Page 9 of Made for the Marquess (Second Sons of London 4)

“I know so,” Louisa confirmed. “All three of us will.” Turning to Lady Westlake, she asked, “When do you return to town, my lady?”

The three women began making plans to get together once they all were in London again, while Lord Westlake and Owen began talking about their estates. Percy remained silent, taken by Miss Nicholls, glancing casually toward her now and then.

“I remember you as a boy, my lord,” the earl said. “Lady Westlake and I came to visit with your parents a few times years ago.”

“Yes, my lord,” he said, remembering how imposing Lord Westlake had been and how now he merely seemed like an ordinary, middle-aged man.

The butler arrived. “Dinner is served, my lord.”

They paired up and Percy found Miss Nicholls on his arm, the tantalizing scent of vanilla coming from her. He wished he could lean in and inhale it. He wished he could taste her.

The thought shocked him. He had never been so attracted to a woman in his life. He recalled some of the things Owen used to brag about after his romantic encounters.

And suddenly, Percy wanted to do some of those very things to Miss Nicholls.

He glanced away from her, feeling the heat fill his face. They had no conversation before arriving in the dining room, where he seated her and took his own seat opposite her.

Dinner went by swiftly. Percy would be hard-pressed to name a single dish he consumed though he did spend a good deal of time staring down at his plate. He listened to the conversation but contributed nothing, feeling ill at ease. Especially with the beautiful Miss Nicholls in his direct line of sight.

Once the meal concluded, Owen took the reins and said, “Thank you for a lovely evening and for extending your dinner invitation to my wife and me. We are leaving early in the morning, however, and should probably return to Kingwood to make certain our daughter is fine and that everything is ready for our departure tomorrow morning.”

“Perhaps we can dine again when we are all in London,” Lord Westlake suggested. “Would that be amenable to you, my lord?”

Percy realized the earl spoke to him. “Certainly,” he said brusquely and hoped he didn’t sound rude.

The Westlakes walked them out to their carriage, with Louisa and Miss Nicholls making plans to have tea with Tessa and Adalyn.

“I will write to my cousins when we return to Danfield tomorrow,” Louisa promised. “It was so good to meet you, Miss Nicholls, and delightful to see you again, Lord and Lady Westlake.”

“We look forward to seeing you in town,” Owen added, glancing to Percy.

“Thank you for having us to dinner,” he said as they entered the carriage.

Once inside, he sat against the cushions, closing his eyes.

The Westlakes probably thought him dull since he had contributed next to nothing to the conversation.

What was worse was that Araminta Nicholls would never consider giving him a chance. She was vivacious and interesting. The last thing she might want is to be saddled with a boring marquess.

“Bloody hell,” he murmured under his breath.

---