Page 103 of Boiling Point
Lord Branleigh’s voice came again, crisp and composed. “Engineering, you say?” His gaze shifted to me—not unkind, but cool. Like he was cataloging the information, not engaging with it.
“Yes, sir,” I said. “Aerospace engineering.”
“Ambitious,” he said, lifting a brow. “And your prospects? What is it you hope to…engineer?”
Cal’s hand brushed mine under the table—just enough to ground me.
“Aircraft design, with any luck. I’ve always loved aviation. Anything with wings.”
Across the table, Isabel smiled with unmistakable approval.
Cal’s gaze fell on me, sweet and proud. “Gabrielle is quite an accomplished pilot,” he said, smirking faintly. “And she’s been accepted into two top-tier engineering programs.”
“So…” Caroline probed, tilting her head, “you’ll no longer be at the same university?”
“Correct,” Cal answered mildly.
“I daresay that’s for the best,” Lady Branleigh said, lifting her glass without so much as a glance in my direction.
I drew a breath and aimed for levity. “Cal didn’t tell you how I completely botched his tea the night he drove me home.”
His eyes met mine, a hint of amusement there. “I hadn’t planned to embarrass you on your first night at Branleigh Park.”
Isabel lit up with mischief. “You can’t just leave the story there. Tell it.”
Cal chuckled, low and unguarded. “Well, as I said, it was pouring, so I stayed to wait out the weather. Gabrielle offered me a cup of tea—already a point in her favor—but hadn’t the faintest idea how to make one.” He turned to me with mock reproach. “You’re not English, so I could forgive that.”
Polite laughter rippled around the table.
“But you taught me the correct way,” I said, smiling at the memory.
“And now she makes an excellent cup of tea.” He patted my hand.
“So you haven’t been a total corrupting influence then?” Isabel ribbed.
A brief, companionable silence settled. I sipped my wine, the dry red warming my throat. Candlelight flickered, shadows leaping like dancers across the paneled walls. Somewhere between the chandelier and the shadow-dappled walls, disbelief crept in. Me. Here. Draped in silk, sipping something older than I was, beside a man who looked like he’d stepped out of a Bond film and held my hand under the table like it was nothing at all. I wasn’t intimidated, exactly. But the reality shimmered at the edge of my thoughts like heat rising off asphalt.
Finally, James spoke for the first time. “Seems she’s had some influence on you as well.” He looked at Cal, his expression cool. “You’ve picked up quite the American accent.”
The words hung in the air, threaded with challenge. Cal’s fingers stilled. His lips thinned, but he held James’s gaze with practiced indifference.
I turned to Cal, eyebrows raised. “Have you?” I asked. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“It has gone a bit muddled, darling,” Isabel chimed in, her tone mock-dramatic. “But it’s hardly surprising, is it, since you’ve been away for…what now? Ten years?”
“Nearly,” Cal said evenly. The tension in his jaw eased, but it was still coiled just beneath the surface.
“Give him a few days,” Isabel went on, mouth quirking into a half-smile, “and he’ll drop the twang and revert to form.”
Lady Branleigh shifted her attention to me with the grace of a swan turning on water. “Do tell us about your family, Miss Clark,” she said, her tone impeccably polite. She cast a glare at James. “I imagine they’re far less prone to…dramatics.”
I smoothed the napkin on my lap. “My family is considerably smaller,” I said. “But I suppose we have our own drama. Growing up, it was just my dad and me.” I took a sip of wine, letting the words land softly.
Lady Branleigh’s expression turned politely curious. “And your mother?”
Cal stiffened beside me, but I met Lady Branleigh’s gaze with a steady smile. “She left when I was very young,” I said, careful to keep my voice light. “We haven’t had contact in years.” I set my glass down with deliberate calm. “It was better that way, really. Just me and Dad. He worked a lot, but he was always there when it counted. We were very close.”
Lady Branleigh tilted her head, precise and curious. “Were?”
