Page 30 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
“May I hazard a guess?”
“Go right ahead.”
Louisa tilted her head to the side in thought. “Judging from the frown on your face, I could only assume it either has something to do with last night or your book.”
“That is not fair, Louisa,” Caroline said with a laugh. “You know as well as I that I rarely think about anything else but my novel. And considering the events of last night, it is quite likely that I would be deliberating on it in the morning.”
Louisa only sipped her tea. “Am I right then?”
“You are right,” Caroline confirmed. “Most specifically, I was thinking about the Earl of Colenhurst.”
Louisa gasped. “Oh, yes, I have been intending to inquire about that! I didn’t get the chance to last night because you raced up to your room the moment we returned home. I saw you dancing the waltz with the earl and I must say, you two did look rather scandalous.”
“Scandalous?” Caroline gasped, eyes wide. Goodness, she had been so focused on the earl and their conversation that she hadn’t thought about how they would be perceived.
“Scandalous,” Louisa repeated with a mischievous grin. “Anyone looking on would think that you two were absolutely smitten with each other.”
Caroline relaxed, turning her eyes outside in the hopes that it would make the heat on her cheeks less visible. “You know that is not true.”
“Yes,Iknow that. But does the rest of the ton? I should get a copy of today’s scandal sheets to see if you two are mentioned.” She spread her hands before her. “I can just imagine the title now.The Widowed Viscountess and Ice Earl’s Scandalous Affair.”
“I would hardly consider a dance scandalous.”
“A dance where you two could hardly look away from each other? Decidedly scandalous.”
Caroline couldn’t help avoiding Louisa’s eyes. She understood that her friend was jesting, perhaps embellishing the tale merely to heighten her amusement. But all it did was stir up memories of her dance with the earl—and with it a tremble of excitement that she’d only ever written about but never experienced.
“So,” Louisa leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand, “tell me all about it.”
Caroline hesitated. What could she say? That she’d felt more alive in those few minutes with the earl than she had her entire life? That was insane. Completely irrational and yet…
She opened her mouth, ready to tell Louisa everything she had been feeling since last night, but was interrupted by the knock and entrance of the butler.
“Please pardon the intrusion,” he began politely. “Lady Winterbourne, a visitor has come for you.”
Caroline blinked. “For me?”
“Lord James Sotheby,” the butler supplied.
Caroline’s heart sank. She could only imagine how her mother would have responded if she were here. And judging by the time, she could be arriving any minute now. If Caroline wanted to get rid of Lord Sotheby, she would have to do so quickly.
But she did recall agreeing to accept his call last night, against her better judgment. And if Elizabeth found out that she had turned him away without seeing him, her mother was sure to make her regret it.
Sighing inwardly, Caroline said, “Show him in.”
The butler nodded and left the room. Caroline let the sigh out.
“You cannot say you did not expect this to happen,” Louisa commented. “The earl was not the only gentleman smitten with you last night.”
“The earl is not smitten with me,” Caroline protested quickly.
“If you say so,” Louisa sang, hiding her grin behind the rim of her teacup.
Caroline didn’t bother arguing further. She took the few precious seconds before Lord Sotheby’s arrival to prepare herself, forcing a smile onto her face.
He arrived far too quickly than she would have liked, bearing a bouquet of lilies. Caroline and Louisa stood, her heart sinking at the sight. She’d always wanted to receive flowers. From someone she actually liked, that was.
“My lady,” Lord Sotheby greeted with a smile. “Thank you for agreeing to see me. These are for you.”
