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“That’s impossible,” Lily said. “What on earth?”
“Let’s look around then,” Thomas said. “Maybe you’re at my table.”
Lily’s name was nowhere to be found there, so they moved to the outer table. I suppose it would serve me right to have to sit at a table with Amelia Gregory. Thank goodness, her name wasn’t there.
“Thomas, I don’t know what’s going on.” Lily feared for a moment that she might have forgotten to put her own name card back on the chart, or perhaps it had slipped out of the portfolio when the maid fetched it from outside her chamber.
“There’s one table left,” Thomas said.
“But that’s the duke’s table. I couldn’t possibly…”
He took her arm and led her over. Her mother and father were already seated, as was Aunt Iris, the duchess, her sister, and several others. Lily gawked when Daniel entered. He looked absolutely magnificent in full ducal regalia, a deep red velvet jacket, black silk cravat, and black trousers that highlighted the tight musculature of his legs. His beautiful hair was pulled back in a queue. Her heart leaped.
He approached Lily and Thomas. “Good evening, Jameson, my lady. Jameson, may I have the honor of escorting your lovely sister to her place?”
Thomas’s smile was fake, but he nodded. “Of course, Your Grace.”
Daniel smiled down at Lily. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen you with clothes on today,” he whispered.
Lily’s skin blazed. “I had clothes on when I was painting,” she whispered back. “What have you done? I’m supposed to be at the other table.”
“Did you really think I would let you have total control of the seating?” He smiled. “You’re sitting next to me.” He led her to the head of the table.
“What will people think? This is highly”—she searched for the right word—“controversial.”
“No one will notice. Or care, for that matter. My mother and Aunt Lucy approved the seating arrangement after you and I both improved it. You’re the daughter of the Earl of Ashford. It’s perfectly proper for you to sit at my table.”
“But…”
He pulled out her chair. She looked around the room before she sat down. He was right. No one glanced their way. Except for one person seated at the outer table. Lady Amelia Gregory was glaring at her. Lily smiled tersely in Amelia’s direction and sat down to the right of Daniel’s place at the head of the table. On her other side was the Earl of Madison, his wife, and then her own parents. Madison was well known to be hopelessly devoted to his wife, so he would likely pay no attention to Lily. Seated on Daniel’s other side was the dowager Countess of Bourough, an elderly woman who was hard of hearing, and next to her was her companion, Viscount Pomeroy, a widower ten years her junior who acted as her escort in return for her generously lavishing her fortune on him. Interesting choices. If Lily hadn’t known otherwise, she would have thought Daniel had arranged the seating so that he would have no choice but to focus his attention on her.
Appetizers of pâté de campagne and foie gras were followed by a clear beef consommé, which was light but tasty. As Lily ate her soup quietly, the Earl of Madison spoke over her to Daniel.
“We missed you on the hunt today, Your Grace.”
“I’m sorry to have missed it,” Daniel replied. “I was otherwise engaged.”
“Business, I suppose?”
“Yes, but after my business concluded early in the afternoon, I took Midnight out on a ride. It was a most pleasant excursion. I saw some splendid rare wildlife.”
Lily swallowed a spoonful of soup and nervously choked back a giggle. She reached for her napkin.
“Are you quite all right?” Madison asked her.
“Yes, thank you, my lord,” Lily said into her napkin. She reached for her goblet of claret, took a sip, and looked sideways at Daniel. His beautiful eyes gleamed at her, and his full lips were curved into a puckish grin. Madison had turned his attention back to his wife
She couldn’t help herself. “Tell me, Your Grace, could you describe the wildlife?”
“Such rare and exotic creatures are seldom seen in these parts, my lady,” Daniel said. “Had I a sketchbook on my person, I would have stopped and tried to put the beauty to paper.”
Lily nearly jumped out of her seat. “You sketch, Dan—Your Grace?”
“I do indeed, my lady. Do you?”
“Yes. But I prefer painting.”
“So you are interested in art, then?”
