Page 51 of Tempting the Earl

“Well, that’s unavoidable, I’m afraid.” She turned slightly toward him and murmured intimately. “You happen to make me verra uncomfortable, my lord.”

His jaw clenched in that delicious way he had as his eyes narrowed and darkened. But he didn’t say anything. And Ainsworth didn’t need him to. The look in his eyes thrilled her plenty.

Glancing away before she embarrassed herself and said even more, she forced herself back to the original point of the conversation. “Although your explanation might clarify the reason behind some of the curious glances and twittering comments, it doesn’t explain why we’re tucked in against the wall.” She made a gesture with her glass. “I mean, surely you have some friends or acquaintances in the room. Wouldn’t you like to say hello to anyone?”

There was a pause. Then, “Not really.”

“I dinnae understand.”

He took a deep breath through his nose. “I don’t have many friends, Miss Morgan. None in this room, anyway. These are Bentley’s guests and friends to the Chadwicks. I’m nobody to them.”

When she said nothing in reply, he turned to look at her and something in her slightly shocked expression must have amused him because he gave a very soft laugh from the depth of his throat. “Come now, surely that doesn’t surprise you. You’ve been pointing out my less favorable attributes from the moment we met.”

“Only because I personally have an aversion to the disingenuous manners and behaviors of the elite upper class. Surely, the members of your set do not view themselves as I do.”

He cleared his throat. To hold back another laugh? “No, they probably don’t.”

“Then why?” she pressed.

Lifting his glass, he downed the final contents. “I’ve just never been very adept at turning my acquaintances into friendships. And I’m terrible in social situations such as these where one must mingle and produce an array of small talk on topics that are of no interest to anyone. The purpose of such things sometimes eludes me.”

Her eyes widened. “Caillie was right.”

He paused. “About what?”

“You’re shy.”

The telltale line formed between his brows. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“I would,” Ainsworth replied with a smile. “It’s all right, you know. I winnae tell anyone. You can go on making them think you’re just extremely uptight and rudely reserved if you prefer.”

A dangerous light flickered in his eyes at her teasing. It made her so suddenly breathless she actually had to force herself to inhale.

“Uptight and reserved?” His voice had a dark, delicious quality as he murmured the words. “Is that how you see me?”

Her lips parted. “Sometimes.”

“And other times?”

Her stomach flipped and twirled as she looked into his eyes. At that moment, the sparkling blue was anything but reserved.

Bluidy hell, was he asking what she’d thought of him that night in the kitchen?

Chapter Seventeen

“Come on now, Wright,” Mr. Bentley interrupted in a jovial tone as he came toward them with his wife on his arm. “It’s not proper form to keep Miss Morgan all to yourself.”

Emma smiled at Ainsworth. “I’d love to introduce you to my youngest sister and her husband. If you don’t mind, of course.”

Though she was tempted to look to the earl for some reason to stay at his side, she smiled at her hostess instead. “Not at all, Mrs. Bentley.”

Stepping away from her husband’s side, the fair-haired woman linked arms with Ainsworth. “Call me Emma, please.” Then she noted casually, “I’m sure our gentlemen are willing to wait for us here. We’ll only be a few minutes.”

As the women walked away, Ainsworth glanced back to where the brothers were giving each other guarded glances. She couldn’t help but smile at the clever woman’s maneuvering that left the men with no one to talk to but each other. “Well done,” she whispered appreciatively. “Why do I get the sense you’ve had to do that rather frequently?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Because I have. But it wasn’t a lie. I really would like you to meet Portia.” Her gray eyes fixed on a point up ahead. “There she is. And Angelique, as well.”

As Ainsworth turned, her attention was immediately captured by a vibrantly styled lady, dressed in a gown the color of intense sapphire blue. Though she was very obviously a woman of advanced age, her hair was an inky black piled high on her head in an elaborate design. Rouge tinged her crepe paper cheeks and darkened her lips while a subtle bit of kohl lined her eyes.

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