To her surprise, he hesitated before he nodded, “Yes.”
Her mirth spilled over into true laughter. “Well, you needn’t worry about that. This is your home, my lord. You can do whatever you wish with it. Even if I did not approve of your plan, you do not strike me as the type to care.”
“I do not.”
Lavender nodded. “But…if you did care, I hope you will not change those ornate bookshelves.” She pointed to the other side of the room. “I adore them.”
Lord Derby took in the bookshelves for a moment. He leaned against the bay window, crossing his arms. Lavender wondered if it was safe for the window to have such heavy weight pressed against it, considering its state.
“Those were a favourite of my mother’s as well,” he murmured so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him.
“Your mother’s…?” It took her a moment to remember. “Your mother was a maid, was she not?”
“She was.”
“Was she—”
“We have a foolish party to attend, don’t we?” He moved away from the window, stalking towards the door. “Let us get this over with then.”
He didn’t wait for her to respond before he left her staring after him.
Chapter Ten
Austin didn’t think he would be back here. He’d even promised himself that he would never again set foot on this estate if he could help it. Had it not been for the lady sitting to his right, he wouldn’t even be in this community at all.
The Pemberton House was just as populated as it was the last time Austin was there. It had been three years ago when his father had been on his deathbed. The ailing man had begged Austin to attend Lord Pemberton’s evening ball in his stead, since he could not attend. Austin had only gone because of how his father had begged him at the time. And at first, it hadn’t been bad. Other than the incessant gossiping of both ladies and gentlemen of the ton, he had nearly enjoyed himself. Locked up in the cards room with the other gentlemen who would much rather have been drinking and playing cards than dancing, he’d begun to enjoy himself.
Until he’d gotten a little too inebriated and accused Lord Pemberton of cheating during their game of whist. The other man had gotten so mad that he’d banned him from the ball that evening.
Austin couldn’t help but wonder if Lord Pemberton knew that he would be there this afternoon. He was looking forward to seeing the surprise on his face, if that were the case.
“We’re here.”
Austin looked down at Miss Lavender, wondering if she knew she had spoken aloud. The entire carriage ride had gone by in silence and the closer they came to Pemberton House, the more anxious she became. She couldn’t hide it. Her leg shook, she picked at her nails, and she was nibbling on her bottom lip with such force that Austin was nearly certain she would soon draw blood.
As the carriage swung past the gates, she looked at him. “The Countess of Lively will be in attendance.”
Ah, now it made sense.
“We cannot afford to make any mistakes,” she went on. “The only aim for this afternoon is to engage in lightheartedconversation with a few people, stay polite, smile, and avoid her at all costs.”
“Avoid her?” He frowned. “I thought you were trying to impress her.”
“Yes, but flocking to her side is not the way to go. She will notice us the moment we arrive so the time will come in the future. For now, I just want to make sure we don’t invite any scandal.”
Miss Lavender looked back out the window, drawing in a breath when the carriage came to a stop.
“You’re nervous,” Austin pointed out.
“Yes, well you make me nervous,” she shot back. He watched as she closed her eyes as if she was trying to calm herself. “I just…do not want a repeat of what happened at yesterday’s party.”
“I won’t talk about my prizefighting then,” he said without thinking.
She looked surprised at that, mimicking the emotion coursing through him. He didn’t care, he told himself. It would only be easier on him if he didn’t have to deal with the drama that came with such a confession.
“Thank you. I would appreciate that.” She drew in a deep breath. “Well, shall we?”
Austin caught the hint, realizing she expected him to open the door for her. For the sake of peace, he alighted from the carriage and helped her exit. Her cheeks had lost some of their color but, he had to admit that she looked rather nice. Perhaps she was not as plain as he’d thought her to be. Did her hair always light up with golden streaks under the sunlight or was he imagining it?
