“I would?” Miss Garrett asked, incredulous. She seemed to catch herself, stood a bit taller, then softened her posture, and said, “I would,” in a melodious voice.
Joseph burst into a smile. “Very lovely,” he said, feeling the heat in his face. “And I approve of your shift in posture as well.”
As soon as he said it, Miss Garrett’s posture slumped. “I was imitating her royal snootiness, Lady Margaret,” she said with a conspiratorial wink, then resumed the posture. “I think that she walks as though she has something unpleasant up her bum,” she said in the sweetest, most moderate voice Joseph had ever heard her use.
He wanted to laugh. He desperately wanted to laugh. His heart filled with such joy—even though Miss Garrett was mocking Lady Margaret, which was not ladylike—that he thought it might lift him off the ground. Miss Garrett was magnificent in ways he had only begun to discover. It had to be the adjustments she was making, thanks to his guidance.
“Very good,” he said with an imperious nod, again imitating his father. “Now, let me just see if there is something I can do to improve your overall appearance.”
Keeping her regal posture, Miss Garrett arched one eyebrow. “Is there something amiss with my appearance?”
Joseph noted that she’d adjusted her vocabulary as well as her manner of speech, but he was more interested in studying the lines of her body, the way her gown and coat fit her snugly, and the healthy glow that kissed her cheeks…just as he would like to kiss them.
He caught himself staring a bit too long at her lips, then blinked and lifted his gaze higher, to her hat.
“Perhaps a bit fewer feathers,” he said, stepping closer to her and shifting to the side so that he could pluck a few of the fluttering bits of color from her hat.
The movement brought him into very close proximity with her. He could smell the fresh, flowery scent of her perfume and the tempting salt of her skin. With his arms raised to her hat, he was so close to embracing her that his body begged him to do it. And when she turned her head with a curious look to see what he was doing, it brought their mouths to within inches of each other.
He'd never kissed a woman before. He’d wanted to a few times, but his father’s admonitions and fear for his immortal soul had stopped him. He wondered in that instant if Miss Garrett had ever kissed anyone. It was likely she had, since she came from the wilds of America, and because she was so beautiful that he couldn’t imagine her not being kissed. Twin pulses of desire and sadness worked their way through him. He wanted her, but she would probably laugh at him for being an inexperienced boob. The trouble with inexperience past a certain age, though, was that it hampered one from gaining the experience that was necessary for change.
“Is there something more than feathers you’d like from me, Joseph?” Miss Garrett asked in a low, honeyed voice.
Joseph sucked in a breath, realizing he’d remained too close to her for too long.
“No, no,” he muttered, embarrassed and distracted as he took a large step back, three of the feathers that had been in her hat in his hand. “I…that is, I couldn’t…I mean, I don’t know….” He sighed at himself, tucked her feathers into the inside pocket of his coat, and said, “I think you look perfect just the way you are.”
He didn’t expect his comment to bring such a charming blush to Miss Garrett’s face, or to make her eyes sparkle so much. “Thank you, Joseph,” she said with the softness and manners he had suggested to her earlier. “You are a true gentleman. Do you think we should promenade about the racetrack before the races begin?”
Joseph blinked, then remembered that the entire purpose of reforming and making over Miss Garrett’s appearance and mannerisms was to impress the Duchess of Westminster into issuing Miss Garrett an invitation to her ball. Not for him to stand there gawping at her, as he seemed inclined to do.
He cleared his throat, then offered his arm. “Yes, let’s take a turn about the track.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d been seen in public with Miss Garrett. It had been impossible to avoid being seen with her of late, since she seemed to have already decided they were engaged. So there were no looks of surprise as they emerged from the corner of the seating area and started to meander through the increasingly populated area. In fact, the people who did glance their way and acknowledge them with nods or smiles seemed to take it as a given that they were together.
Joseph wasn’t certain how he felt about that. Or rather, his heart and mind and body seemed to know, based on the sensations he felt with every smile or nod, but he had yet to make sense of any of it.
What pleased him even more were the looks that other members of the aristocracy gave Miss Garrett as their promenade continued.
“Mr. Rathborne-Paxton.” They were stopped by an elderly Lady Grayson and her mousy companion as they reached the far edge of the finer seating section. “Who is this lovely young woman with you?”
Joseph’s heart leapt, and he smiled a little more broadly than he should have at Lady Grayson. This was a perfect opportunity for Miss Garrett to make a positive impression on an important member of the aristocracy.
“Lady Grayson, have you met Miss Ellen Garrett?” he made the introduction in his most authoritative voice, standing tall and presenting Miss Garrett as though she were a surprise.
“Miss Garrett?” Lady Grayson inched closer and squinted, reminding Joseph that the viscountess was reported to have very poor eyesight. “Not that garish American chit I’ve heard so much gossip about,” she added.
Joseph caught the wobble in Miss Garrett’s expression and leapt in to defend her.
“I’m afraid you may have been given misleading information, my lady,” he said, shifting a hand to the small of Miss Garrett’s back so that he could show his faith in her. “Miss Garrett is a pure delight.” He paused, then said, “Miss Garrett, may I introduce you to Lady Grayson, the Viscountess of Haverford?”
“How do you do, my lady,” Miss Garrett said, executing the most perfect curtsy Joseph had ever seen.
“Oh!” Lady Grayson straightened in surprise, smiling. “I do quite well, my dear.”
“Are you enjoying this fine weather, my lady?” Miss Garrett asked. Joseph was proud of her initiative and the way she took to the lessons they’d discussed so easily.
“It is rather fine for October, isn’t it, McKenzie?” Lady Grayson turned to her companion.