Almost as if his thoughts of her had summoned her, a voice sounded from the open doorway, "And what a lucky man you are to have a wife who is willing to allow you to do such things for an entire week."
Thomas might have cringed at her judgmental tone if not for her affectionate gaze upon her husband. Though he had seen them together only before they had married safe for their wedding, due to their time away on honeymoon, Thomas could at least admit that their relationship seemed not to have changed. They jested and poked at each other constantly but with affection, speaking words that might have offended a partner who felt less secure in their marriage.
For just a moment, jealousy seeped into Thomas. It clawed at his stomach and threatened to take a hold, never letting go until it managed to get what it truly desired. But Thomas quickly shoved it away, reminding himself once more that he'd never had any desire to marry.I shall just have to handle my affairs alone,he realised, knowing that Owen's advice was entirely unhelpful to him.
"Are our guests all tucked in bed?" Owen asked even as Nancy crossed the room and leaned down to press her lips to her husband's cheek before taking a seat in the second armchair beside him.
"All but one," Nancy announced, turning her blue eyes upon Thomas. Even in the dim light of the parlour, the only source the fireplace, her eyes blazed an icy blue and she looked more than a little inquisitive as she added, "And I am glad to find it so, as I have a need to speak with you, Lord Warrington."
Though she sounded quite polite, Thomas instantly disliked the undertone of her voice, and his hackles began to rise, knowing that he was certain to dislike whatever she wanted to speak to him about.
"I am at your mercy, Lady Kendall. You are, after all, the hostess this week," Thomas pointed out, forcing himself to be as polite as possible. Though he was well aware of her reasons for hosting this week-long event, neither she nor her husband were aware that he knew and he would not go to bed on a bad note, especially on the first night.
I may be angry, but I am not rude,Thomas reminded himself, knowing that he could not show his offense toward his friend's new wife without causing a disruption in the harmony that had befallen them so far. He would not be the one to test his friend's marriage, at least not until he had gotten the full measure of the woman he was married to.
For the most part, he had quite liked her before their marriage, even believing her to be good for Owen. And yet that was before he had come to know she was just like all the other married women of the Ton, desperate to make matches for all her family and friends due to her own newfound connection amongst their ranks.
I only have Miss Skeffington's word for it,he reminded himself, and from that he could not bring himself to condemn Lady Kendall entirely. After all, he knew Miss Skeffington very little, in fact, not at all. A small voice whispered,but I fear I should like to.
Almost as if she were praying upon his innermost private thoughts, Nancy smiled at him and said, "I saw that you were having quite the animated conversation with my dear friend Alice this evening. The two of you appeared to be quite enjoying yourselves."
Thomas could not help but scoff at that, biting back laughter the moment he saw Nancy's expression twisting, her eyes darkening with distaste.
"Is something funny, my lord?" Nancy asked, her hands were laid upon her lap quite calmly, but Thomas could see from the sudden tension in her shoulders that she did not appreciate being laughed at. Thomas noticed the way that Owen raised an eyebrow at him, obviously warning him to tread carefully when it came to his wife.
Sucking in breath, Thomas plucked up the courage to face her head on. Nancy was not the first overbearing woman who had taken it upon herself to try and set him up with their close friend and he was certain that she would not be the last.
"I am not sure I would say that we really enjoyed our conversation," Thomas stated delicately, trying not to say anything that would upset Nancy while also trying not to fall into her trap. "Miss Skeffington was quite outspoken and I believe she thought me rude." He shrugged then in an attempt to look nonchalant.
Remembering Miss Skeffington's flushed cheeks and the way her jaw and shoulders had tensed, Thomas had to bite back laughter once more. Though he felt slightly guilty for having made the woman uncomfortable, he could not get past the fact that he had been invited under false pretenses. He began to say, "Lady Kendall, I appreciate that you…"
But Owen cut him off before he was able to tell the woman that he had no interest in playing a part in her matchmaking schemes. The lord turned to his wife and gently reminded her, "My love, I thought we had agreed that Thomas was to be my guest this week? To keep me entertained and out of your way while you help your friend."
Thomas eased slightly at his friend's words, not only because he felt as though he had been taken off the hook but also because he was relieved to know that his friend had not invited him here at the behest of his wife to satisfy her schemes.
"Yes, I am well aware of the plans we made, dear," Nancy responded with a curt nod and Thomas watched as she played with a loose thread on her dress. Clearly, there was more that she wanted to say but she watched her own work for several moments, swiveling the thread between thumb and forefinger before she spoke again, "But that was before I saw the way that the two of them were together."
Thomas' stomach clenched at that, utterly unable to imagine how anyone could have seen his conversation with Miss Skeffington as anything more than it was, a total disaster. If he closed his eyes now, he could still see the tension in the woman's face and the flush to her cheeks that suggested she was most uncomfortable with how he had berated the other gentlemen that Nancy had invited along for the week.
Even now as he thought about how his comment had made her uncomfortable, he stood by it. Nancy had picked the slimmest of pickings he had ever seen, and he could not imagine a young lady like Miss Skeffington with a single one of them.
You do not know her!he scolded himself, remembering once more that it was not his place nor his responsibility to even think on such matters. He was certain that between her, her friend, and her parents, she was more than capable of finding an adequate match. Yet a small voice in the back of his mind whispered,She deserves more than just adequacy.
"Lady Kendall, I do believe you are quite mistaken," Thomas said, hoping that he sounded more certain than he felt. Something about this entire night had unnerved him and he could not quite put his finger upon it.
"Yes, my love, you are," Owen added and Thomas offered him a grateful look, almost wishing that he could take it back when his close friend added, "After all, Thomas is already courting, remember?"
Nancy obviously sensed the sudden tension in Thomas because she glanced at him before she turned back to her husband and nodded. "Oh, yes, how could I have possibly forgotten?"
There was a sly and mischievous expression floating just beneath the surface of her smile as she turned to Thomas and added, "You must forgive my memory, Lord Warrington. I have been quite preoccupied with the planning of the festivities and seem to have lost my head. How are you fairing with your courtship?"
Thomas had to bite the inside of his lip to stop from insisting that he was doing nothing of the sort. Though to the outsider it may have looked like such a thing and for the most part Thomas was happy for people to see it that way, he did not like to hear it said.
He had never likened the idea of courting for it led to promises and promises led to marriage. He cringed at the mere idea of it and had to stifle the entire thing before breathing in to prepare himself to respond.
"It is nothing serious," he responded with a shrug, "though I would not like to upset the lady."
"Lord Warrington, are you being modest? You really must not," Nancy scolded, clucking her tongue against her teeth, "We are all friends here, are we not?"