“You are dreadful,” she hissed.
“I am being polite.”
“I would love a valet,” said Georgiana dreamily. And then, “Mother! Might I have a valet?”
Lady Alverthorpe, who had been meandering at some distance behind them, came abreast of their trio. “Georgie, darling, certainly not.”
Georgiana’s face fell.
“A valet would know nothing of gowns,” said the countess. She was as blond as her daughter, and nearly as slim, though her blue eyes were a bit watery and her nose wriggled disconcertingly like a rabbit’s when she spoke. “And hair! Heavens, a valet wouldn’t know how to dress your hair.”
“But surely a valet dresses His Grace’s hair,” protested Georgiana. She smiled winningly up at him. “Your valet curls your hair so prettily.”
Selina appeared to choke.
“Georgie, sweet,” said Lady Alverthorpe. “Men do not like to be reminded of their efforts at beautifying themselves. Not since the French Revolution.”
Good Christ, there were two of them. “Do you have any brothers? Perhaps you might try out one of their valets.”
“My brothers’ hair is much less pretty than yours, Your Grace,” said Georgiana. “And my father is quite bald, so his valet would be no help at all.”
Peter could practically hear the response in his head—Lady Georgiana, it would be my pleasure to offer you the services of my valet—or perhapsI can’t countenance the idea that your hair could be any more lovely—and yet he found he could not bring them to his lips.
He looked again at Selina. The berry-colored curve of hermouth was set in a crooked smile, and her eyes on him were encouraging. He was meant to be courting this girl, and Selina’s expression said,Go on, then. Say something charming.
And, damn him, it shouldn’t have rankled, but it did.
“My valet, I’m afraid, would be a disappointment.” He resettled his hat on his head, trying not to be too obvious about the desire to smother his own coiffure. “I hate to admit it in polite company, but I’ve yet to let Humphrey take hot tongs to my head. My hair grows this way.” He’d never even had a valet until he’d inherited. It was bad enough to let the man dress him, as if he were a child.
Selina’s brows drew together in an expression of unguarded skepticism. “You cannot mean it.”
He felt himself smiling helplessly at her. “God’s truth.”
“Insulting,” she mumbled. “Truly insulting.”
“It runs in the family. You’ve seen Lu’s hair. You can’t imagine she lets Aunt Rosamund at her with curling implements.”
Selina tilted her head in acknowledgment. “I suspect Aunt Rosamund doesn’t wish to find herself at the wrong end of extremely hot metal.”
“You haven’t met Aunt Rosamund.Isuspect she wouldn’t know curling tongs from a salad fork.”
Selina pursed her lips. “To be fair, she could probably use curling tongs on a salad.”
“Point to you,” he said, and her eyes sparkled at him so brightly in the afternoon light that he almost lost his breath.
Lady Alverthorpe cleared her throat, and Peter started. He knew enough about English society to know that he was being outrageously rude to talk in company about people they didn’t know. He tried for a moment to explain his siblings and Great-great-aunt Rosamund.
Georgiana blinked up at him. “They all sound very nice.”
Well,nicewasn’t really the word for Aunt Rosamund—or Lu, for that matter—but he appreciated her effort. “They’re very important to me.”
Her perfect teeth peeked out as she bit her lower lip. “Who did you say they are again?”
Selina groaned quietly from beside him, and he didn’t have to turn toward her to know she was clenching her jaw again.
“Georgie, my girl, you must listen better,” chided her mother. “Surely you heard His Grace say that they were his valets?”
It was only because Peter was still marveling at Lady Georgiana’s teeth that he saw it. Her gold lashes fluttered down to her cheeks, and her nose twitched, and the corner of her mouth… shivered. Once, and then again.
