“Do you want to be?” Lady Crossley asked in a much altered tone.
Ash felt heat crawl up the back of his neck. He tried to shrug as though it were of little consequence to him.
“It is time I found myself a wife,” he answered grudgingly.
“I will again remind you that Lady Vigilia is my dearest friend. You needn’t sound as though she were a mere convenience.”
Ash finally laughed. “I haven’t actually found her to be terribly convenient.”
He wasn’t sure what the countess was searching for as her eyes seemed to scour his features, but it seems as though she found it, for she suddenly nodded.
“Do take a seat, Mr. Northcott. Your pacing is going to give me a crick in my neck. I believe we have a great deal to discuss.”