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“I’m not likely to forget you, Frederica. Just be careful going down the stairs. I don’t want us all to take a tumble.”
Frederica took his arm, and they made their way down the stairs. They were a little wide, so they almost took up the entire staircase. Dorothy was walking down the narrowest part of the stairs as they followed the sweeping curve, so she had to grip tightly onto the bannister to stop herself from slipping. It made for a slower journey down to flatter ground.
“Are you alright, Dorothy?” Gabriel asked as they reached the bottom. “You looked rather uncomfortable there.”
“I’m fine.” Dorothy kicked at her skirts. “I can’t see anything with these in the way.”
“You could always take it off.”
Frederica gasped and swatted Gabriel’s arm.
“Gabriel! Don’t talk like that. What if someone overheard just a comment?”
“There’s nobody around. And Dorothy knows I’m teasing.” Gabriel winked. “Don’t you?”
Dorothy rolled her eyes.
“Your sense of humour is as flat as ever, Gabriel.”
“But you and I are still friends.”
“Sometimes, I wonder why.”
Gabriel laughed, and Dorothy couldn’t help smiling. She and Gabriel had practically grown up together. His family lived in Kempston, not far from the house in Bedford that Dorothy had grown up in. They had spent a lot of time as children, and Dorothy saw him as a brother to her.
She had only ever had a sister, and she had wanted a brother. Gabriel filled that part for her and seemed willing to play the role. It had been some time since they had seen each other, Gabriel having spent most of his time following his father around and learning about the family business, so this was refreshing.
Maybe the evening wouldn’t be as unnerving as she was thinking.
“Well, let’s go into the drawing room.” Gabriel squeezed her arm. “I hope they serve dinner soon. It’s almost eight, and I’m really hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Frederica teased as they walked across the foyer. “I’m surprised you didn’t end up so fat with the amount of food you eat.”
“You’re still the charmer, aren’t you, Frederica?”
Frederica gave him a sweet smile, which just had Dorothy laughing more. That laughter faded as the drawing room door opened and a petite, raven-haired beauty wearing a gorgeous dark blue dress emerged. She stopped when she saw them, looking Dorothy up and down with a slight sneer. Dorothy bristled at such a brazen expression from someone she had never met before.
Then the woman’s eyes landed on Gabriel.
“Lord Burville.”
“Lady Marcia,” Gabriel said smoothly. “I didn’t realise you would be here as well.”
“I’m a friend of Lord Derbyshire’s niece. Of course I would be here.” Lady Marcia arched an eyebrow, looking from Dorothy to Frederica and back again. “Nice to see you’re still having women eating out of the palm of your hand. You certainly know how to make them fall at your feet.”
Frederica cleared her throat.
“I take it you two know each other?”
Gabriel sighed.
“This is Lady Marcia Bamfield, daughter to the Earl of Reading. Lady Frederica Colt and Lady Dorothy …Napier.”
His voice faded away as Lady Marcia walked away, her head held high as she turned her back on them. Dorothy didn’t know whether to be bemused or annoyed at the blatant disrespect.
“How on earth do you know a woman like that?”
“I met her in London. Let’s just say she’s a very … flirtatious woman. And she didn’t like that she didn’t have me eating out of her palm.”
