Austin instantly sat the papers down on a nearby table. “I shall do no such thing.”
“Very well then,” she said as if she’d anticipated such a response. “We shall do one item. We shall take a stroll through Hyde Park while I inform you of what is to be expected. You, of course, will try your best to look increasingly captivated by me.”
Austin stared at her for a few seconds. “I shall do no such—”
“Perfect! I shall get ready while you wait for me in the drawing room. Henry?”
All of a sudden, the butler was standing behind him. Austin bit back a curse.
“Yes, Miss Lavender?” he answered with a slight bow.
“Please escort Lord Derby to the drawing room and have a carriage prepared. We will be going for a promenade in short order.”
“As you wish, miss.”
Austin didn’t get the chance to argue. Miss Lavender drifted by him, scooping up the papers as she went, and made her way tothe other side of the room where her bedchamber was. He could only stare after her in disbelief.
“After you, my lord,” the butler—Henry—spoke again.
It seemed he had no choice. Austin tried not to grumble about it as he left her chambers, reminding himself that this was what he had signed up for.
But had he known that he would be shackling himself to a spoilt aspiring socialite, he would have turned and run as fast as he could.
Chapter Five
Lavender didn’t like it when things didn’t go as planned. She was used to detailing every step she made, ensuring that she always put her feet in the right spot. So when there was a single misstep, especially if it was out of her hands, it felt as if everything was crashing down around her.
When that happened, all she could do was breathe. In and out. Take a step back. Reassess the situation and figure out what to do next.
But with the Earl of Derby standing in front of her, she hadn’t a clue how to go forward.
It seemed the scowl was permanently fixed on his face. Lavender tilted her head to the side as she watched him speak to the coachman. She hadn’t a clue what they were conversing about and she didn’t care. The mere fact that she’d convinced him to escort her to Hyde Park was a feat in and of itself. Though he might describe it as forcing rather than convincing…
Even so, it was a step in the right direction that they were here together, even if everything else had gone wrong. That long plan she’d written out months before she turned ten-and-eight—and had tweaked now and again—was currently under review all because of the man she was now betrothed to.
Lavender had expected her brother to follow through on his promise. She just hadn’t quite expected it to be to a gentleman like the earl.
***
Lord Derby nodded to the coachman and then began making his way to her. His steps were long and commanding, his hands tight into fists at his sides as if he was always prepared to throw a punch. That scowl on his face did not hide his natural handsomeness. When he didn’t speak, she could at least admire that he was pleasant to look at. Those deep green eyes, that sharp jawline, and his plush lips could make a lady’s heart flutter if hedidn’t look as if he hated every human being within a mile of him. And he was dressed far finer than he had been yesterday, the cut of his waistcoat and breeches clinging to his large, muscular build.
Quite a handsome man, she thought as he drew closer.It is a shame his personality is so sour.
“What are you looking at?” he snapped the moment he made it up to her.
Lavender resisted the urge to sigh. Her brother had truly made the next few months far more difficult than she’d expected them to be. “I am looking at you, my lord. Was it not obvious?”
His scowl, as impossible as she thought it was, deepened. “Why?”
“I was observing you. You will make things quite difficult for me, you know.”
“What are you talking about?”
She could not hold back her sigh this time. The park was rather populated at this hour and they were standing quite close to the road. It wouldn’t do to stand around here any longer.
Lavender took a step towards him and slipped her arm through his. She felt him stiffen and begin to pull away but she whispered under her breath, “Do not pull away, or else you will cause a scene.”
He didn’t pull back but his arms laid stiffly against his side. “No one is looking at us to even notice.”
