Page 28 of Miss Kimble Bites Back

“Home,” he whispered, and her stomach lurched in dread.

She wet her lips to whisper back, “I trust your sister remains in good health.”

“Cordelia could actually be improving,” he whispered back. He squeezed her hand a little more firmly, and then softened his grip again.

“That is good news.” Gabby squeezed his hand back to express her relief. “I was afraid for a moment she might be worse because of me.”

“She wants to see you. Tomorrow morning,” Mamble confessed.

“I should love to see her, too,” Gabby said, dropping her eyes to his broad expanse of chest because her cheeks were growing warm, thanks to his cologne filling her lungs again. “I feared our presence might have frightened her the last time.”

Mamble tightened his grip on her fingers. “Will you come?”

“For breakfast?”

“No, a little later. Cordelia wishes you to join her for tea midmorning. You can bring your guardian.”

Gabby immediately realized the timing was problematic. The morning after a ball was a crucial time for a debutant. She might have gentlemen call on her at home—except none but the duke had asked her to dance so far tonight.

In recent weeks, too, the number of morning callers had dwindled from the crush the duke’s attention had first instigated to none, though. Even moving to stay with Lady Windermere had not improved the situation.

Tomorrow could be more of the same. Gabby waiting for hours, and she didn’t want to do that again. Besides, it might only be the duke calling on her tomorrow, anyway. She did want to see him, and talk to his sister, too. Cordelia would not come to her.

“I will be pleased to call on your sister,” she promised. “I would like that very much.”

“Good,” he said firmly, and she was pulled in a little closer to his chest. “There will be a formal invitation waiting by the time you return home.”

“We are staying with Lady Windermere,” she said quickly, in case he hadn’t heard the news.

“I already knew that,” he said with a wink.

Gabby tried to return a smile that she hoped did not reveal how pleased she was that he knew where to find her. Being in the duke’s arms made her feel better. She was deeply interested in nurturing a friendship with his shy sister, even if the duke did not want her for anything else.

Their dance was ending, and her time with Mamble was almost over. He spun her quickly for the final turns, let her go, and then stepped back to bow deeply to her.

Gabby curtsied, and then straightened to clap along with everyone else. But her dance with the duke had gone so quickly that she was disappointed it was already over. Might he linger at her side tonight, or would he flee like he had the last time they danced together?

Mamble moved closer, and his fingers settled briefly at the small of her back. “To Miss Ellis or to your cousin?” he enquired.

“To Miss Ellis, if you please,” she whispered back, pleased that he remembered the name of her friend and fighting a shiver.

He accompanied her all the way to Daisy’s side and even spoke with her for a few minutes. But as she’d feared, he took his leave of her too soon, and then of the ballroom entirely.

“My word,” Daisy said, fanning herself. “How are you still standing?”

“I beg your pardon?” Gabby asked, dragging her eyes away from the distant doorway.

“The way Mamble looked at you tonight was almost indecent,” Daisy whispered. “You will be the talk of the ton tomorrow.”

“He just looks at me like he does anyone else,” Gabby said, shrugging away her accusation.

“No, my dear,” Daisy chided. “That is how a man who wants should look at a woman dancing in his arms.”

“There is nothing like that between us,” she whispered, embarrassed by Daisy’s suspicions.

“Well, that is sad, because it’s clear he is as interested in you as you are in him.”

“In his sister,” she said quickly. “I have been invited to take tea with Lady Cordelia tomorrow morning.”