Page 26 of More than a Companion

“Mayhap.”

One quick glance around the room told her that there were at least three young ladies looking towards them. A small flush of heat began to spiral up into her chest, rendering her cheeks rather warm.

“I am sure, Lord Crampton, that you have been missed. A few young ladies in particular are watching our conversation, wondering, no doubt, why it is that a gentleman is speaking to a companion at such length.”

Lord Crampton’s eyes flared but, to her surprise, he did not allow his gaze to rove around the room as she had expected.

“I am quite contented here, Miss Gregory.”

“That astonishes me a great deal, Lord Crampton.” Her usual honesty was again coming to the fore, and she spoke without giving much thought to her words. “Have you no intentions to pursue one of them?”

This seemed to confuse Lord Crampton a great deal, for he frowned heavily, his brows low over his eyes, and a deep groove forming between them. He did not answer her immediately but rather simply looked back at her, studying her as though he did not understand her question.

“It is a strange thing – and, in fact, an unusual thing – for a young lady to ask, Miss Gregory,” he said, quietly, and the flush in Honora’s cheeks deepened. She noted silently that he had referred to her as a young lady and not as a companion, finding a gentle warmth lifting her heart for a moment as she responded.

“You know that you can expect such conversation from me, do you not?” she asked, lifting one eyebrow gently. I suppose I am a little surprised, given what I have seen of your previous behavior.”

Lord Crampton frowned and he cleared his throat gruffly, perhaps displeased with being reminded of what had gone before.

“I have no thought of pursuing matrimony at present.”

“I see.” Her smile softened. “These young ladies who gaze at you with such eager hope in their eyes are to be disappointed, then.”

He dropped his head.

“I fear that you and Lord Venables are in partnership together, Miss Gregory, given that you are both eager to speak to me about the same matter.”

She did not know what to say nor how to respond. What had begun as an uncomfortable awareness that the young ladies in the room were watching them had now ended as a conversation about matrimony and her confusing delight over the fact that he was not intending to wed any of them. Clasping her hands loosely in front of her, Honora attempted to separate the whirling emotions that flew about her heart, but somehow only managed to add to her confusion. “My Lord.”

Lord Crampton still had not answered her, and a footman chose that very moment to draw near, bringing Lord Crampton a glass of what looked like whisky or brandy. She sighed inwardly and turned her head away, only to then see that the footman she had been watching, the one who had behaved very oddly, was now no longer able to be seen.

Her stomach twisted. She looked back at Lord Crampton, seeing him lift his glass to his lips and, given the way that he was gripping the glass so tightly, fearing that he would throw it back in one swallow. The footman who had offered Lord Crampton the drink had departed without even looking towards her, without even thinking that she too might like something to drink – and a warning rang through Honora’s mind. She had no thought other than to take the drink from Lord Crampton’s hand – but it appeared she was a little too late.

“Wait!” Her hand shot out, pulling at his wrist. Brandy spilled from it, with some spurting from his mouth which Honora only just managed to step away from. The glass tumbled to the floor, shattering as it did so and drawing the attention of almost every person in the room.

Honora’s face flamed.

“Whatever are you doing?” Lord Crampton spluttered, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping it across his face, clearly mortified. “Miss Gregory, I –”

A sudden commotion caught both of their attention, making Honora turn her head and Lord Crampton’s complaints come to a sudden end. The Duke and Duchess of Strathaven came into the room, their daughter behind them, and in that instant, everyone turned their attention away from Honora and Lord Crampton and instead looked towards their honored guests.

“Miss Gregory, that was a deliberate act!” Lord Crampton sounded offended, his eyes wide and a faint spot of color coming into each cheek.

“Well, yes, it was, but it is not for the reasons that you think,” Honora said hurriedly, glancing down at her gown and running her fingers across her skirts, relieved that she had no splashes of brandy on them. “You see, only a few minutes ago –”

“You saw the Duke and Duchess of Strathaven arriving and thought to embarrass me in front of them!”

Lord Crampton’s exclamation shocked Honora to the core. She stared at him with wide eyes, her heart beating furiously as an ice-cold hand began to grasp it.

“I have done no such thing,” she whispered, unable to put any strength into her voice such was her shock. “I was attempting to help you.”

His lip curled, and his blue eyes darkened to the inky blackness of a night sky. In a moment, he had changed completely, believing her to be capable of deliberate cruelty.

“In an effort to push through the arrogance you have so clearly seen in me, you thought to do such a thing just as the Duke arrived for fear that your words would not be enough!” Shaking his head, Lord Crampton’s jaw clenched, his fury burning Honora’s skin. “Miss Gregory, I may be stubborn and prideful, but I was eager to pay attention to your thoughts and opinions. You did not need to go to such an extreme!”

Tears threatened, but Honora blinked them away in an instant, knowing that they came from a place of anger rather than upset.

“I have done nothing of the sort, Lord Crampton,” she stated, finally able to find strength in her voice. “If you would permit me even amomentto explain, then you might realize that it is not as you think.”

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