Page 16 of Defying the Earl
To his surprised delight Beatrice laughed and it sounded genuine.
“That is a good way of looking at it, I suppose. We are playacting for the entertainment of our peers.” She gestured widely as though to indicate the other occupants of the Park as Beatrice explained her laughter, but Nathan found her explanation confusing. Was she equating herself with theton? He supposed, in her role as his aunts’ companion, she was a part of theton. He really ought to know more about her.
He reminded himself to have his secretary find out everything he could about her. Of course, now that they were courting, Nathan realized, he could ask around about her himself without raising eyebrows. But he couldn’t ask in the necessary places without causing gossip about her, and that he didn’t wish to do.
“You still haven’t answered the question, though, my dear.”
He shouldn’t have used an endearment. The lovely young woman stiffened at his side, no longer the relaxed companion he had been enjoying.
“Of course, well,” she began, clearing her throat, evidently uncomfortable in his presence once more. “I understood we had already made our plans. Go for a couple drives, attend a theatre presentation, supper at your house, then a public argument, and we’re done.”
Despite how stiffly she said it, Nathan had to laugh over her recitation.
“You make it sound like a script.”
“Is it not, my lord?” she asked coolly. “It might be a script we’ve devised, but it’s still a script. This is not real. You are not actually courting me. We are not really friendly with one another.”
“We had used to be,” he pointed out in a low voice.
“That was before you inadvertently raised expectations in a young woman’s heart and then left her holding the consequences.”
Nathan blinked over her very direct words uttered in such a low, fierce voice.
“Are you the young woman?” he asked before thinking, stalling for time.
This time her laughter was not of the amused variety.
“Perhaps not,” Beatrice finally answered.
Nathan felt awkwardness stretch between them. He ought to be far more nimble of tongue. He should know how to smooth out this uncomfortable moment. But he was at a loss.
“I think surely our time is finished and you ought to take me home now,” Beatrice said, turning her face away, careful to hide her feelings. If they were seen to be arguing or disagreeing, that would put a lie to the entire procedure.
“Beatrice –“ he began, but she cut him off.
“Surely you have the wit to remember that I am to be addressed formally, Lord Braxton. I know you can barely credit it, but I am a lady and ought to be addressed as such.”
Now was not the time to ask her about that, Nathan reminded himself, agreeing with her silently that he obviously lacked wit that day.
“My lady, I do profusely apologize for having left you in such an abrupt manner back then, but I had no idea I had harmed you. What sort of consequences did you face?” Nathan was appalled at the very thought. Had she been reprimanded by his aunts? Had her employment been threatened? He couldn’t understand why that might be the case. They had done nothing untoward.
Beatrice turned her face away from him again and waved her dainty little hand dismissively. “It matters so little now, my lord, I don’t know why I even brought it up save to remind you that we are not friends and we ought to stick to the prescribed version of events. And it is time that I return to my duties with your aunts, if you would be so kind as to return me to them.”
Nathan didn’t know how to get through such icy disdain. He was unaccustomed to facing disdain of any sort, but especially from such a slip of a woman. He hated to think of himself as being too full of himself for his own britches, but he had grown accustomed to being fawned over, even before he inherited. Now it was a matter of rote that others went out of their way to seek his addresses. Now here was this paid companion dismissing him as though he were of little value.
It was not to be borne.
He had truly become an insufferable imbecile.
Stony silence descended between the two of them until they were nearly to Lady Frampton’s townhouse. Nathan forced himself to see past the awkwardness and come up with a way through it for both of them.
“Since I am having trouble reading the script, could you please remind me when I ought to plan to take you driving again and when the theatre excursion and supper ought to be planned?”
Nathan was surprised and gratified to hear a light tinkle of laughter escape her. It sounded involuntary but genuine.
“I suppose you aren’t so very lack witted are you, my lord?” she commented with a wry twist of her lips. “I would think if a gentleman were truly interested in a lady, he wouldn’t allow the grass to grow under his feet so it ought to be soon, wouldn’t you agree? For all of those things. And then we can have it done and over with and neither worse off for the wear.”
“Except I’ll be out a pair of horses.”
