‘We are honoured, Your Grace,’ Amy said, with a smile almost as charming as her sister’s.
‘It is I who am honoured,’ John said, looking from one to the other. Then he looked back to Ben in an incredulous aside. ‘This is your fiancée?’
‘Try not to sound so surprised,’ he said, smiling. ‘But indeed, I have been very fortunate.’
‘We just met,’ announced Belle. ‘But now we are engaged.’
Inserting the unvarnished truth into a polite conversation was always a hazardous thing. This one brought the exchange to a dead halt.
It took only a moment for Amy to recover, and give the John another one of her brightest smiles. ‘We consider ourselves fortunate as well, Your Grace. Mr Lovell is quite well known and well thought of. He does credit to your—’
He could tell by the panicked look in her eye that she had been about to say family before she remembered that the common rumour that they were brothers was both rude and untrue. It took less than an eye blink, for her to finish with ‘—patronage.’
John had not noticed the hesitation. He had been too busy staring at the gold light in her eye that so fascinated Ben. Proof that the boy had excellent taste in women. Then he pulled himself free of her influence long enough to answer, ‘I have known Ben my whole life. I consider myself just as fortunate to have his counsel.’
They were headed towards the usual awkward pause, as Amy realised that she could think of no conversational topic worthy of a peer. It was a shame. Though John longed for ordinary human interaction, he had already learned that a few moments of Cottsmoor was all the average person could stand.
For a moment, he shifted from foot to foot, displaying a child’s eagerness to hold the attention of adults. Then he steadied himself and the Duke reappeared. ‘We must talk further, this evening,’ he said, with a surprisingly adult smile. ‘I look forward to dancing with you both, since, clearly, you will be the loveliest ladies present. And now, if you will excuse me?’
‘Of course, Your Grace,’ Ben said. And, after a brief exchange of bows and curtsies, he was gone.
*
If and when she ever got Benjamin Lovell alone, Amy would give him her opinion on surprise visits from the peerage. It had not been the most mortifying conversation of her life, but it had been one of the most difficult.
When the boy was properly out of earshot, she turned and pulled her sister aside for a whispered scolding. ‘Belle, in the future, you must not speak so candidly about the circumstances of your engagement, especially not in the presence of Mr Lovell’s friends.’ By the innocent expression on her sister’s face, there had been no malice intended. But that did not make it right.
‘It was the truth,’ Belle said, quite reasonably. ‘Miss Watson says we should tell the truth and shame the devil.’
‘In this case, telling the truth shames Mr Lovell.’ Of course, when they were alone together, he was the devil. It made Belle’s logic irrefutable.
‘You did not shame me,’ he said softly from behind them, making Amy cringe in embarrassment.
‘You were not supposed to hear that,’ she said. She’d assumed there was enough distance between them for her comments to pass unnoticed.
He gave her an innocent smile. ‘As I said before, the acoustics in the ballroom are excellent.’ Then he looked to Belle. ‘Do not concern yourself. Cottsmoor found you both quite charming.’
‘He was a nice boy,’ Belle agreed.
‘But in the future, you must remember that he is a very important man,’ Amy reminded her.
‘And, since he is male, he is just as susceptible to your charms as the rest of us,’ Ben said, with a tone of finality. ‘Do not trouble yourself, Amy. If you smile at him, he will forgive you anything.’
If Belle knew nothing else, it was how to smile on command. To end the conversation she did exactly that. Ben smiled back at her and held out his arm. ‘Let us continue our tour.’
Now that she had seen most of it, it was apparent that her initial assessment had been accurate. The house was perfect. Annoyingly so. Just like its owner. It was also impossible for Belle to manage without help, just as its owner would be.
It was a shame that looks were not enough, for they made the most handsome couple imaginable, walking arm in arm, in front of her. And Ben was doing his best to be the man who was required. He was solicitous of her sister, trying to interest her in the many advantages to the place and tempting her with jam tarts and dancing. He even pointed out a window seat in the library that would be a perfect spot for Mellie to nap.