“Did you? Well, if you mean to speak, you best do it before Lady Iddesleigh finds me. Apparently, I was invited to look after children.”
“What?”
“Pay me no heed,” she grumbled, and sighed. It was not like her to be so cross.
He stepped closer. “This is hardly the place, but I should like—”
“No, thank you,” she said crisply.
Teo frowned. “Pardon?”
She’d had enough of being made to feel inferior. By men, by countesses, by her own family—and she wouldn’t be made to feel like someone’s lapse of judgment now. “I beg your pardon, but I can guess what you would say. And before you say it, I would like to say that what happened, happened. My opinion of it hasn’t changed. And that I refuse to tread on eggs because of it. I don’t have designs on you, my lord. I am painfully aware that we are from vastly different corners of this life. But neither am I going to pretend I don’t esteem you or wish that I mattered to you. There, I’ve said it. If you want to let me go from my position, I understand. But I won’t apologize for what I’ve said or accept your apologies for having dared to touch me.”
He stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He stared long enough that she began to feel a tiny bit remorseful for having spouted off. She folded her arms defensively across her middle. “I...I do beg your pardon if I’ve been unkind or otherwise perturbed you.”
He shook his head. He let his mallet drop from his shoulder. But he didn’t speak.
Hattie moaned. “What? What are you thinking? You can’t remain silent after that.”
“No, I can’t remain silent after that. I am thinking I know you better after that speech.”
She was expecting a rebuke or an apology. She was expecting something that made sense. That did not make sense.
“And I would never ask you to change a single thing about yourself.”
But?“Wonderful. Then...then who—”
Lady Birdie suddenly ran up to them. “Did you find it?” she asked breathlessly.
Teo bent down to pick up the croquet ball and handed it to her.
“Thank you!” Lady Birdie looked at Hattie. “Miss Woodchurch! You’ll partner with me, won’t you? No one will partner with me.”
“Of course,” Hattie said. She looked at Teo. Her question—who were they now?—died on her tongue. She followed Lady Birdie out to the croquet ground, only to find that a separate game had been set up for the children. She would be playing with the children, not the adults.
This day would never end.
For the remainder of the afternoon, she tried not to look for Teo at every opportunity, but it was impossible. The few times she did, she would see him smiling with Flora, or leaning close to hear what Lady Mabel was saying. He looked unconcerned. As if nothing had happened.
She wondered what he thought of her now. He hadn’t told her not to come back to his employ, but she supposed he would come next week.I beg your pardon, but it is entirely necessary—I can’t be kissing the help.
She knocked her ball too hard and it rolled into the shrubbery. When she went to fetch it, she saw Teo and Flora wandering away from the croquet field, chatting like a pair of lovers. But before her eyes clouded with tears of frustration, she realized someone else had seen them, too: Lady Mabel. The poor young woman looked crushed.
Yes, well, try spending afternoons in his presence and then having him kiss you and then act as if nothing happened and see how crushed you feel.
At long last, when the garden tea party was at its end, Hattie found her brother with a full glass of wine in his hand. As they were leaving, prepared to walk to Portman Square, they happened on Flora. She was waiting in the foyer for a carriage to be brought round. Her mother was nearby, speaking to Lady Iddesleigh.
“Did you enjoy the afternoon?” Hattie asked as she jabbed her hands into her ill-fitting gloves.
“Hattie...” Flora grasped her arm. She shot a look at Daniel and leaned close to whisper,“I think he esteems me.”
She didn’t whisper softly enough—Daniel heard her. He snorted loudly. “He esteems every woman he meets.” With his chin, he indicated something over Hattie’s shoulder. She and Flora looked back and saw the viscount standing with the Stanhopes. Lady Mabel’s face radiated hope.
“That’s because he is very polite,” Flora said. “Something you could stand to learn, sir.” And with that, she skipped off to join her parents.
Hattie looked at her brother as they started for the street. “Why do you hate him?”
“Hate who?” Daniel asked, looking away from her.
