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Tillie felt the jolt of surprise that travelled through Alex. What was that about. “Did she?” he asked, his voice sounding odd.
Millie leaned over, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Tillie managed to convince my husband to pretend to be her suitor so that she might shake off our mother and plan her escape to the sea.”
“A fake courtship?” Alex asked, his voice rough. “That sounds exactly like Tillie.”
Her own hand tightened in his arm. “I wasn’t successful, obviously. I’m still here.”
Millie reached out and touched her sister’s arm. “She abandoned the plan for my benefit.”
“I see,” Alex replied, his voice relaxing once again. “That also sounds very like Tillie.”
Tillie looked at him. Was he implying that she was giving? It reminded her that she wished to know more about Alex. “Enough about me,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Let’s make our way to dinner, shall we?”
Alex nodded but so did Millie and her husband. “Shall we dine together?”
Tillie might have sighed. She’d missed her sister so much, but at this moment, she’d like to have Alex all to herself. There was so much she still didn’t know.
* * *
Alex staredup into the sky, wishing this evening had been different.
His dance with Tillie had been divine. And he’d enjoyed dinner with Lord Rangeley and Millie. They were both lovely.
But Rangeley’s comments about the fake courtship had planted some seed of doubt in his mind that he couldn’t quite shake. Tillie’s mother had thrust Viscount Bancroft onto Tillie whenever Alex wasn’t nearby.
Was Tillie using him to free herself from the other suitor?
He wouldn’t blame her is she was, it was an excellent plan as far as plans went…and she’d promised him nothing.
But a woman who was willing to climb out onto a pergola to avoid an introduction was liable to use a man to avoid another.
And he’d like to think he and Tillie had made some great connection, but then again, before this party, they’d never gotten along. Which would make him an ideal decoy.
He winced to think of himself as being nothing more than a means to an end the woman he’d fallen in love with.
Had he told her that? What would she say if he did?
He let out a long breath, a cloud of vapor forming in front of his mouth. The nights were getting cooler.
Which meant the sky was crystal clear as he stared through his scope. The occultation was so close. Would it happen during the day tomorrow when he’d not be able to see? He’d have to miss dinner tomorrow to be outside as soon as it was dark enough to see through his scope.
“Has it happened?” Tillie’s voice had him jerking upright. She stood a few feet away, her hands clasped together a small hopeful smile on her face. “Did I miss it?”
“No.” He straightened, his worries melting away. She was here. Supporting him. That meant so much. “It’s close. And I’m worried that it will happen during the day tomorrow, meaning I’ll miss the entire thing.”
“Have you done any calculations?”
“I have.” He nodded, telling her the movement he’d seen and what his original calculations had predicted. “But as the two objects move closer, the speed they travel seems to speed up.”
She gave a quick nod of acknowledgment. “I can check your math if you’d like.” Then she winced. “If you’d wish for me to. I didn’t mean…”
“Tillie.” He reached out a hand to her. “You’ve been better than me at calculations since you were about seven. And most likely, your scientific reasoning will outstrip mine as well.”
Her fingers closed around his. “Thank you.”
“Would you care to look?”
She gave an eager jerk of her chin. “I’d be honored. How thrilling to see such a rare event.”
