“Are we in a hurry?” Lucy asked breathlessly as they wove swiftly through the crowd, nodding to acquaintances and calling out brief greetings but nothing more—which was quite uncivil. “Is there an appointment I’ve forgotten?”
Alice hurried on without answering. She had no reason for their flight—no reason she could acknowledge, that is, except to herself.
Panic, that was it.
Lord Tarrant had smiled down at her with such a look in his eyes. Intense and yet warm and approving and...
It had set off such flutters inside her.
She’d had no idea what to do.
And so she’d run.
Which was utterly pathetic!
But what else was she to do? She couldn’t encourage him.
“It’s going to rain,” she told Lucy.
Lucy glanced at the clear blue sky. “I see. A bit like my pallor the other night, then. Only in your case, it was brought on by a certain tall former colonel.”
“Nonsense,” Alice muttered and hurried on. Lucy was uncomfortably perceptive at times. “What did you think of Lieutenant Chichester?”
Lucy snorted. “A silly rattle and too full of himself, but entertaining enough for a walk in the park.”
Alice nodded. And then there were times she was grateful for Lucy’s sharp mind.
***
To Alice’s faint discomfort, Lord Tarrant called the following afternoon. Discomfort because, on reflection, she’d decided that she’d behaved foolishly the previous times she’d met him. She wasn’t a green, impressionable girl; she was a sensible widow who knew exactly what she did and didn’t want.
Just because a man had never sent her into a flutter before by his mere presence. And the way he looked at her... And his smile. It was no reason to get all hot and bothered.
She’d fallen out of the habit of socializing, that was all, and had read too much into the looks Lord Tarrant had given her. She wasn’t ever going to marry again, and even if he did intend improper overtures, it was nothing to be anxious about, because she was most definitely not interested in having an affair. All that horrid bedroom activity was, thank goodness, behind her.
She was a mature, grown woman, and she would behave like one.
Lord Tarrant was her third male caller that afternoon.Two of Thaddeus’s friends had visited—separately. Word had obviously reached them that she was receiving again. The first had suggested with a leer that he was more than willing to help assuage her loneliness. The arrival of other visitors prevented her from sending him off with a flea in his ear, and though she itched to smack his oily, presumptuous face, she had to make do with an icy response.
The second of Thaddeus’s friends, Sir Alec Grafton, had arrived just as several ladies were leaving, and just after Lucy had excused herself for a moment. He took advantage of her brief lack of company to lean forward, place a heavy hand on her knee and make an even more blatant offer.
She’d brushed away his hand like a repellent insect, and was in the process of coldly informing him that she was perfectly content as she was, thank you, and she’d be grateful if he never troubled her again—ever!—when Tweed announced Lord Tarrant.
He must have overheard her delivering the last part of her little speech. He gave Sir Alec a hard look as the man took his leave, but his expression was smooth as he greeted her and took the seat she waved him to. On the opposite side of the room.
There was a short, tense silence. If he so much as hinted that she might be lonely and in need of male company...
He rubbed his hands together. “Brrr, pretty chilly in here at the moment.”
Alice blinked. It was a sunny afternoon, and if anything, it was rather warm.
His expression was an odd mix of rueful amusement. “Finding some of your visitors tedious, I gather.”
“Not simply tedious—obnoxious, offensive and unwelcome.”
“Dear me. If any more of that kind arrive, give me a wink and I’ll toss them out on their ear.”
Was he serious? Or was he making fun of her? She couldn’t tell from his expression. Lucy returned, and twoother ladies arrived. They exchanged greetings and made polite chitchat.
