Page 68 of Love and the Shameless Lady

Reams sailed up to open the massive front doors, and Gloriana followed him at her most stately.

On the way to the empty salon, Julian and Daisy exchanged a glance. “Yes, I think the marquis let him out.” Julian’s mouth twitched. “Foul little beast, he’s eyeing me as if I’m dinner.”

“Melinda told me Virtuoso has a habit of attacking strange men.”

The little dog wagged its tail cheerfully and licked Daisy’s chin.

“He seems to like you just fine.”

“Most dogs do. Imagine if he had bitten the earl! Why do you suppose Gloriana and the marquis dislike one another so much?”

“They attend some of the same salons in London where philosophic matters are discussed. I suppose they have learned to despise one another.”

Perhaps, but the venom in the marquis’s voice surprised her. “I suppose Gloriana’s rudeness invites a similar response.” She shut the dog into the empty salon.

Julian tucked her hand in his arm, and they headed slowly toward the front door. “What do you suggest? Shall we be awed and obsequious, icily supercilious, or merely bored?”

“I hope to be barely noticeable,” she said.

“Impossible,” he said. “You outshine everyone.”

“Stop it,” she hissed. “No more fatuous compliments, please.”

He halted. “They’re not fatuous. To my eyes, you do outshine every other woman.”

“I do wish you wouldn’t compliment me.” She was almost whining. How appalling. She glanced behind her. The marquis had fetched Lord and Lady Garrison from the drawing room. Good. After a swift introduction, she and Julian could withdraw into the background.

The Earl of Hythwick proved to be a well-dressed man of medium height, with a modish haircut and a complicated cravat. Gloriana was already on the drive, curtseying deeply, almost as to the king.

The earl doffed his hat, bowing punctiliously. “My dear Miss Warren, how delightful to see you again. But where are my host and hostess? Should they not be here to greet me?”

“A footman has gone to inform them of your arrival,” Gloriana said breathlessly. “They’ll be here any second.”

“Humph,” the earl said. “And who might this be?

She turned. “Oh, that’s only my brother’s friend, Sir Julian Kerr, and his wife.”