat hopping around on the street.
“What brings you this way, Lord Harveston?” Lady Juliet asked. “I presume you call on one of our neighbors.”
Percival felt he was being cornered. She was rather bold for a young lady not yet out.
“I was merely exercising my horse and did not pay too much attention to where I was going.”
Both Lady Juliet and Lady Cordelia looked critically at his horse, as if to ascertain how much the beast was enjoying wandering round Town with no destination in mind.
“As I have very accidentally encountered you, Lady Cordelia,” he said, determined to have his say on some recent books he’d read, “I had been thinking of recommending some books—”
