Page 28 of The Earl’s Hoyden

“How magnanimous.” He grinned and stopped their whirling, putting his hand to her lower back once more and walking side by side with her as the dance slowed. “I say, what do you think of the weather today?”

“It’s been windy and rather cold.” She tilted her shoulder, continuing the snobbish drawl. “Fortunately, I have several furs with which to bury beneath at home while reading such literary works as Pride and Prejudice.”

“Pride and Prejudice?” He nearly missed a step in the dance.

“Of course,” she said in her normal voice, once more Miss Bexley. “The story is divine. Elizabeth went on about it at such lengths, we all ended up reading—and adoring—the book. Have you read it?”

He hesitated, halting his knee-jerk response before it could rush from his mouth.

She leaned away from him. “You’re baring your teeth at me.”

He closed his lips, not realizing he’d held them open. “I am not.”

“You are,” she accused with a laugh. “Tell me what you mean to say.”

“Frankly, I wouldn’t waste my time with such drivel,” he replied, grateful to have been given leave to break the dam of his thoughts. “Not when there are better works to engage my time.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he kicked himself for that response, knowing it would likely earn him a rebuke.

“Well, it must be noted, that is not how to respond when dancing with a lady,” she chided lightly.

The music slowed, and the dance came to an end. He bowed.

She curtseyed, but as she rose, she said, “Have you read the book at all, or are you judging it simply on the audience to whom it appeals?”

To that, he did not have a response. At least not one he cared to voice.

Miss Bexley lifted her brow, her point made. “In that case, I have many books to recommend, but I would suggest you start with Pride and Prejudice.” Her lips teased upward. “It may be enlightening.”

Despite himself, he grinned. There was an openness about Miss Bexley that appealed to him greatly. She said exactly what was on her mind without preamble or prevarication.

“And you ought to dance more.” She slid her hand into the crook of his proffered arm. “You’re quite good.”

He should be after the countless years of instruction he had been subjected to. For now, he was grateful it afforded him such a delightful time with Miss Bexley.

“So, in summary: dance with ladies, keep conversation to the weather and fashion and endure gossip when it’s presented,” he said, organizing her advice into a succinct statement. “And read Pride and Prejudice.”

She smiled. “When next I see you, I wager I will be toasting to your success as the most eligible bachelor of the season.”

It was such a preposterous concept when he had been thus far invisible all these years. He nearly scoffed. He was certainly not the sort to attract much attention, but he could at least perform the small suggestions she had given him. Even reading Pride and Prejudice.

The following day after breakfast, a small parcel was delivered to him with his name written on the back of an envelope in a beautiful slanted script. The small card within was filled with the same elegant handwriting.

To ensure you don’t forget to read it. Enjoy!

Thoughtfully,

Miss Bexley

He knew what the item was before he even peeled back the paper wrapper and was not at all surprised that she had gifted him with his very own copy of the first volume of Pride and Prejudice.

6

Hannah almost leapt from her seat every time their butler entered the drawing room where she was painting a watercolor of their garden. Or at least what their garden looked like when it wasn’t stripped bare by winter’s wrath.

Surely Lord Brightstone would have received her gift by now. And surely etiquette would dictate that he replied with thanks.

But then, he didn’t seem to always abide by all the points of etiquette, which was one of the many things she liked about him. He was perhaps one of the few people in her life that did not make her feel as if she had to be perfect.