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CHAPTEREIGHT
Rhys knew Elizabeth would be worried, but he had not expected her to be angry. Her eyes flashed as the words left her lips.
“I did not take him,” he defended quickly. “He followed me, and I did not know he was in the carriage until I arrived.”
“You could have sent word to tell us where he was,” she admonished, but the flame in her eyes diminished.
“Elizabeth!” her mother rebuked. “Where are your manners?”
Rhys understood her reaction. He had underestimated the extent to which she would be affected by Brutus’ absence and regretted not sending word. “Forgive me, Lady Elizabeth. I meant to bring him with me, but the day did not go as I planned.”
She nodded. “I ask that you forgive my outburst as well. Brutus is very dear to me.” He knew she only said that because of her mother. She would never apologize for something like that, and she proved his correctness with her next statement. “I admit that I am very surprised, bewildered even. Brutus is not fond of you.”
“Elizabeth,” her mother warned, and he held back a laugh. If only the woman knew the words they had said to each other.
“Your bewilderment is only matched by mine.” He smiled. “I thought you sent him to spy on me, ensure I am the right suitor for your sister.” That made Lady Irene blush, and she cast her eyes down to her hands which lay folded on her lap. There was no such reaction from Elizabeth, however, for her head was tilted, and her lips curved in a sly smile.
“Perhaps I did, and my worry was all a pretense,” she said.
He laughed. “Then you are a very good actress, and I think I should be afraid of you.”
“Well,” Lady Winston interrupted them. “I am sure you are the right suitor for Irene, and Elizabeth certainly did not send her dog to spy on you.”
Elizabeth’s smile quickly faded, and so did his. He cleared his throat and turned to a beaming Lady Winston. “I believe there is a matter that Lord Winston wishes to discuss with me,” he reminded her.
“Oh, yes. I shall fetch him.” She stood and started toward the door. Rhys gained his feet as well. “Irene, tell Lord Guildford about your newest painting.”
Lady Irene gave him an apologetic smile as he retook his seat. “My Lord, how did he get in your carriage without you knowing?” she asked. Elizabeth’s eyes were on the page of the open book on her lap. Her demeanor had changed since her mother interrupted their banter, and he was curious.
He turned to Lady Irene to answer her question. “He hid beneath my seat until we arrived.”
She smiled. “Brutus can be very sly.”
“He is quite charming, too. He is already very good friends with my grandmother.” Elizabeth raised her head to regard him when he said that, and a soft smile touched her lips. “You did not tell me why you named him Brutus.”
“That is because there is no reason why I gave him that name,” she replied. “Brutus is but a name, after all.”
That was a splendid answer, Rhys thought, and he said, “I misjudged your reason, and I stand corrected.”
She grinned. “You are rather generous today, My Lord.”
“Have I never been?” he teased.
She laughed. “Ha! You—”
Lady Winston bustled into the room, saying, “Irene, did you show him the painting?”
Lady Irene immediately began to fly her colors. “No, I was asking him about Brutus, Mother.” Lady Winston did not seem to be pleased by that, but she widened the smile on her face, nevertheless.
“Shall we speak in my study, Guildford?” Lord Winston asked after greeting him.
“Certainly,” Rhys said, nodding at the ladies before following Lord Winston.
“It might be about your marriage, Irene,” he heard Lady Winston whisper as he left the room.
Rhys recalled that he would need to make Lady Irene an offer soon. He might do that today if her father introduced the subject. He was doing this because Elizabeth had brought war into his life, and he would fight with everything in his arsenal.
Lord Winston smiled when they entered his study and gestured for Rhys to have a seat at a sitting arrangement on one side of the room. He sat in the chair opposite the one Rhys took and smiled.
