Lady Lila had her hands, both of them, around Neal’s arm, and her father appeared very happy.
The Montvales stormed up the stairs past Thea without so much as a passing glance.
Plastering a smile to her face, Thea greeted those in the hallway. “I take it you enjoyed yourselves?” Thea asked.
“I believe we did,” Neal answered. “How is Lady Sophie?”
Thea’s smile grew tighter. “She might be joining us for dinner.”
“That’s wonderful,” Lady Lila said with a sweetness that had to have been false. There was nothing “sweet” about her at all. In fact, Thea had chosen her for her callousness.
Lord Corkindale came up to their group. “That was an excellent adventure. I’m ready for my supper now.”
Mrs. Pomfrey came up beside Thea. “The ruins were nothing special,” she said dismissively and then turned to Lady Lila. “I hope that chafing on your cheeks improves. The sun can be so harsh on a lady’s skin.”
“My cheeks aren’t chafed,” Lady Lila countered.
“If you weremydaughter,” Mrs. Pomfrey said,putting a motherly tone behind her words, “I would advise you to run upstairs quickly and have your maid rub cream in them without delay.”
“Nonsense,” Lord Corkindale answered, growing blustery. “My daughter is the picture of health. Ruddy cheeks is good on a girl.”
“Ruddy?” Lady Lila repeated.
“I mean you have some good color to your face,” her father tried to explain, but the damage had been done, and Mrs. Pomfrey didn’t hesitate to capitalize on it.
“Well, if you were my daughter ...” She let her voice drift with the obvious implication.
Lady Lila pretended to shrug off the suggestion, but a beat later said, “I really should go upstairs and dress for dinner.” She turned to Lord Lyon, gave him a dreamy smile. “Thank you for your help this afternoon, my lord. I am in your debt.” Honey dripped from every syllable.
“It was nothing, my lady,” Neal said. She smiled at him again and went upstairs, the sway of her hips a beckoning call—and Thea had an irrational urge to charge right up behind her, grab her arm and give her a shake.
“Harumph,” Mrs. Pomfrey said as if echoing Thea’s sentiments.
With the exit of his daughter, Lord Corkindale’sattention turned to a more important matter. “I say,” he said, addressing Osgood, “where might I find a healthy draft of something to wet my palate?”
“Where is Miss Susanne?” Thea asked, just realizing Mrs. Pomfrey was without the rest of her family.
Mrs. Pomfrey’s lips pursed in disapproval. “She and my husband are coming.” She forced a smile. “You will wait for her, won’t you, my lord?”
Before Lyon could answer, the door opened and Mr. Pomfrey entered, followed by his daughter and Sir James, who were both chatting in an animated way. In fact, Sir James was looking years younger, and Miss Susanne’s face glowed with the most becoming flush.
Mr. Pomfrey’s eyes met his wife’s with a resigned look. He’d obviously failed at an assigned task, which, Thea assumed, had been to nip a budding romance. Her assumption was affirmed when Mrs. Pomfrey took charge. “Susanne, you need to dress for dinner.”
Miss Susanne didn’t take her eyes off Sir James when she said, “Actually, I’m not ready to dress yet, Mother. It is such a lovely day, and Sir James and I thought we’d take a turn around Lady Palmer’s garden.”
“Isuggestyou dress for dinner” was her mother’s reply.
“I will,” Miss Susanne said, already starting down the hall with Sir James.
The lawyer threw over his shoulder, “I shall see that she returns with plenty of time to dress for dinner.”
“Well.”Mrs. Pomfrey’s exclamation seemed to hover in the air, but only Thea and Lyon heard it. Mr. Pomfrey had caught wind of Lord Corkindale’s interest in a good dram or bottle of wine. The two were already walking toward the sitting room, where Osgood promised to bring them two glasses and a sampling from the late Lord Palmer’s highly respectable liquor cabinet.
Mrs. Pomfrey stood puzzled a moment and then retreated. “I believe I’ll dress for dinner,” she announced. “If you will excuse me?” She didn’t wait for permission from Thea or Lyon but went up the stairs as fast as she could.
Thea turned to Neal. “It appears Mrs. Pomfreyhasfound a match for her daughter.”
“And she can’t ask for anyone better than James. He’s one of the finest men I know and is besotted. I’ve never seen him this way around a woman. It was a marvel to watch romance bloom. The rest ofus could have just as well not been there for all the attention they paid us.”