Page 91 of Holding Onto Love

“Everything went as planned. The only surprise was how thoroughly Prinny threw himself into the project. I can’t tell whether he despises Hilyer as much as we do, or if he simply found playacting to be fun.”

Vanessa tossed her head. “I know he’ll be our king soon, but the man is a buffoon.”

“Shh. We are not supposed to say that out loud.”

She sniffed. Then she picked out the stitch she had just done. Focusing on her handiwork, she asked, “And so, what happens now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Hilyer is no longer going to bother us, but what of the rest? Going out into Society. Bringing me into your world.”

“What would you like to do?”

“I don’t know. Nothing for a good long while. But it doesn’t make sense to back away and lose ground.” She set down the gloves and pushed back her hair, running her fingers through it as she did so, seemingly without paying attention to it. Though he did. “I suppose I might pay a call on Lady Posonby.”

“She would like that. And I think you’ll like her.” He offered the next piece of news with some hesitation. “The Prince Regent wants to receive you at Carlton House.”

Her eyes went wide. “Jasper!” Then she shook her head. “Good God.”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t wish to.”

“Yes, I do. That is not an invitation one can refuse.”

He said nothing because she was right. Even if the man was a buffoon.

“Jasper, please don’t get your hopes up too high. Notoriety may bring me into fashion for a moment, but I will only ever stand at the fringes of your world.”

“Society is at the fringes. You are central to my world.”

She flushed. “And Grosvenor Square? Where I am an embarrassment to you?”

“My mother was the embarrassment. Not you.” But he was casting blame where it did not belong. “No.” He sighed. “It was wrong of me to spring you on her like that, with no preparation. I-I’ll talk to her.”

“I don’t want to cause friction in your family.” She stood up, frowning. “That’s the last thing I want. Let it lie for now. Be kind to her. I’m not a threat. Don’t make her see me as one.”

“All right.” It was cowardly, probably, to give in so readily but he had no idea how he might speak to his mother about any of this. And he didn’t want to argue with Vanessa either. “Come, sit with me.”

She gave him a wry look. “You mean sit on you.”

“I do.”

She came to him. Sat on his lap. He pulled her close and tucked her head beneath his chin to breathe in the tree-bark scent of her hair.

“I remember the first time I kissed you.”

She relaxed into his embrace. “So do I. You came three nights in a row to ‘see if everything was all right.’”

“I couldn’t stay away.” He held her tighter. “You kept surprising me.”

“Yes, apparently, you’d never seen a woman build a fire before.” He heard the teasing in her voice. She was flirting with him. And he, with her.

“Not one I’d paid any attention to.” He laughed a little. “Yet there you were. Kneeling at the hearth. Hands coated with smut.”

“You scolded me for not having Madeline do it. And then again when I told you I’d given her the night off.”

“I’m sorry about that. It was kind of you when her mother was sick.”

“Well, about that.” Vanessa ducked her head against his chest. “Her mother was not.”