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“I assure you. My intentions toward Her Grace are more than respectful.”
Montbrook grumbled something under his breath and turned on his heel. “Have a pleasant ride.”
* * *
Several minutes later, the Duchess of Somerset turned up on the front steps of her house. She had changed her gown to a pale green one that complemented her eye color and smoothed her hair. He walked her to his barouche and helped her up.
“Thank you for taking me out on a ride, My Lord,” she said once the vehicle lurched into motion.
“Not at all, Your Grace.” John inclined his head. “Sam told me about your predicament with the Montbrooks, so I wanted to make myself known,” he said good-naturedly and realized his mistake a little too late.
“Samsaid?” She looked at him quizzically.
John cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable. “She is worried about you,” he said with a nod, trying to sail past his slip. “And since she can’t do anything about it herself, she enlisted my help.”
Evie smiled fondly at that. “Samantha is the best friend I could ask for. I don’t know what I would do without her.”
“How long have you two known each other?”
“Oh, ages.” She laughed. “If you count bumping into each other at balls and soirees almost every week. We made our come-out the same year, but I had to withdraw because of my parents’ passing.” She paused as if to collect her thoughts. “We officially met at her birthday ball. We haven’t been friends for that long, however. It is hard to get to know people at these social events, as you might imagine. Especially since the goal is to attract members of the opposite sex.”
“How did you two become friends then?” He wasn’t good at making conversation, so he decided it was best to keep her talking. Besides, he was genuinely curious about Sam and wanted to find out all he could about her.
“One summer, my grandpa took me to one of his properties in Hampshire. He made certain to visit all of his estates for at least a short period of time every year. But Hampshire is beautiful, so he decided to spend all summer there. I met Sam during one of my rides. It turned out that their property borders our own. She was in mourning at the time, her father had passed, so I decided to fill the void.” She laughed merrily. “She didn’t stand a chance.”
“I believe that,” John answered honestly.
“We’ve both lost too many people,” she continued. “But we’ve found each other, and it’s truly a blessing.”
John fought not to squirm in his seat. Finding Sam felt like a blessing to him, too. Being married to her best friend, though, had the promise of becoming a curse.
