Page 8 of Snowbound with the Earl
“Then you will have chosen poorly and will lose.”
“Then I lose with a beautiful woman at my side.” He lifted his wine glass and toasted her. Noelle inclined her head then darted a quick glance to Evergreen and Miss Halifax, who were still conversing. The young lady spoke quite animatedly, and he was listening intently. Whatever could she have to say that would interest him so?
“Miss Halifax did not secure a match during her Season,” Turlington said, obviously noting the direction of Noelle’s glance.
“So I understand. I fear the social whirl of a Season must be even more difficult for girls who are shy.”
“Did you find your own Season difficult? You obviously became engaged.”
“Oh, I hardly remember now. It was so long ago.” She was lying. She remembered her first and only Season as though it were only last week. She remembered dancing with Evergreen, riding with him in Hyde Park, the frisson of excitement at the touch of his hand. She didn’t like to think of how the Season had ended—the tears, the begging, the wedding.
“My sense is that Mr. Halifax is rather desperate to see his daughter betrothed. He has two other daughters at home and cannot afford a second Season for the eldest. I’d wager my left foot he had a word with Lady Dorsey to ensure his daughter was seated beside the earl.”
Noelle looked across the table again and caught the smile Evergreen bestowed on Miss Halifax. Predictably, the girl turned red as an apple under the power of that smile. Noelle couldn’t blame her. She’d been powerless when he’d smiled at her all those years ago. Now Miss Halifax appeared smitten. Did Evergreen intend to charm her? Was he considering Miss Halifax for the position of Countess of Evergreen?
Noelle didn’t want to discuss the matter with Turlington or with anyone really. Instead, she smiled at him and said, “Is it the fashion for gentlemen to wager parts of their body now? Goodness, I fear I shall turn up at a ball and find the most committed gamblers missing fingers, toes, or even entire limbs.”
Turlington guffawed loudly. “If that ever does become the fashion, few men will remain intact.”
At the end of the meal, Lady Dorsey rose and invited the ladies to take tea in the drawing room. As the only other titled lady, Noelle walked beside Eva, leading the other ladies out of the dining room. “You and Mr. Turlington seemed to get on well,” Eva said quietly.
“Mr. Turlington would get on well with that wall sconce,” Noelle said. Eva laughed.
“I believe he would! He is very handsome, though.”
Noelle gave her a look.
“I am not matchmaking. I am simply stating an opinion.”
“You would waste your efforts trying to find a match for Mr. Turlington. He’s not looking to marry any time soon.”
“Who says you have to marry the man?”
“Are you suggesting—”
“The weather has turned frightfully cold, Noelle. I want to ensure you are warm enough at night.”
Noelle shook her head. “I have a thick nightgown and woolen socks. You needn’t worry about me.”
Once in the drawing room, the ladies collected teacups and took their seats on the various furnishings arranged in small groups for easy conversation. Normally, Noelle would have taken a seat with Mrs. Redmond and Mrs. Edmonton as she felt she had more in common with the older ladies. Out of curiosity, however, she joined Miss Rummage, Miss Edmonton, and Miss Halifax instead. The three young ladies sat straighter when she took the empty place on the couch beside Miss Halifax.
“My lady, we were just discussing the snow,” Miss Edmonton, a brunette with dark blue eyes, said. “We hoped enough would fall so we might go sledding.”
“Has the pond not frozen over?” Noelle asked.
“It has,” Miss Rummage, a girl with hair a color somewhere between brown and blond and eyes somewhere between brown and hazel, answered. “The gentleman did push us on the sledge on the pond, but there’s not far to go, especially if others are ice skating.”
“I see. Do you enjoy ice skating?” Noelle asked, looking at the girls in turn. “Miss Halifax, do you enjoy ice skating?”
Miss Halifax shook her head, not meeting Noelle’s eyes.
“What about you, Miss Edmonton?”
“Oh, I adore it. A few years ago, we spent the winter in Town, and I skated on the Serpentine almost every day.”
“I would rather stay inside and read,” Miss Rummage said.
Miss Edmonton rolled her eyes. “That’s all you want to do every day.”
