Page 3 of The Scholar's Key
For an intelligent man, he could be such an idiot.
“It’s fine,” she said, sucking her finger into her mouth, causing an unwelcome surge of lust to plunge straight to his groin. “Do you, perhaps, have a handkerchief?”
“Of course,” he said, reaching into a jacket for one, which she accepted with a smile. While Lady Hope was known to be a beauty, he still thought Lady Persephone Holloway was the most intriguing woman he had ever seen.
And she, in turn, didn’t even see him, except as the brother of an earl who was friends with her friend’s brother. Hardly an acquaintance. Until he had injured her.
“I took off my gloves to eat,” she said, a small smile on her face. “I should have returned them.”
“It would have saved your finger, yes,” he said, unable to meet her eyes. “Do you need someone to tend to you?”
“It should be fine once it stops bleeding. I have likely ruined your handkerchief, however, even though I asked for it.” She laughed, a long, loud laugh that warmed his soul. “I am horrible.”
“Not at all.”
Far from it, in fact.
No, Lady Persephone was beautiful, vibrant, inquisitive, and everything that Noah could ever admire in a woman.
And, judging from the conversation he had accidentally overheard, not aware that he was even in the room. She hadn’t even mentioned him to her mother when denying her interest in the eligible men present. And as for the ideal man she described? Noah was the exact opposite.
“Were you coming to speak with me?”
“Pardon?” Noah said, beginning to panic inwardly.
“You were right behind me when you dropped the glass.”
Right. The truth was, he was taking a moment to himself in the corner of the room, and then Lady Percy and her mother had begun talking on the other side of the potted plant. He hadn’t wanted them to think that he was listening on purpose, and so hadn’t made his escape until their conversation became so personal that he was feeling far too guilty for listening in.
Then his glass had fallen.
“Ah, yes,” he said, his thoughts beginning to make sense. “I have heard that we will both be in Bath soon. Gideon – Lord Ashford – has asked me to pay a visit to his aunt, and he told me that Cassandra has asked you to do the same.”
“She has,” Lady Percy said, surprise on her face. “Do they not trust me, then?”
“I do not think that is it,” Noah said quickly. “Perhaps they believe we are best to work together.”
“Perhaps,” Lady Percy said, although she didn’t look convinced. “What takes you to Bath?”
Noah smiled, enjoying this time with her. He wasn’t sure he had ever had the opportunity to speak with her alone before.
“Actually—”
“Noah, there you are.”
Noah sighed at his brother’s voice. He loved the man more than anyone else in the world, but sometimes he truly had the worst timing.
“Lady Persephone, you look as beautiful as always.”
Her pink lips tipped upward in a smile that met her eyes as one of her dark curls bobbed down over her temple.
“Thank you, Lord Ferrington. You look quite dashing yourself. You both do,” she said, including Noah in her compliment, although he was aware that she was only doing so to be polite.
“You are too kind,” his brother said, as charming as ever, and as Lady Percy’s attention shifted toward Eric, Noah was reminded that even if Lady Percy wasn’t interested in Eric, his brother was, and always would, be the favored one of the two of them.
And it was best that he never forget it, or else the only thing he was going to be was sorely disappointed.
CHAPTER2
