He chuckled.
Joan waved the topic away. “Anyway…I think Sally’s smitten. And did you see where they were coming from? Behind those tall cattails so no one could see them. And did you see what she looked like after we called them over?”
“The hair?” James smirked.
“The lips?”
“Jacob’s grin?”
The two chuckled together.
“I never thought Sally was the type,” Joan mumbled.
With a waggle of his brows, James teased, “Every lady is the type.”
“Noteverylady,” Joan countered, but not too vehemently.
“You’ve never…?”
For some reason, that question triggered something in her. Joan almost wished she had let a man take her to a private place and kiss her. That way she wouldn’t feel so embarrassed that she was apparently not likeeverylady. But when James's eyes softened and she saw something flare in them, her heart fluttered.
“Well…it sounds like we did our job then,” James stated.
And as much as that phrase should delight Joan, a small sadness crept into her heart. Or somewhere close. If Sally and Jacob were now attached, there was no reason for Joan and James to be attached.
“Why the frown?” James prodded.
“Oh, no reason.” But she had a reason. If she was willing to admit it. She had been enjoying her time with James. He was funny. Carefree. Handsome…She didn’t want to give him up just yet. “Perhaps Sally and Jacob just need one more push?”
James studied her face for a beat and said, “I couldn’t agree more. We want to be absolutely sure that they’ll become a couple.”
“It’s settled then. One more push?”
“Just a little nudge,” he agreed as he bumped his shoulder into hers.
“Then we had better make it worthwhile.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” he smiled.
She smiled.
There. That felt better.
Chapter 11
“Bravery without forethought, causes a man to fight blindly and desperately like a mad bull. Such an opponent, must not be encountered with brute force, but may be lured into an ambush and slain.”
—Sun Tzu
THE EVENING COULDN’T COME fast enough, but before evening could come, afternoon tea had to take place. Joan almost skipped it, heading straight to her room, but she didn’t want to appear an ungrateful guest. So she reminded herself that all she had to do was make polite conversation for a short while, and then she could go rest. Rest held a flexible definition for her, seeing how eager she was for this evening. She was bubbling with anticipation to trigger her and James's plan into action. Ittook everything in her to sit still and drink tea. But if anything could calm her nerves, tea should do the trick. And what was an hour or two of polite conversation? Nothing she couldn’t do in her sleep. She was trained to be a lady.
Despite her invigorating pep talk, she was still feeling a bit anxious as she sipped at her tea while Countess Linsgate chatted with her.
At first the conversation touched only on safe topics. Weather. Current needlepoint projects. Favorite tea. Nothing to bat an eye at. All conversations she had actually had in her sleep. Though maybe more accurate to say, all conversations that could put her to sleep.
But then the countess asked coyly, “How was it out on the pond this afternoon?”
Joan wasn’t sure which rumors had already been disseminated, and she certainly didn’t want to add to them. Best to keep the events close to her chest. “It was a lovely afternoon. Though I do wonder what the weather is like in Copenhagen at this time of the year.”
