Page 52 of The Viscount in her Bedroom
Louisa had thought she detected a curious, momentary hesitation in Lady Wade’s manner, but Georgie was already patting the curls of her hair where they brushed her neck.
“Do I like all right?”
Louisa smiled. “You look beautiful.”
And that wasn’t a lie. With a flattering hairstyle and an elegant green gown that matched her eyes, Georgie could turn many a head. But maybe Mr. Reyburn’s head was all she wanted to turn. Louisa thoughtfully watched her walk to the door.
“You, too, Louisa,” Lady Wade said, waving her away.
“Of course,” Louisa answered, smiling. “Georgie needs a chaperone.”
She caught up to Georgie in the corridor and said, “So Mr. Reyburn has caught your eye.”
Georgie shot her a startled look, and although she blushed, she said, “We’re simply friends.”
But when they entered the drawing room, although Mr. Reyburn was there with Simon, so were two other gentlemen. They all rose when the women entered, and it was like being ringed by a tower of trees. Georgie almost skidded to a stop, and as Louisa came up beside her, Louisa gave her an encouraging look. Simon, who was still seated on the sofa, cocked his head.
Georgie cleared her throat. “Good afternoon, Simon. I’m sorry we interrupted. It is Miss Shelby and I.”
As Simon rose to his feet, the other three men bowed almost in unison. Louisa, who was used to the attention, curtsied back, but it took Georgie a moment to do the same. The girl was flushed, but it made her prettier.
There was a different air in the drawing room, of horses and the outdoors. Not many things could compare with a man’s admiring gaze. And there were three of them to admire Georgie.
“Ladies,” Simon said. “Do join us.”
Two gentlemen slid more chairs near the sofa, and Georgie and Louisa sat down.
“Some of you might have met my sister, Miss Wade,” Simon said. “Her friend is Miss Shelby.”
Louisa blushed at the interested glances cast her way, but she was determined to let Georgie do all the talking. If she could have pushed her chair back into a corner, she would have.
Simon introduced Mr. Tilden, a redhead who blushed when his name was spoken, and Lord Keane, an elegant man who leisurely looked Georgie up and down since her brother could not see him.
Lord Keane said, “I haven’t had the good fortune to meet you, Miss Wade. It is lucky we rode out from London to cheer up your brother.”
Georgie mumbled a reply, and Louisa withheld a wince. She saw Mr. Reyburn do it for her. She wanted to speak up, to guide Georgie into a conversation that the girl could be a part of, but unlike the discussion with the soldiers, this time Louisa had to remain in the background and let her student try alone.
“I told them I don’t need cheering up,” Simon said. “But they refused to believe me.”
“Now, Simon,” Mr. Reyburn said, “when Tilden and Keane came by to recruit me this morning, I thought it might be an interesting afternoon. You have to admit that you’ve enjoyed hearing what our London friends are up to.”
Lord Keane was still watching Georgie with narrowed eyes. He suddenly brightened, “I know where I’ve seen you before. We all had a good laugh when you caused Wallingford’s whelp to plant his face before theton. Brilliant.”
Louisa held her breath, Simon angrily opened his mouth, but Georgie took a deep breath and beat him to it.
“Yes, Lord Keane, I did it quite deliberately,” she said conspiratorially, batting her eyelashes at him. “How else to make a splash in my debut?”
The tentative thread of sarcasm made the others smile and Lord Keane look uncomfortable—and angry about it. Louisa was wondering how Georgie would forestall another sly comment.
“But Lord Keane,” Georgie continued innocently, “were you there when I spilled my drink on Lady May?” She shook her head and sighed. “It caused a scandal I haven’t recovered from yet.”
Except for Lord Keane and Simon, the other two men rushed to assure her it was just an accident, that it had all been forgotten. Louisa wished she could share a satisfied glance with Simon. She was happy to see that he’d relaxed, that he hadn’t immediately rushed to defend his sister.
“Well, Wade,” Lord Keane boomed, as if he had to dominate any gathering, “your sister seems to be blossoming, along with so many other ladies.”
He glanced at Louisa, then gave her a grin he must have thought charming, but she only thought of as sly.
“It’s a shame you have to watch from the sidelines, Wade.” Lord Keane paused. “Forgive me—you can’t exactly watch.”
