“Th-thank you, Mr. S-s-mith.” She waved him to a chair and then she sat. “What brings y-you here to-today?”
He leaned back and rested his foot on his bent knee. “The same thing as my last visit. I would like to escort you on a ride in the park, or to a tea shop, or the ice cream parlour.”
She looked at him with regret. “I am s-s-sorry, Mr. S-s-smith. But I must again r-r-refuse.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, linking his fingers together. “Why?”
“I d-d-don’t do well in p-p-public. I’m v-very sorry, but I w-would not want t-t-to embarrass you.” She hurried away before he could stop her.
“You would never embarrass me.” However, those words did not reach Lady Pamela, but unfortunately, they did the obnoxious doorman. Nick didn’t need him to come into the room to remind him where the front door was.
But he did anyway.
Pamela hugged Addie as she entered the Berkshire townhouse. She glanced down at the large bump under Addie’s dress. “Your stomach is growing, Addie.” She laughed and held her friend at arm’s length to study her pregnant form.
“I know. If I keep eating the way I’ve been eating, I will give birth to a cow.” Addie took her arm and led her to the drawing room.
“Lottie! I didn’t expect to see you h-here.” Pamela hurried across the room and hugged the new bride. “I haven’t seen you s-since your wedding.” Arms around each other, they sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
Pamela looked over at Lottie’s husband. “Good evening, Mr. Westbrooke.”
“Please, I hope we are passed the formal titles. Please call me Carter.” He bowed to Pamela and sat on the other side of his wife.
Addie watched them all with a bright smile. “I decided I wanted to have all my friends here for dinner tonight. I’ve been feeling sorry for myself since my condition keeps me close to home since my dear husband won’t let me out of his sight.” She settled on the settee next to her husband, Grayson who handed her a handkerchief. “I haven’t even been to my bookstore.”
He placed his arm around her shoulders and patted her hand as she dabbed at the corners of her eyes.
Grayson replenished the brandy glasses for him and Carter, then poured a small sherry that he brought over to Pamela. She took a sip of the sherry and closed her eyes. “This is very good.”
Noticing how cozy Carter and Lottie sat together, Pamela said, “Lottie, you look wonderful. Apparently, marriage agrees with you.”
Lottie glanced at Carter and blushed. Pamela grinned at Lottie’s reaction. Despite being the daughter of a courtesan, Lottie was one of the most pure and innocent women Pamela had ever known. But then, being raised in a private girls’ school in France probably had a lot to do with it.
Addie took a sip of her sherry and addressed Pamela. “We were considering inviting Mr. Smith to dinner tonight.”
Pamela froze and her heart thumped. “How odd. I d-didn’t know Grayson was friends with Mr. S-smith.” She tried her best, but the blush that started in her middle rose to cover her face.
Lottie and Addie exchanged amused glances. “They are friends, of a sort, but we thought perhaps you would enjoy having him attend.”
Pamela raised her chin. “I h-h-have no id-d-ea why you w-w-would th-th-think th-that.” She cursed herself for how broken her words were. Both her friends knew she stuttered more when anxious. Now they would assume Mr. Smith meant something to her.
He did not.
Not at all.
That is, if one discounted his full lips, always in a smile it seemed, wondering what it would feel like pressed up against her lips. She’d seen him exactly three times, once at the Assembly and twice at her boarding house. All three times she had rejected him.
She’d loved the feel of his arms around her when they danced and knew he was not the sort of man who sat behind a desk all day. Even the scent that emanated from him was strong and masculine. She did not wish to ruminate on why those things remained in her memory after only three encounters with the man.
“Are you referring to the Nick Smith who owns The Lions’ Den?” Grayson’s question interrupted her thoughts.
“The very same. We met him at an Assembly dance a couple of months ago. It was obvious he was taken with Pamela.”
She shook her head. “N-n-no.”
“Anyway, a short time after the dance I met Nick at our club. He tried, unsuccessfully, to pretend he wanted more information on Pamela because he’d never seen her before.”
“That part is true,” Lottie said.