Dinsmore, please, I should be most uncomfortable. You can use the country as an excuse for the odd count or the informality. Pray, do not ask me to socialize with your guests.”
The good lady sat rigid and quiet for a moment. “Well, I certainly never thought to hear you refuse a request for help, Kate. I was obviously quite mistaken in you.”
Kathryn knew she was being manipulated, just as she knew the entire house was being manipulated in order to make Charity shine. But she was torn between what she owed Lady Dinsmore and her mixed emotions about Lord Dalton.
And that was the crux of the matter. Kathryn knew if it were anyone else in the world, she would not have been so adamant in her refusals. She must not let him have so much power over her, especially after last night. It would be too easy to fall in love with him again. He had changed only for the better, so how could she not?
* * *
“Oh, Lord Dalton, I have ever so many friends I should like you to meet.” The child had not stopped talking since they sat down. Dinner the previous night had been interminable. The gentlemen said little, and Lady Dinsmore obviously had no control over her forward daughter. Miss Montgomery was not even in attendance.
He determined to find some excuse from dinner during most of his stay, but knew he could not do so after the dismal experience of last night. His hostess was astute enough to know why.
He was brought back to the present as Charity droned on. “Of course, they are not as fashionable as you and I are, but they enjoy my company.” Why did Lady Dinsmore not stop her daughter from touching his arm and shoulder each time she made a comment?
The doors to the dining room opened, and Dalton was never so happy to see anyone as he was to see Miss Montgomery shuffling into the dining room. Another entire dinner with the vain, loquacious daughter of the house would make him wish to impale himself with his fork! The companion quietly apologized for not joining them in the drawing room before dinner, and slowly lowered herself into the vacant chair diagonal to him.
When Dalton stood upon the entrance of Miss Montgomery, he knew they could not have such discourse as they had enjoyed yesterday in the stables, but he certainly hoped for a rational conversationalist unlike the singularly quiet males and the inane females he presently enjoyed. If Miss Montgomery failed him, he would make up his first excuse for tomorrow evening.
He noticed the dignified lady’s blush as he stood. Sir John remained occupied with his plate, completely ignoring a gentleman’s duty, while the rector’s attention was so focused on food, he apparently did not even hear her enter. Intuitively, though, he knew she was embarrassed at his gesture, not their lack of one.
She waved him to his seat with a quick hand. Interrupted from his turbot, Sir John responded with surprise to Miss Montgomery’s presence. “Ah, joining us for dinner, are you? Excellent, excellent.”
Did she not normally dine with the family? He gave Lady Dinsmore more credit than he had previously accorded her. She knew exactly what he felt last night, and she knew exactly how to remedy it. He should have guessed that Charity’s companion did not dine with the family despite being in attendance at tea. He wondered if the beauty beside him was not a little petulant because of it.
“I am sure Mama would have accepted your excuses were she aware that your schedule did not fit in with ours,” she said, the sarcasm dripping from her lips.
At such a small and intimate gathering, Dalton’s one solace was being allowed to converse with the entire group rather than confined in the normal way to only those on his immediate left and right. “Miss Charity,” he chided, trying to dampen her pretension yet preserve his manners, “I beg of you, do not make Miss Montgomery more uncomfortable than she no doubt already is. I daresay she was caught up with something of importance and there was no intent on her part to slight us.” He smiled most charmingly.
He received a smile of thanks from the plainly dressed woman, and he regretted that she did indeed wear her spectacles at night. When she smiled, he noticed her even white teeth and rather high cheekbones. But he had a feeling that her eyes spoke more thanks than her expression. And he knew an earnest desire to please her. It was quite odd! Who would have anticipated he would experience the mystery of two completely different women when he accepted this invitation?
Lady Dinsmore chimed in as she was wont to do after the spoiled belle put her dainty slipper in her mouth. He did not envy her parents having to fire off the girl beside him. Why, she was as volatile as Prinny himself!
“Charity, Miss Montgomery did mention she would be a few minutes late this evening.” Lady Dinsmore smiled at him. “Apparently, Jacob is planning a surprise for your lordship.”
“Perhaps we should ask Miss Montgomery to tell us of young Jacob’s surprise.” Kathryn raised her head from her plate but directed her comments to the entire assembly. “Indeed, my lord,” she answered in a quiet voice. “You can have little opinion of me if you think I should spoil his surprise in such a way.” She finally turned her face to him, but her eyes remained hidden. “Since this afternoon, Jacob has spoken of nothing but the hope of a visit to the nursery where he may show you the surprise himself.”
Dalton did not know why, but her answer pleased him immensely. An attention seeker would have taken full advantage of the opportunity he had thrust her way to dominate the conversation and bring complete notice upon her. But Miss Montgomery was made of sterner stuff, it seemed. She had no desire to spoil the delight of a child. Indeed, her answer pleased him beyond measure.
When the gentlemen decided they would forgo their brandy and cigars to join the ladies in the drawing room, he was looking forward to finding a chair as close to the engaging companion as he could. He did not make that observation lightly; after years on the Continent, he was an excellent judge of character, and he knew he had found a kindred spirit despite not being able to read her eyes.
He saw that Miss Charity seated herself on a love seat near the fire, and her look beckoned him to the spot beside her. He pretended not to notice.
He turned and saw Miss Montgomery standing in the farthest corner of the room. It would have put her quite beyond the pale had he joined her there. Dalton knew it was where she wished to be, and knowing he was being completely selfish, he said, “Miss Montgomery, perhaps you would like this chair a little closer to the fire. I see it remains quite empty.”
He saw her turn to him in complete surprise. It was not in the corner of the room, but it was not in the center, either. He thought they could agreeably converse without appearing secluded. She approached the chair, appearing somewhat wary of him.
“I promise I shall not eat you, Miss Montgomery,” he said, hoping to interject some levity.
“My lord, I did not mean to appear ungrateful!”
“You did not. There is something I particularly wished to ask you. I hope you will not think me forward.”
Seating herself, she replied, “I cannot imagine what might interest you that one of the others might answer just as easily.”
Was she in fear of retribution from her charge? He would not allow it. He would talk to whomever he pleased, and he would give the chit the set down she deserved if necessary.
“There are many things, I assure you.” He stood a little apart from her chair, making sure there were no codes of conduct broken for a drawing room discourse. “I wondered about your eyes.” She did not look at him, but pushed the spectacles against the bridge of her nose anxiously. “I do not mean to pry. I assumed it to be a condition involving light, but as you are wearing them this evening, I see that cannot be the reason. May I ask if it is something more serious?”
She stuttered for a moment; he had taken her quite off guard. “I...I... No, it has nothing to do with the intensity of light, my lord. My spectacles are for quite another purpose, not one I should like to go into at present. You may suffice it to say that they are the bane of my existence!” She did smile at that, so her refusal did not come with any malice or indication she was not pleased with him.
Indeed,