Page 60 of Bargaining for the Barrister
“Refreshing,” Louisa answered. It was nice not to have to search for a positive answer or try to pretend one.
“I hope you are more at ease now, with the Davieses gone. While I do hope their mother is not very ill, it did save me the trouble of sending them home. There should be a handbook for dealing with such delicate circumstances.”
“You always seem to know the best way to handle everything.” Even with matchmaking. Louisa was tempted to ask what she’d planned next for her and Paul.
“Not everything. Oh, I did want to tell you about tonight. We have been invited to dine with the Mannings. You remember Miss Manning from the dinner party the other night? She’s quite soft-spoken with blonde curls?”
“Yes, I remember her.” Was this dinner part of the matchmaking mamas’ scheming? If so, Paul would be there. Louisa’s hands came together with the prospect of seeing him so soon. The movement of her arm caused her reticule to bounce against her hip, reminding her of the letter hidden inside. Perhaps she could deliver her note to him then. “Dinner sounds lovely.”
Lady Kellen stepped back to examine her floral arrangement with a critical eye before adjusting it once more. “Does half past seven sound all right for a time of departure?”
Louisa was already thinking about what she would wear. Blue? Pink? What did Paul like best? “I shall endeavor to be ready by then.” It was not until she was back in her bedroom, examining her closet, that she realized she had not even excused herself from Lady Kellen’s company.
y
Louisa was right. Paul had come to dinner. He stood with Miss Manning and Miss Fielding, but he did not seem at all amused. Even grumpy he was handsome.
Louisa had entered the Mannings’ home, a rather small manor with a deceivingly large drawing room, on Ian’s arm. He had made a sweeping glance about the room, taking in the Sheldons, the Mannings, and Miss Fielding, stopping at an older woman he quickly explained was Mrs. Fielding, grandmother to Miss Manning and Miss Fielding. When he finished, his lips pinched into a line of irritation.
“Another trap,” Ian muttered. “We had better keep you from the others.”
He had one goal, and it was obviously to keep her from Paul’s side. “Alone? I daresay I had hoped for some conversation tonight.”
“You can speak with me.” He feigned a smile, as if doing so would mask the fact that he loathed the idea.
Louisa had no intention of avoiding Paul tonight, and Ian wouldn’t prevent her from doing so. “There might be whispers if we seclude ourselves all evening.” Ian’s jaw hardened, and Louisa was having too much fun teasing him. She wrapped her arm tighter in his. “But we must do our part. How about that corner covered in shadows? Let’s stand there.” She tugged him forward, but Ian’s body was frozen like a statue.
“On second thought, I had wanted to speak with Paul about some-thing.”
Perfect. He was uncomfortable enough with her suggestion to bend to her will. “If you think it won’t hurt, then by all means, lead the way.”
With each step closer to Paul, Louisa’s heart beat an unsteady staccato. She had spoken to him a dozen times, but remembering the sweet one line of his note had her flushed by the time she met his eyes.
His ill humor seemed to leave him for the briefest of moments, and his face softened. “Ian... and Miss Cox,” Paul greeted, his words stilted. He dipped into a bow.
In an instant Louisa changed her mind about delivering her note to him. There was hardly an opportunity with so many in the room, and she found such an act surpassed her bravery.
Ian dropped her arm as she curtsied to the others. As soon as she was raised to her full height again, Miss Manning put her arm gently around Louisa. “It’s so good to see you. How have you been?”
“Yes, do tell us,” Miss Fielding added. “Sharing a home with Ian must be quite tedious. How ever do you endure it?”
Ian scowled. “When do you go back to London, Miss Fielding? Whenever it is, it won’t be soon enough.”
Miss Fielding held back a laugh. “I was jesting, Ian.”
He rose one brow. “I was not.”
“Poor, poor Miss Cox, to be locked in a house with you.” Miss Fielding tsked her tongue.
Louisa giggled, and the sound pulled Paul’s eyes toward her; she could feel his gaze on her profile, but she did not indulge herself by meeting it with her own. She was sure he would be able to read her feelings at a single glance. “Lord Reynolds is not so very bad,” she said. “He avoids me most of the time, and when we are forced together, I do my best to tolerate him.”
The girls giggled, but when Louisa finally looked at Paul, he was not at all amused. What had him so put off tonight? Was he frustrated that she’d not replied to his note? He was always a bit aloof when they first crossed paths—unsure of how much to let her in, she thought—but tonight he was even more withdrawn.
Ian sniffed the air. “Excellent. Dinner is ready.”
Louisa eyed him. “It hasn’t been announced. How can you tell?”
Mrs. Manning clapped her hands to get their attention. “We are so pleased everyone could join us tonight. We don’t stand on ceremony here, so please move into the dining room as you are.”
