Page 34 of To Tempt a Scandalous Lord
Niall looked over to where twelve-year-old Molly was pretending to fall in love with Orlando. The girl was playing the role admirably, but he knew better than to share this observation with Eunice.
“I wager if they had doneA Midsummer Night’s Dream, you would have been selected as Hermia,” he offered.
The girl wrinkled her nose. “I would have wanted to play Helena.”
Smothering a snort, Niall nodded. “And you would have made an excellent Helena. I’m sure you’re a versatile actress.”
Eunice nodded pertly, crossing her ankles and leaning back with an air of satisfaction.
As the play progressed, he tried his best to attend to the action on the makeshift stage. The children had outdone themselves with the costumes and stage backdrops, and their enthusiasm to perform was contagious.
However, his upcoming meeting with Lord Matthews weighed heavy on his shoulders. The man was displeased with how Niall’s bid had been progressing, his sudden wedding a key point of contention. And though Niall had argued with the viscount over every issue under the sun since their first acquaintance, he still desired the man’s approval. He might never win his father’s approval, but securing Matthews’s good opinion was achievable.
Something about this meeting was different, though.
Niall knew they would discuss his marriage to Alicia and how his bid could be hindered by it, but he also knew Matthews would encourage him, once again, to search out the chapbooks author. But discovering the author’s identity seemed less important than adopting his wife’s brilliant suggestion to use the tracts to influence public opinion. Matthews would scoff at such a proposition, but Niall still wanted to share the idea.
He fidgeted in his seat, and Miss Edith smacked his thigh. “Pay attention,” she scolded.
A muffled snort caught his attention, and he looked over his shoulder to see the object of his thoughts standing near the back of the room with Lady Firthwell, her face deceptively serene. Her eyes twinkled with amusement, though.
Alicia’s merriment did odd things to his stomach. Of course she was here. He’d been foolish to think she would stay away.
Niall swept his gaze back to the stage before his expression gave away how besotted he felt at seeing her. He did his best to ignore her, although his skin prickled with awareness.
“Is that the new Lady Inverray?” Eunice asked, glancing at Alicia covertly over her shoulder.
Niall nodded.
“She’s lovely,” Edith said, making no attempt to keep her voice soft.
Several heads turned from the activity on the stage to look at them with wide, curious eyes. And almost in unison, their gazes flew to the back of the room, where they would find his wife.
The effort to keep his mien impassive made sweat dot his brow. Little Windmill House had always been a refuge, of sorts, for him. A place he could escape that didn’t revolve around politics or the latest gossip, and how it could be used to benefit himself or his allies. His visits were the highlight of his whole day, and he worked hard to form relationships with the children. Their short lives had been filled with pain and loss, and Niall wanted to show them that they were welcomed. That they were safe.
Yet suddenly,hedidn’t feel safe. As the attention of the room fell on him and then Alicia, heat wafted off his skin as his anger rose. Why did she have to come? Why did her presence make everything so much harder than it had to be?
“Are you unwell, Lord Inverray?” Little Edith asked, her blue eyes unblinking on his face.
Niall frowned. “Why do you ask?”
“Because your face is red and your leg keeps bouncing up and down.” She laid a small hand on his forearm. “Are you bored?”
“Now you think I’m bored?” He bit back a sigh. “With this entertainment, why would I be bored?”
“Well, they’re not very good, are they?” Edith gestured to the actors with her small, pointed chin. “I thought you might be red in the face because you’re trying not to yawn. They sure are making me sleepy.”
Another stifled laugh from the back of the room reminded him who the real source of his discomfort was.
“Rest assured, Miss Edith, that I am thoroughly diverted.” He patted her hand. “Now pay attention to the play.”
And Niall did his best to follow his own command.
…
“I don’t recall Oliver being quite so infatuated with Rosalind. Do you?”
Sliding her gaze to the right, Alicia met Charlotte’s amused gaze. “He does seem a bit more attentive to her than poor Celia.”
