Page 24 of A Marriage of Convenience with a Rake
“Oh! Oh, my lady.” Miss Whitford beamed. “That’s very kind. That’s very kind, my lady.”
She was blushing and Eleanor smiled to herself as she hurried down the stairs. Seeing Miss Whitford’s happiness had taken her mind off her worries.
She swallowed hard, slipping into the dining-room. The long table was set, the silverware polished and bright against the white tablecloth. Tall candles in brass candle holders lined the center of it, but none of the candles were lit as bright sunlight streamed in through the long windows. Four men sat at the table along with Lord Ramsgate and Lord Glenfield. When she came in, they all stood. Eleanor blushed red.
“Gentlemen,” Lord Glenfield said in a tight voice. “Allow me to introduce Lady Glenfield to you all.”
“Charmed, my lady,” an elderly man with thick white hair and a mustache greeted her. She smiled and curtseyed.
“Pleased to meet you, my lady,” another man said.
“Good afternoon, Lady Glenfield.”
“Charmed, my lady.”
She curtseyed again, reddening at all the greetings and welcomes, and then went to her place at the table, which was at the foot, opposite Lord Glenfield who sat at the head. Lord Ramsgate sat on her left, in the central place on the long side, facing the door.
“Let’s have lunch, gentlemen,” Lord Glenfield announced, nodding lightly to the butler, who waited at the door. He wheeled the trolley in, laden with pots and bowls, and two footmen moved swiftly to start serving the meal.
“A fine day today, is it not, my lady?” The man sitting on her right asked her. He was tall and thin, with gray hair and pale eyes and he smiled at her.
“It is. Very fine,” Eleanor murmured. She felt her stomach growl, distracted for a moment by how hungry she was. The footmen settled plates of soup before everyone on the table, filled up the breadbasket and went to stand and wait by the wall to serve the next course.
Eleanor sampled the soup, shutting her eyes for a moment to appreciate the flavor. It was a rich pea soup, buttery and intense, and her stomach twisted with hunger for more.
The talk around the table was heated, focused on the financial issues the men had been discussing in the morning. Eleanor listened with half an ear, not particularly interested in whatever it was they talked about. She glanced up at Lord Glenfield and her cheeks went red. He was watching her.
She looked down at the table, feeling confused. He was looking at her with a particularly intense stare, his dark eyes focused on her, and she looked at the tablecloth, cheeks burning with the sense that he was gazing at her. She risked a glance upwards and saw he had turned and was looking over at something on the wall by the door.
She lifted her napkin, dabbing her lips, confused. There wasno reason for him to be gazing at her like...like...She frowned. She had no idea what to make of that intense look in his eyes. She put her napkin on her knee again, focusing on smoothing it over her skirt so that she didn’t have to look up again and see him watching her.
The luncheon continued, course following course, with the soup replaced by a souffle and then the main course of roast trout, with several side-dishes, and then a dessert of trifle. The trifle was followed by savory biscuits and brandy for the men, while coffee was brought for her. She sipped it slowly, glancing at Lord Glenfield across the table as she did so.
His gaze moved to her, and she hastily looked down at her plate. She felt a tingling sensation as though she could almost feel him staring at her, and she risked a glance up. He was looking at the table, as if the tablecloth was truly fascinating. She frowned to herself.
It seemed almost as though he was as awkward about being caught staring at her as she was about having been stared at.
She shook herself. She was being silly. Perhaps she had imagined it.
She sipped her coffee while the men talked and blinked as the Marquess of Ramsgate cleared his throat to talk.
“Shall we move to the drawing room, gentlemen? Lady Glenfield, I trust we have not been too tiresome today?” He smiled at her.
She smiled back, genuinely liking the older man. He was always so considerate.
“Not at all, Lord Ramsgate,” she told him at once. “Should I ever wish to invest money, I have here a roomful of experts to help me.”
The men all laughed, clearly flattered. She glanced over at Lord Glenfield and blushed at the warmth in his gaze. She looked away, flustered.
He is so strange. Half the time, I think he has no regard for me at all, and the other half of the time, he watches me with that strange look that I cannot understand.
She swallowed hard. She needed to do something about it. She had to find out how he really felt and what these stories about him meant.
The men went to the drawing-room, and she retired to her bedchamber to rest. She must have fallen asleep, because she woke, blinking, at the sound of the church bells chiming the hour. It was dinnertime already.
“I need to speak with his lordship,” she told herself firmly.
She stood, feeling nervous, and went to the drawing room. It was empty, but the butler was there tidying the room.
