“Wonderful. Thank you, Lieutenant. So nice to see you again.”
Phoebe looked as though she was going to throttle someone if they didn’t clue her into what was going on. Greg bit back a smile. He probably shouldn’t have enjoyed her frustration so much, but he wasn’t a hero of mythical proportions, and Phoebe had annoyed the devil out of him over the last few weeks. Turn about was fair play. But he couldn’t hold his sister-in-law off forever. “Mrs. Avery, this is Lady Arabella Winslett.”
“A pleasure,” Bella said softly.
“Yes, so nice to meet you.” Phoebe flashed another questioning expression at Greg, then her brow furrowed further. “Arabella Winslett? Why does that sound so familiar?”
“We have a friend in common,” Bella replied. “Felicity Pierce.”
Light dawned in Phoebe’s eyes and then a genuine smile spread across her face. “Yes! Lissy. That is where I know you from. A shame she’s been called to Derbyshire, isn’t it?”
“She’s been called to Derbyshire?” Bella frowned slightly.
“Safer for her there than here,” Tristan muttered under his breath, but they all heard him.
Bella trained her gaze on Greg’s brother. “Safer?”
A look of chagrin settled on Tristan’s face. “Apologies. I shouldn’t have said that.”
But his words didn’t seem to put Bella at ease in the least and her frown deepened. “What did you mean? Is Lissy unsafe?”
“Pay him no mind.” Phoebe heaved a sigh. “He means she’ll be safer from Lord Haversham at Prestwick Chase than she would be here in Town.”
“The degenerate,” Tristan added.
“Regardless.” Phoebe tipped her nose slightly in the air. “I feel confident Lissy can take care of herself whether she’s in London or in Derbyshire…and is in no need of assistance from any particular politicians in that regard.”
A ghost of a smile lit Tristan’s lips. “Very likely,” he agreed. “However, I do like the way Carraway dealt with that particular problem, so I hope he doesn’t change his tactics.”
Greg grunted in agreement. If the politician decided to blacken Haversham’s other eye, he would find the entire thing rather fitting.
“My favorite moment of the entire season thus far,” Tristan added with a grin.
Phoebe rolled her eyes. “Interesting, the two of you never seem to say such things whenever Cordie is within earshot. You wait until I’m outnumbered.”
“Poor Phoebe.”
“Where is Cordie?” Greg asked. His sister was the one who had put this little betrothal plot together, after all.
“She was whispering something in Kelfield’s ear a while ago,” Phoebe replied. “The whole thing seemed very mysterious, to be honest.”
“Speaking of degenerates,” Tristan mumbled.
Greg bit back a smile as Phoebe playfully smacked her husband’s chest. “Do not start. Livvie is perfectly happy with him, Tristan Avery.”
“Doesn’t mean he’s not a degenerate.”
“You are in the man’s house.”
“Out of my childhood loyalty to his wife.”
As in love as Phoebe and Tristan were, the two of them could argue until they were both blue in the face. Greg suspected their bickering only served to heighten their passion in the bedchambers. But he wasn’t keen to hear another round of their quarreling and was relieved when the first chords of a waltz began. Finally, he and Bella could escape his relations.
“Ah.” He squeezed her hand. “Our dance, I believe.”
Chapter 10
Athrill racedthrough Bella at the thought of waltzing with Greg. She’d never been one for dancing. In fact, she’d been quite content the previous season, hiding behind the potted palms to watch the revelry on the dance floor, thriving on the energy that filled the ballrooms of London. But now…now she would dance in Greg’s arms and her heart flitted a bit.