Page 39 of One Perfect Dance
Rex examined him, head tipped to one side. “Because he realizes that Mrs. Paddimore favors you?” he asked.
It was a cheering thought. If Dilly was desperate enough to attempt murder, perhaps Ash really did have a chance with Regina.
*
The meeting aboutthe ball went well. Most of the arrangements Regina had made would transfer easily from the Kingsley residence to the Deerhaven mansion, and she and her friends had plans for all of the difficulties they could foresee.
Arial had brought her husband’s stepsister with her. Pansy Turner had been involved in a poisonous whispering campaign against Arial last year, but in the end, she had warned Arial’s husband Peter of a plot against his wife.
Arial said she owed Pansy her sanity, and possibly her life, so she had accepted the woman’s sincere contrition, and hoped her friends would do likewise. Regina would be polite while reserving judgement until she saw the supposed positive change for herself.
She entered her own house just as Geoffrey descended the staircase. They had seen little of one another in the two weeks since he arrived. Once the pain in his hand began to dull, he had been eager to see something of London, and William had offered to show him around. Since then, it seemed, that if she was home, he was out, and the reverse.
He looked tired. Perhaps she should have a word with William about not allowing him to burn the candle at both ends. “Good morning, Geoffrey. How are you enjoying your stay in London?”
He started, as if his mind had been far away. “Is it you, Mother?” His smile did not reach his eyes. “I am having a very educational time, thank you. What about you? You are very busy are you not? Out again with Mr. Ashby this morning?”
“Not this morning. I was visiting the Countess of Deerhaven to see her ballroom.” She started up the stairs. “I plan to ring for a tea tray. Will you join me?”
He turned and fell into step beside her. “That is right. You mentioned that you needed to change from William’s ballroom.”
Which raised a question. William had eagerly accepted her offer to move the ball to avoid offending her mother. Surely Geoffrey’s visits to William would offend her even more? “Have you met Lady Kingsley? Was she nice to you?”
He did not answer for a moment as he moved past her to open the door into the drawing room and to stand to one side so she could enter. He followed her and tugged the bell pull before taking the chair on the other side of a small table from hers. “I have not been meeting William at his house,” he said. “We have been to his club, and to Tattersalls, and to a couple of other places.”
He was not meeting her eyes. What had he and William been up to? Perhaps it was better if she did not ask. The parlor maid arrived in answer to the bell, and Regina ordered tea for two and something to eat. She did not have to ask for a substantial meal. Once Cook knew that Geoffrey was with her, she would send up enough food for an army.
Once they were alone again, she asked, “You do not mind that I am spending time with Mr. Ashby, do you?”
Geoffrey shrugged. “I like Mr. Ashby. William says you deserve to think about yourself for once, and I agree.” His color rose and he stammered a little—a habit she thought he had long since overcome. “If you and Mr. Ashby want to marry, I don’t mind.”
Regina was touched. “Mr. Ashby and I have not discussed marriage. But thank you, Geoffrey. If I should take a husband, your blessing would be very important to me.”
He cleared his throat, and his voice deepened as he said, “You have my blessing. If you need it.”
She asked about his plans for the rest of the day, and Geoffrey countered by asking about hers. “You will remind Mr. Ashby that I would like the opportunity to be presented to Lord Arthur?” he said, when he heard about her plans for the afternoon.
“Yes, of course. And he and his wife will be at my ball, of course. You can meet them then, if not before.”
He asked a few questions about the ball, in between demolishing two large pieces of savory tart, a sliced bun laden with meat and pickle, two apples, three small sultana cakes, and a boiled egg. He washed all the food down with three cups of tea, declared he felt much more the thing, and excused himself. “I hope you enjoy your afternoon, Mother.”
He had avoided most of her questions, giving only the most general of answers. He was up to something. She had better have a word with William.
Chapter Fifteen
Ash and Rexdebated their possible enemies all the way home but came to no conclusion.
Ash shrugged. “It was probably just a poorly secured stone, and someone at the other end rocked the plank. I am taking Mrs. Paddimore out in half an hour. I’ll have to go straight there.”
Rex pointed at Ash. “Not in those clothes, you won’t.”
Fair point. All one side was smeared with mud and other substances from the courtyard. Rex was likewise grimy.
By the time Ash had washed, changed, made some arrangements to ensure her safety, and driven to Regina’s house, he was ten minutes late. He tossed the reins to the groom and hurried up to knock on the door.
Regina was just coming down the stairs as the butler admitted him, in a delightful ensemble of a shade to complement her eyes. She took his breath away every time he saw her. Would familiarity dull the impact? It had not done so yet.
“Mr. Ashby! I was concerned that I had kept you waiting.”
