Page 42 of Anything But a Duke
Sophie turned and let out a squeal of excitement. “Diana!” Her enthusiasm had always been contagious. “What’s lured you out of your laboratory?” Tossing her sketchbook aside, she stood and took Diana’s hands, giving her a quick kiss on each cheek. “Say you have the day free and can join us for dinner this evening. We can take in the shops and stroll Hyde Park and have more fun than you can imagine.”
Diana’s throat went oddly dry and she longed for a sip of tea. Instead, she took a deep breath and said, “I came to find you and to introduce you to Mr. Iverson.”
In her enthusiastic greeting, Lady Sophie had somehow failed to notice the large, broad, auburn-haired man a few steps behind Diana. But she noticed now and her gaze warmed appreciatively. Sophie always had an eye for a pretty face.
“How do you do?” Sophie smiled and offered her hand.
Dutifully, Diana performed the niceties. “Lady Sophronia Bales, may I present Mr. Aidan Iverson.”
Iverson took her friend’s hand and offered a curt bow. “My pleasure, Lady Sophronia, I assure you. Miss Ashby speaks highly of you and has mentioned your fondness for botany.” He stepped toward the bench and looked down at Sophie’s sketchbook. “You’re quite proficient at drawing too, I see.”
“Do you think so, sir?” Sophie batted her eyelashes a bit too obviously.
Diana struggled not to roll her eyes. “Mr. Iverson is an investor who—”
“Oh, I know who Mr. Iverson is,” Sophie put in. “You once met my father, the Earl of Caldwell, but you may not remember him. He spoke of your cleverness. You advised him on an investment.”
“Ah, yes, I recall quite clearly, my lady. He wished to invest in the railroads.”
Sophie’s titter of laughter didn’t quite match the flash of sadness in her eyes. “If only he had taken your advice.”
“There’s still time. A few opportunities remain to invest in solid railroad enterprises.”
“Are there?” Sophie stepped closer and laid a hand on Iverson’s arm in her eagerness. “Would you speak to him?”
Diana found herself watching the two of them as one watches strangers on an omnibus, fascinated with a conversation that she felt she had no right to observe. She looked at the trees, at the grass, shaded her eyes and glanced up into the cloudless sky. Anywhere but at her friend and the man whose body she’d just been imagining so vividly.
She stepped away and caught only a few words of their conversation. But as they walked, they strode back toward the spot where she’d retreated.
“If you wish it,” Iverson said in the warmest tone she’d ever heard him use.
“Tomorrow evening?” Sophie clapped her hands together excitedly. “My mother is hosting a very small dinner party. But you must come. You too, Di. We have so much to catch up on. Both of you must join us.”
“And me too?” Dominick spoke from where he leaned against the trunk of a thick oak.
Diana hadn’t noticed that he’d abandoned his bench on the far side of the park, but she had a sneaking suspicion why he had. She narrowed her gaze at her brother, but he pointedly ignored her.
Sophie’s smile faltered. “Are you truly available for supper, Mr. Ashby? I was given to understand your evening schedule is quite... rigorous.”
Aidan turned to offer Diana a questioning look.
“My brother is forgetting what night it is, I believe. He agreed to attend... a play with our mother.” Diana had to stop her brother from ruining everything. He was a confirmed bachelor. An inveterate rogue. He wasn’t prepared to offer for Sophie, but he was just ornery enough to throw a wrench in her plans.
“Did I?” he asked with a quizzical frown.
“You did, Dominick,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Ah yes,” he said, examining his fingernails as if the exchange barely registered his interest. “The Taming of the Shrew, I believe. My favorite play.” He looked up and his gaze shot straight for Sophie.
She let out a little huff of frustration.
Iverson took a step to position himself closer to Sophie. With his bulk, he effectively blocked her view of Dominick. “I would be pleased to join your family for dinner, Lady Sophronia. Though I can’t speak for Miss Ashby.”
He offered Diana an inscrutable look, and she couldn’t determine whether he wished for her to beg off or attend.
Impulsively, she said, “I’d love to come.”
Iverson blinked, as if her reply was unexpected, but a flicker of mischief lit his gaze.
