“I believe you attended the summer ball here at Croston Hall in his company, did you not?” There was something in his tone which suggested accusation, and Emmeline had to remember that she must keep her temper in check at all costs.
And yet, his impertinence had angered her. He spoke almost as if he in some way had control of her as if he had inherited her along with her family home.
“Yes, the Earl escorted my mother, Rose, and I to the ball, that is quite correct.” She could hear her clipped tone and knew that she would have to find a way to overcome her annoyance.
After all, things were not yet settled between her and Hunter Bentley, and with a little over four months left of their period of grace, Emmeline was not keen to spend it uncomfortably. There was something about her cousin which she would prefer not to provoke, even if she could not quite name it. Whatever it was, Emmeline was very aware of the fact that he could make life very difficult at Tarlton Manor for the next few months, especially if he decided to continually turn up in the county.
“Yes, I thought that was the case,” he went on.
“You are very well informed, cousin,” she said, wondering just who he had been speaking to.
“Yes, Mr Calloway mentioned it in passing when I called in last week.”
“You called in on Mr Calloway? Oh, how very pleasant.” Emmeline began to feel suspicious.
He had claimed earlier not to know that she, her mother, and sister had been due to attend the afternoon of bridge. But the invitation had been made very early the previous week, and so it was likely that her cousin had known very well that they would be attending.
If he had called in upon Mr Calloway, and presumably that was how he came by his own invite, then it would seem most unrealistic for the two men to have discussed the attendees of the summer ball and not those of the upcoming afternoon of bridge. Something about the lie concerned her, even more than it angered her. Why on earth would he not have said? And worse still, had he made his way back to the county and Tarlton Manor purely and simply so that he might attend the same bridge afternoon as her?
“Yes, he mentioned that there had been a ball and was most insistent that, had I been in the area at the time, I should have been extended an invitation. Still, I am pleased that at least you had an escort for the three of you.”
“In truth, Kent, we would have attended perfectly safely without an escort of any kind. As much as we miss my father, we are still determined to be out in the world and not hide away.”
“By which you mean that you do not need an escort?” There was an edge to his tone which she thought a little dangerous.
“I daresay if we always wait for an escort, Sir, we should never leave the house.” She smiled in what she hoped was an amusing and friendly manner, for she did not wish to be at odds with him, however much she did not like him.
“Quite so.” He laughed and seemed relieved himself that the moment of awkwardness had passed. “But I should like to offer my services anyway. For any occasion on which you, or any of your family, need assistance or should like to have the support of a man, you may rely on me entirely.”
“How very kind,” Emmeline said in a noncommittal way.
“For anything at all, any event or any matter of business that you would need to attend to and prefer to have a man present. You must always feel that you can rely on me, Emmeline. I should not like us to become strangers when your period of grace comes to an end. And if you are to look for new accommodation in the county, I would be very pleased to assist you.”
Emmeline was so angry that she could have struck him. How could the appalling man speak of friendship and then of turning them out of their home in one sentence as if the two things went hand-in-hand? Was he really so stupid, or was he blindingly insensitive? Either way, she did not trust herself to speak for some moments and, in the end, could do no more than give him a frozen smile and reach for her tea again.
As she sipped her tea, she looked up and could see that the Earl was looking over at them a little quizzically. When he saw her expression, he raised his eyebrows just a little, almost as if in silent inquiry. Had he really perceived her offence and annoyance from across the room?
“I had wondered if the Earl was going to escort you here today, cousin. But I see that he did not.” Kent Fitzgerald seemed intent on continuing to blunder down the wrong conversational road.
What was this obsession with the Earl?
“Had you really, cousin? After all, I thought you said that you had no idea that I would be attending today. Unless, of course, I misheard you when you climbed up into the carriage.” The fact that she had caught him out clearly made her feel more uncomfortable than it did him.
He did not seem at all embarrassed by it and simply laughed and shrugged in what might have passed, in a very different man, for a mischievous manner. In her cousin, it was simply disturbing.
“Ah, you have found me out.” He gave a very slow smile and narrowed his eyes as he held her gaze in a way which made her feel truly uncomfortable. “And so perhaps I ought to confess all to you. I had discovered from my dear friend Mr Calloway that you were going to attend today, and I was very pleased when he extended the invitation to me also. If I am honest, I have considered you a good deal in these last weeks and have been looking for opportunities to spend more time with you. You cannot blame a man for being a little underhand, can you?” He continued to smile at her and even leaned in towards her just a little.
“Well, how very kind of Mr Calloway to invite you,” she said almost mechanically as she straightened up and hoped that her tone would put Kent Fitzgerald off entirely.
And the idea that he had described Giles Calloway as his very good friend was laughable. He was even newer to the county than Mr Calloway and nowhere near as amiable. And what was more, he did not yet have a home to speak of, even if the entire county knew he very soon would.
“Yes, although I think we have already established that Mr Calloway is very kind with his invitations, have we not?” He continued to regard her in a most forward manner, so much so that she wanted to rise from her seat and walk away from him.
“Have we? Well, yes, I daresay we have.” She turned her head to look towards the bridge table in hopes of meeting the Earl’s gaze again.
“Emmeline, I think you are trying to divert me, are you not?” As Kent Fitzgerald whispered in her ear, she could feel his breath hot and invasive.
Chapter 13
Hunter leaned back in his chair and watched quietly as Algernon’s housekeeper and butler hurried in and out with covered platters of food. They worked quickly and in silence, and Hunter could smell all manner of wonderful aromas, each of which conspired to make his hungry stomach grumble all the louder.