Six
THE SPOT OF CHRISTOPHER’S arm where Amelia was resting her hand burned. As they descended the stairs towards the dining room, he caught a waft of her flowery scent—lily with something else, like orange blossoms or tangerine.
A shot of pain travelled up his legs and cut off his thoughts. He gritted his teeth. Her fingers tightened on his arm.
“Does your leg hurt?” she asked.
“Some days more than others.” He hated that he couldn’t escort her properly, but had to swing on the side to not put all his weight on the bad leg.
Amelia followed his swaying though, her huge sapphire eyes glancing at him. “Do you want to rest?”
“No.” Dammit, he’d sounded harsh, but pride was his favourite vice.
Mrs Armstrong and Miss Julia were already in the dining room. Steaming cups of tea were settled in front of them with plates of scones and oat biscuits.
“Welcome to Gladstone,” he said, bowing to the ladies.
Mrs Armstrong’s gaze travelled from him to Amelia’s hand on his arm. Her lips pressed together in a grim line of disapproval. “Lord Lyons, thank you for your invitation.” Displeasure dripped from her voice. “Amelia, you must be tired and hungry after the trip. Why don’t you join us?”
Amelia’s hand rested on his arm a few moments longer. When she withdrew it, her fingers traced a path of fire over his skin, making him forget about the pain in his leg.
“Thank you, Mrs Armstrong,” she said, taking a quick dip.
He might’ve imagined the sweet glance she’d sent him. After Amelia sat next to Julia, he took the chair at the head of the table and . . . He had no idea what to say. Usually, Benedict was the chatting one. Without him, he didn’t know what to do. With a bunch of rowdy soldiers, he could always find something to chat about, but with ladies? He was rusty.
Avoiding the ladies’ gazes, he poured himself a cup of tea.
The noise of the teaspoons clinking against the china echoed in the room. Mrs Armstrong shot glares at Amelia, who stared back. There was an entire conversation in that exchange, and surely, Amelia was challenging Mrs Armstrong’s authority. He had to respect Amelia’s fierceness.
Julia cleared her throat. “The estate is huge. May I ask you how many people you employ to take care of it?”
Hypocrisy never lacked in the aristocratic society, but at least Julia hadn’t started a conversation about the weather.
He put down his cup. “As you must’ve noticed from the state of the garden and the mansion, I do not employ many people.”
Julia flustered and focused again on her biscuit. Yes, he wasn’t one of the dandies she was used to sipping tea with.
Amelia turned to him, and one of her golden lock fell over the curve of her neck. For a moment, he wondered how kissing that creamy skin would be, following that sensual curve with his lips until he lowered the neckline of her dress to reveal a full breast.
“Why don’t you take care of the land, sir?” Amelia asked.
“Amelia!” Mrs Armstrong dabbed her chin with the napkin. “That was too bold.”
“It’s all right.” Christopher held up a hand.
His shaft gave a twitch when Amelia smiled at him. Her smiles started something deep inside him, and with that smile, she was telling him she knew he appreciated her ‘tongue.’
Bloody hell. The tip of her tongue made an appearance between her lips as she bit into a biscuit, and his treacherous shaft twitched again. Better think about the house. Nothing like his negligence to quench the fire brewing inside him.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t take care of the estate. No, that was a lie. He knew why. He was tired. Life tired him, especially meaningless, mundane things like dressing up for a dinner or taking care of the weeds. Who cared?
“Several reasons,” he said.
“But this mansion surely belonged to your ancestors,” Amelia pressed on. “I’m sure they would be quite disappointed by your lack of—”
“Enough!” Mrs Armstrong dropped her cup on the table hard enough to let the saucer rattle. “Amelia, I don’t think your boldness will be welcomed by Lord Lyons. My apologies, My Lord,” she added to him.
If he hadn’t heard how she’d disparaged him and the house, he would’ve believed she was honest.
