“Lord Abbott, obviously.”
“Hatehim?” Daniel scoffed. “I don’t care about him, Hat—I don’t think of him at all. A better question is, why do you care so much about him?”
Had he seen her looking at him today? Hattie blushed with self-consciousness. “I don’t.”
“Hat,” Daniel said. “It’s obvious you do. I can see it just here,” he said, and with his forefinger, made a circle in the air just in front of her face.
She pushed his hand away. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I? Well, here’s a bit of brotherly advice—keep your desire to yourself. Hidden, in fact. Our father would make your life quite miserable if he suspected there was something to be gained.”
“I have nothing to hide,” Hattie said curtly. But her gut was sinking because Daniel was right. Her father would ruin everything if he suspected her true feelings.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
TWODAYSLATER,Mateo returned from a meeting at the bank, and Borerro informed him Lady Aleksander was waiting for him in the drawing room.
“Maldición,”Mateo cursed softly as he removed his gloves. He detested the meetings with the matchmaker.
“And Doña Vincente,” Borerro added.
Mateo’s head snapped up. He hadn’t expected his mother.
“She returned this morning,” Borerro said to his unspoken question. “They are at tea in the drawing room.”
Bloody hell.He had enough on his mind without having to deal with his mother. He handed Borerro his hat and gloves and walked on to the drawing room.
The two women didn’t notice him at first; they had their heads close together, talking softly, as if they were afraid the footman attending them would overhear. “Mami,” he said, and the two of them snapped away from each other.
They were discussing him, apparently. Mateo crossed the room to kiss his mother’s cheek. “I wasn’t expecting you for another fortnight,” he said.
“I hadn’t planned to come back so soon, but a little bird told me that you might need a little help settling on a match.”
Mateo turned a cool gaze to Lady Aleksander, who studiously avoided eye contact by examining the finger sandwiches on the tray between her and his mother. “The little bird is mistaken,” he said. “I am not in need of any help.”
“Perhaps just a little,mijo,” his mother said. “I understand you’ve had the opportunity to meet some lovely young women.”
He was going to need some fortification for this talk.“Sí.”He walked to the sideboard, poured a whisky, and tossed it down his throat. Then he poured another one. “I have spoken to every woman Lady Aleksander has put in my path.” He turned back to them.
“And it has been adelight,” Lady Aleksander said, which prompted both Mateo and his mother to look at her with suspicion. There was no one in this room that thought he was a delight in any sense of the word.
“What?” Lady Aleksander asked innocently. She put a lady finger on her plate and picked up her fork.
Mateo took a seat across from his mother. “You enjoyed Paris, I take it?”
“Immensely, darling! It’s so lovely this time of year. I sent for your sister, but she’s with child! Isn’t that exciting?”
“Wonderful,” Mateo said. “You should go to her. Things are progressing here.”
“Are they?” she asked dubiously, and helped herself to a pair of petit fours.
Unexpectedly, the door opened, and Hattie’s head popped in. “I beg your pardon,” she said, and tried to back away, but Mateo was immediately on his feet. “Come in, Miss Woodchurch. I’d like to introduce you to my mother.” He did not miss the look his mother and Lady Aleksander exchanged, and he detested them for it.
He put down his glass and walked to the door, pulling it open. Hattie gave him a look of apprehension, but he smiled at her. “Come in. She won’t bite.”
“Mateo!” his mother said behind him.
Hattie hesitantly stepped through the door and curtsied deeply to the two women.
