Page 62 of The Viscount in her Bedroom
“I’d like to think so.”
“I’ll agree to that. As friends, we could have a serious discussion about oarlocks.”
He laughed. “There’s not much to tell. I’m just rethinking the design. Good thing no one pressed me on the concept. That will teach me to confide in Georgie.”
He reached the door and opened it, letting in the cool wind and the smells of the garden. “Sleep well, Louisa.”
“Good night.”
When he had gone, Louisa collapsed back on her bed, arms thrown wide, confused and happy and worried all at the same time. She was glad he considered himself her friend, and worried because she didn’t know if it was a good idea for him to feel free to wander into her room in the name of that friendship. If she forbid it, he would acquiesce. But telling him not to return seemed impossible. She wondered if this friendship was another convenience for him, but she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Obviously she missed her sisters terribly, because she was telling her secrets to a man she wasn’t even sure could be a friend. And he was telling her his. She ached with sympathy over his inability to ride. She knew how important such a thing was to a man.
And being intimate with women was even more important.
~oOo~
Simon was enjoying a pleasant dinner with the three ladies the next night, when the door opened fast enough to bang against the wall. He waited for a servant to make an announcement, but instead heard, “Hello, everyone!”
It was his younger brother, Leo. Simon folded his arms over his chest and shook his head as Leo, slapping him jovially on the shoulder, greeted their sister and grandmother.
“Well, Georgie,” Leo said, “I was ready to find you wearing spectacles this time around. You have been more and more a bluestocking each time I see you.”
“Leo, as usual, you don’t know anything,” Georgie said sweetly.
“Well you do look rather grand today. What’s the occasion?”
After a curious pause, Leo called, “Hey, no need to hit me! I’ll just stay on this side of the table with sympathetic people. Grandmama, you look as lovely as ever.”
Simon could hear the smacking kiss from across the table.
“It’s about time you visited us again,” Grandmama scolded. “Your brother and sister have been worked to death trying to keep me entertained. I actually had to hire a companion!”
“Ah, a newcomer. Let me get a good look at—Miss Shelby.”
Simon frowned. Leo’s voice had actually softened. Was that a hint of uneasiness he heard?
“Mr. Wade,” Louisa answered coolly.
So they knew each other as more than just gossip.
Georgie asked, “How do you know my brother, Louisa?”
“We have met at several events,” she answered diplomatically.
“She allowed me to step on her toes once or twice on the dance floor,” Leo added. “Miss Shelby, so you have to put up with my grandmother now? You have my heartfelt condolences.”
Simon was reluctantly impressed by Leo’s tact in not questioning why Louisa had come down in the world. Maybe there was hope for his brother after all. Now if only Simon could persuade him to tell no one of Louisa’s reputation.
“So why you arrived so late in the day?” Grandmama asked. “Surely your horse could have hurt itself in the dark.”
“Or thrown me? Oh, sorry, Simon,” he added, sounding contrite for Leo. “Not still a sore subject, is it?”
“Of course not,” Simon answered mildly.
“I went to Reyburn’s first this afternoon. Shot some quail, ran a few hounds into the ground, you know, the sort of thing one can’t do in London. The start of the real Season is almost upon us, so I can’t stay long. You’re coming again this year, Georgie?”
“Perhaps,” she answered cautiously.
