What would Allan say to this?
With a trembling hand, Dorothy stood and left the room. Her hands fidgeted in front of her as she thought of Allan and what he would say to such a statement from Lady Webster.
He’d laugh aloud and think her mad. I’m sure of it.
Dorothy wandered the corridors, searching for someone to speak to. She told herself she was searching for Lady Frederica and Lady Charlotte, whom by now she was developing a good friendship with, but she barely spent a minute in their company in the drawing room, where they were talking over a magazine they were reading together.
Dorothy wandered away, in search of another.
Through an open door, she saw Stephen sitting in the garden room at the back of the house, surrounded by palms in pots and small lemon trees. Lord Webster and the physician were in the room with him.
“Well, you did a good job attending to your wound, Your Grace,” the physician said, replacing the bandage on Stephen’s temple. “It is healing already.”
Stephen’s eyes shot toward the door, and Dorothy jumped at the intensity of his look when he saw her. They both knew he had not attended to the wound.
She stepped forward, knocking lightly on the open door to announce her presence.
“Ah, Lady Dorothy, what a surprise,” Lord Webster said with an amused smile. “Come, come in. The physician was just giving us an opinion on how His Grace is faring today.”
“He is doing much better.” The physician nodded. “Is this the lady you are courting, Your Grace?”
“We—” Before Stephen could correct him, he carried on.
“You need not worry, My Lady.” The physician bowed to Dorothy in greeting. “He is doing well, indeed, and is on the mend. He’ll no doubt be dancing with you at the ball by the end of the week.”
“Stephen has no care for dancing,” Dorothy muttered, at which Lord Webster chuckled.
“And we are not courting,” Stephen managed to interject.
Dorothy rubbed a sudden sore spot in her stomach. She couldn’t explain why it hurt to have Stephen point this out now. She knew well enough they weren’t courting, but after last night and that near kiss, it hurt.
“Ah, there you are, Your Grace.” Lady Frederica appeared in the doorway, smiling sweetly. “We have come to see how you are.”
When Stephen turned to her with a smile, Dorothy slumped into the nearest chair and looked between them, jealousy burning in her veins.
I do not want him to flirt with Frederica just because of our wager. It is because I am envious of the way he looks at her.
* * *
Stephen had barely moved all day. Each time he stood up, one of the ladies would run around to help him. More than once, Lord Webster had laughed, saying he had never been so popular, but Stephen ignored such jibes. His eyes frequently darted to Dorothy, who would fetch him drinks and make them just the way he liked.
Lady Frederica had been particularly attentive, and Stephen sat with her for a large portion of the day. At last, she seemed to be opening up to him, and he was glad of the chance to get to know her better.
“You are a keen musician, then?” he asked her gently.
“I do love my music.” She smiled softly. “Although I am no great pianoforte player. My father says such skills are necessary for an accomplished lady, but I prefer other instruments. I am fond of the harp and the violin.”
“Any accomplishment is a fine one,” Stephen said with vigor. “Surely a skill in any instrument is to be admired.”
As he said that, Dorothy walked back toward him. She had a plate of biscuits that she offered him, yet he noticed at once that she didn’t look up at him.
Ah… she heard what I said.
He took a biscuit, and as she retreated across the room, choosing not to sit with Lord Chilmond but with Lady Charlotte near the pianoforte, he felt the guilt rise. He knew Dorothy had no liking for instruments at all.
“What music do you like?” Stephen asked Lady Frederica, though, to his great shame, he barely paid attention.
Lady Charlotte had started playing the pianoforte across the drawing room for everyone’s entertainment, and Dorothy sat with her, turning the pages of the music for her. More than once, Lord Chilmond approached Dorothy and tried to engage her in conversation, but he failed and returned to his seat.
