Upon seeing Colin’s appreciative look when she came out into the hallway to meet him, Lizzie was glad that she had endured an entire hour of hot curling paper torture.
“You look wonderful,” he said earnestly, and she thanked him.
He offered her his left arm, and they walked down the stairs. The whole time, Elizabeth was careful not to lean on him too much, because she feared his balance was affected by having one arm in the sling.
Corporal Harding was the only one in the Blue Room when they entered, and he stood to greet them.
“Where is your wife?” Lizzie asked, not wanting to further hurt Amelia’s feelings by talking to the Corporal without her there.
“I believe she’s dressing for dinner,” he said with a small furrow of his brow, like he was uncertain why he was the one responsible for her whereabouts.
“Thank God we are not women. The stairs in this manor are rather tricky to navigate in these long gowns,” Talbot said nonchalantly.
“Excuse me,” the Corporal said and hastily left the room.
Talbot laughed to himself.
“Why do you not simply say what you mean or offer friendly advice?” Lizzie chided him.
“No man wants to be told how to treat his wife,” he said haughtily, like she was being the unreasonable one. “Besides, Harding already has everything he needs to be a decenthusband; he merely needs a… gentle shove in the right direction.”
“And you making fun of female garments is the way to do it?”
“I think you know better than anyone what a deep appreciation I have for female garments,” he told her in a low voice as he stepped closer to her.
Lizzie felt her breasts tense and harden. They felt itchy, and she wanted to rub them against something.
“Your Grace,” an annoying voice came from the door, and Lizzie attempted to take a step back from Colin, but he grabbed her elbow to hold her in place.
“Good evening,” Lady Genevieve said as she stepped closer to them, accompanied by the Baron.
“Good evening,” Baron Waldegrave said as well.
The Talbots returned the greetings, and the foursome briefly discussed the day’s events and the weather as the other guests trickled into the room.
“I remember you never particularly liked the rain,” Lady Genevieve said in an attempt to both allude to intimate acquaintance and to hurt Lizzie at the same time.
“I rather like the rain,” Colin said, arranging his face in innocent confusion. “Do you remember that summer shower in Norwich, when we hid in the gamekeeper’s cabin?” He asked Lizzie, turning his entire body to her and effectively shutting out everyone else.
Elizabeth blushed and glanced at his smiling mouth. Before she could respond, the dinner bell rang. Colin winked at her, and she shook her head in mock reproach.
At dinner, she was seated between Charlotte’s husband and Isabella, and across the table from them were Colin, Louisa, and the Baron.
“We plan on going shooting or hunting tomorrow,” Sinclair announced to Elizabeth, and she realised that that was all she’d ever really heard him talk about.
“How shall you decide?” she asked half-heartedly.
“Well, based on what the majority of my guests feel like. The season is great for both, we can either shoot ducks and geese, or hunt hind, we can even go hare-coursing!”
“I do love a roasted hare,” Lizzie said with a small smile.
“I don’t think the weather will be too good for any of those activities,” Lady Isabella said, seeming uncharacteristically uneasy.
“Don’t you worry about that, Lady Isabella, we can handle it,” Sinclair said jovially, but she pursed her lips together in displeasure.
“Why don’t we plan an excursion for tomorrow?” Isabella proposed in a loud, overly cheerful voice.
“Wonderful idea, you ladies can go do that,” Sinclair said and went back to eating.
