“Do you know who these people are?” Lady Edith asked suddenly, her gaze still fixed out the window. “The ones just now arriving?”
For a moment, Jasper was uncertain who she was speaking to, but he stepped forward, nevertheless, his large strides quickly eating up the last bit of distance between them. He came to stand beside her, forcing his gaze from her lovely features to the people arriving outside the window. “I believe these are Lady Cumberton’s Scottish relatives.”
A soft sound of surprise left Lady Edith’s lips before she finally turned to look upon him. Her blue eyes were wide and deep and utterly compelling, momentarily making Jasper forget everything around him. “Are you all right?” she asked with a slight chuckle, the smile upon her face genuine despite the teasing note to her voice. “You look rather as though you’ve seen a ghost.”
Jasper smiled. “Perhaps that is an accurate description.” Indeed, she did not seem from this world at all.
“Is that so?” she inquired with a raised brow. “Are there rattling chains attached to my leg that I am unaware of?”
Shaking his head, Jasper laughed. “Not that I can see,” he finally said as his gaze swept over her once more, trying to take in every little detail about her.
“Scots, you say,” Lady Edith remarked, casting another look out the window where a group of men dismounted, handing their horses off to stable boys. “I must admit, I am rather surprised.”
Jasper nodded, taking another step closer to the window…and to her. “Well, Lady Cumberton is originally from Scotland, and as I understand it, she invited her relatives to join in the festivities to try and mend the rift between England and Scotland. I believe her clan is called MacKinnear.”
A warm smile came to Lady Edith’s face as she slowly turned her gaze from the window to him. “That is a noble gesture,” she whispered almost reverently. “I will be pleased to make their acquaintance.”
Jasper could not help the frown that came to his face. “You will?” To his surprise, he noted a hint of displeasure in his voice.
Her smile broadened. “You won’t? Is the idea of meeting people from a faraway place not appealing to you? Do you not also long for adventure and something that might…disrupt the monotony of everyday life?”
Jasper exhaled audibly, surprised how deeply the thought of her showing interest in another unsettled him. How had he suddenly come to think of her as his in the span of only a few hours? She was a mystery to him, and no matter how long or intently he looked at her, he could not quite decipher what made her so.
A soft chuckle drifted from her lips. “Is something wrong? Do I have a smudge of dirt on my face?”
Still staring, Jasper merely shook his head, a voice deep down urging him to rein in these musings and finally focus on the moment at hand. Yet he could not bring himself to look away. She was utterly compelling, and the smile that teased her lips drew his attention in an almost magnetic way.
Lady Edith laughed, as though she had read his thoughts. “Because, quite frankly, you’re staring at me.”
Closing his eyes, Jasper bowed his head. “I’ve been told this all day,” he murmured, remembering Andrew’s comments.
“All day?” Lady Edith inquired, taking a step closer, a flash of curiosity upon her face. “By whom? And why?”
Jasper grinned, delighted with her direct manner. Perhaps he should simply… “You lied,” he remarked, holding her gaze, his own brows arching upward in question.
Lady Edith’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and yet nothing dark came to her face. Neither suspicion nor defensiveness. “I lied? Pray tell, what did I lie about?”
“You never felt faint, did you?” he demanded, leaning closer, his eyes searching hers. “And you most certainly did not need smelling salts, is that not so?”
Like a governess chiding her charge, Lady Edith shook her head at him, clucking her tongue in an utterly adorable way. “Does that mean you were eavesdropping, my lord? That is truly unbecoming of a gentleman. Do you not know that?”
Jasper grinned. “Why did you do it?” Slowly, his smile dimmed as her features transformed.
All lightheartedness vanished, replaced by a most serious expression as she regarded him carefully. All of a sudden, she seemed wiser than her age, something deeply thoughtful and even burdensome lingering in her blue eyes. “One should always help when one can, do you not agree, Lord Whickerton?”
Swallowing, Jasper felt himself nod. “Honestly, I never thought about it much. To my great shame,” he added, running a hand through his hair as her eyes continued to look at him in that way of hers, seeing more than he would want to reveal. “But I shall from now on.”
Again, a smile tugged upon the corners of her mouth, and Jasper exhaled. “I am delighted to hear it. Now, if you will excuse me?” She made to step away, but Jasper held out a hand to stop her.
“Can I see you again?” he asked almost desperately, such a pleading tone in his voice that surprised even him.
Lady Edith’s smile changed. It became teasing and daring, matching the mischievous spark that briefly lit up her eyes. “I suppose you could try,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug. “However, I expect to be rather busy the next few days.” Casting him another challenging look, she spun upon her heel and walked away.
Staring after her, Jasper drew in a deep breath, surprised to feel a little lightheaded. Perhapshewas going to need smelling salts! He chuckled at the thought. Indeed, Lady Edith had a way of upending his world, and he rather like that.
He rather likedher.
Then he frowned. She would be rather busy? With what? Indeed, something had been on her mind. He had seen it. She had looked thoughtful, contemplative. But what? Clearly, she was up to something…if only he knew what that was.