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Flora spoke with such passion, and Lionel found himself becoming more interested in what she was saying even though he found few things as intriguing as she appeared to.
“Are you from Kent?” he asked, surprising even himself. Lionel was not normally the type who cared about the stories of others, but he found himself wondering who this young woman was.
She laughed. The sound was light and pleasing. “No,” she told him. “I am simply visiting for a short whilst. I am friends with Abigail. Best friends since we were children.”
Lionel nodded not saying anything else.
“I came from London, but my family normally resides in Cornwall. I have not been able to see Abigail since her marriage to Mr Waldren, so I thought with the Season at a close, this fall would be a wonderful time to pay her a visit.”
Lionel smiled at her politely not saying anything else. He enjoyed the sound of her voice. There was something openly charming about her that he found pleasing.
Before Lionel knew it, they were standing at the door of the Waldren’s house, and he found himself disappointed that they had covered the yard so quickly.
“We should probably go inside,” Flora told him. “I am sure that the other guests have started to arrive.”
Lionel said nothing. He stood there for a moment watching the young woman walk into the house trying to shake off the feelings that this mysterious young woman elicited in him.
He needed to shake them off. After all, there was a dinner party to attend.
Chapter 3
“There you are!” Abigail exclaimed as Flora walked into the house. Her arms were overflowing with flowers. Flora had decided that she would go pick a few for the dinner party. She had noticed that there were some late summer roses, and she thought that they would look nice on the table.
Plus, she was nervous. Flora did not mind meeting new people, but she had not expected to be part of a dinner party the first night that she came to Kent.
“I thought that I would pick some things for the centerpieces.” Flora handed over the flowers. “I hope that you do not mind. You know me,” she said with a smile. “I cannot sit still.”
Abigail chuckled. “Anthony is in the dining room.” She looked past Flora, and her face brightened immediately.
“My lord,” Abigail exclaimed, “it is so nice for you to join us.”
Flora looked behind her to see Mr Vanden coming in behind her. They had been together until they reached the door. He had ushered her forward, allowing her to step inside first. The two of them had had a pleasant enough conversation, but Flora thought that maybe he did not care for her chattering.
Though he had been polite, he barely said anything to her. Normally, Flora would not have worried, but her mother’s critiques sounded in her ears.
“I did reply that I would be joining them,” Lionel said. His voice was deep and gruff, and Flora swore that she felt the sound of it in her low stomach.
“And I see that you have met Miss Sedley!” It was odd to hear Abigail speak so formally, but not unsurprising. Though Lionel had told her his name, he had not used his title. Now, Flora felt silly for being so informal with him.
Her mother would have been horrified.
“Miss Sedley and I spoke.”
Flora watched Abigail’s smile falter slightly at Lionel’s tone. Flora was beginning to wonder if this was simply his way of speaking. She thought that perhaps Lionel had not liked her, but she was starting to wonder if he was just the taciturn sort.
“Well, you should both follow me into the dining room. The rest of the guests have already arrived.”
Flora followed Abigail feeling nervous as Lionel trailed behind the two of them. There was something about this man that was disconcerting, and she could not put her finger on what it was about him that made Flora so uneasy.
He was handsome. Very much so. His dark hair curled slightly over his ears, and his dark brown eyes held an intensity that Flora suspected drew people to him.
“I have found our last two guests!” Abigail announced as they walked into the dining room. Flora was surprised to see another couple at the table. The way Abigail spoke, Flora expected this small dinner party to be filled with more people. She released a small sigh of relief when she realised that that was not the case.
Flora felt Lionel inch past her. He stood near an empty chair where the place card held his name. Flora caught sight of her own and positioned herself to stand where she suspected Abigail desired her.
“Mr and Mrs Rhee, I believe that you know Lord Lionel Vanden.” The other couple nodded towards Lionel. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement.
Abigail turned her attention to Flora who noticed that her friend had passed off her flowers to one of the maids. As all eyes turned to her, Flora felt her cheeks flush slightly. She would not call herself shy, but she was someone who preferred to be in the background.
