Page 20 of The Viscount's Diamond Bride
“I agree,” Lord Sinclair responded.
Ursula said nothing, but it seemed that her response was not required after all. She bit her lip, keeping her head aimed towards, her gaze fixed on their hands. Lord Sinclair’s skin was warm and rough under her touch, and she felt that strange fizzling sensation once again.
Where does it come from? And why is it this man who makes me feel so strange?
Then Papa released their hands, and Ursula pulled hers back as if it had been burned.
The feeling, however, did not retreat.
***
Morrison greeted him at the door with a grimace. “The Dowager is here, Lord Sinclair.”
Graham bit back a sigh.“Of course,she is.”
He had left the Fairmont home as quickly as politeness allowed. He had not been offered tea after their strange, awkward modest betrothal ceremony, and he would not have accepted it anyway. He found himself keen to get home, back to his books and his poetry and his own comfortable chair by the fire.
I never had a chance to ask Lady Ursula if she had begun to read Frankenstein,he thought bleakly, tugging off his gloves and handing them to his valet.I suppose it doesn’t matter. We’re entering into matrimony together, so I will have plenty of time to ask her.
It didn’t feel real. The time between agreeing to Lady Farencourt’s proposition to actually coming face to face with Lady Ursula had been less than hour, and now here he was at home again.
I’m betrothed. In three days, I shall be wedded.
The scandal sheets will have a wonderful time with that.
“Where is my mother?” he asked, and Morrison gestured to the closed drawing room door.
“The Dowager is in an excellent mood,” Morrison added pointedly, and melted away before Graham could ask further questions.
Taking a moment to regain his composure, Graham pushed open the door to the drawing room.
Margaret sat on a sofa designed for two, slowly turning the pages of a scrapbook and taking leisurely sips of a cup of tea. She glanced up as Graham entered and smiled.
“There you are, my dear! Come in, sit down. I thought I would join you for supper.”
“I would like that.”
“I was a little hurt that you did not respond to my note,” Margaret answered, shooting him a brief, reproving glance. “I only wanted to comfort you. The events of last night must have been a terrible shock.”
Graham lifted his eyebrows. “A shock? Not for me, Mother. Lady Ursula was the one who was accosted.”
Margaret gave a knowing look. “That is her story, and I am sure she’ll stick to it.”
There was a pause. Graham frowned.
“What do you mean by that, Mother?”
She waved her hand dismissively. “Nothing to worry about. Now, to business. It’s crucial that you should distance yourself from that scandal, if you are to make a good match this Season. I have spoken to Lady Annabella’s family, and they are willing to look past the whole unfortunate scene. I told him that you were the sort of man who simply cannot avoid rushing to a woman’s rescue, and they accepted that quite easily. However, we must step carefully in future.”
“Mother…”
“Don’t interrupt. Now, I have plans for a small, intimate soiree tomorrow night. Lady Annabella and her family will be there, along with a few other close acquaintances. I took the liberty of inviting Miss Fisher along withherfamily – she will be a suitable second choice should it all fall through with Lady Annabella. However, don’t get too close to Miss Fisher. I know you aren’t the sort of man to try and make ladies jealous, but…”
“Mother, I really must tell you something.”
“Hush for a moment, Graham! Heavens, you never did chatter this much when you were a boy. As I wassaying, you cannot neglect Miss Fisher but be very careful about what attention you show her. Do as I tell you, and you won’t go wrong, I can promise you that.”
Graham sat back in his seat, waiting until the silence stretched out between them. At long last, his mother ran out of words or out of breath and took a long, noisy sip of her tea.
