She stared at him until he did so and was pleased to see the understanding there.
He’d brought her here because he needed her skills. They both knew it.
He cleared his throat. “Indeed, the young lady makes a valid point.”
Sally drew in a deep breath, but before she’d even exhaled, he changed his tune with an ingratiating smile aimed at Lady Gertrude and her daughter. “Of course, young ladies of London society would have no need of such skills. But for the daughter of a captain in this remote part of the country…” He gave his head a sad shake. “It can be no wonder that he’s taught his daughters to fend for themselves.”
There were murmurs of agreement as Sally focused on counting the number of candles in the candelabra lest she open her mouth to say something unforgivably rude.
It was not as though they were living as savages in the wild, now was it?
“Oh yes, that fort was…” The gentleman beside the earl gave a shudder. “It does your father credit that he chose to leave his position at sea for such a station as that.”
For the life of her, Sally could not make out whether the gentleman was insulting her father or complimenting him. The words said the latter but the churning vat of acid in her belly was certain it was the former.
A quick glance at her sister showed that she was just as bewildered.
She shifted closer to Rebecca, grateful in a whole new way that her sister had been so eager to join her on this trip. At least she was not totally alone.
“At last!” Sebastian’s voice rang out over the hushed voices and the whispers that Sally feared were at her expense. When she looked over she found him beaming at her and Rebecca as though they were long lost friends.
“Didn’t we just see him not one hour ago?” Rebecca asked in a whisper that held more than a hint of laughter.
Sally too had to clamp her lips shut to hold back a laugh. It was true. It had only been an hour since he’d left them to freshen up and put away their belongings.
“I was hoping to find you ladies down here,” he said. “Did I miss the introductions?”
Rebecca shot her an amused glance. He’d won Rebecca over before the carriage had even set out that morning. He’d put them both at ease as he’d filled their nervous silence with talk about the stables and the grounds, and the ball that was planned for the following week.
Coming to stand between them, he addressed the group of pursed-mouth gawkers with a grin. “I assume you’ve all had the great honor of meeting our skilled and talented guests?”
Sally looked past Sebastian to exchange a quick astonished look with Rebecca. She dared not look directly at the earl, though she could sense his displeasure from where she stood.
Sebastian seemed not to mind.
“I was not aware you were such dear friends with the Jones family.” Lady Gertrude’s expression was as unamused as the earl.
“Oh, indeed,” he said, turning to face Sally and then Rebecca with the warmest most welcoming smile she’d ever seen.
Sally’s heart did some sort of fluttery move within her chest that made her frown.
What on earth was that?
“I was just telling my brother how lucky we were to have Miss Sally join us.” His smile never wavered when he looked to his father, though Sally wasn’t sure how he did not flinch in the face of his father’s scowl. “There’s nothing as important to me and my brother as our father’s health.”
Sally watched him closely. She watched the two of them as some sort of silent exchange seemed to transpire. Whatever was being said was interrupted by the younger blonde, Miss Eversaw. “Has Lord Bardon returned then?” she asked.
Sally blinked at the sudden breathiness in the other woman’s voice.
“He has already left again, I’m afraid.” Sebastian’s smile turned rigid, though Sally suspected she was the only one to notice. “Urgent business in London, you know.”
Miss Eversaw pouted prettily and Sally tried not to look at Rebecca. She had no doubt that Rebecca would make her laugh until her sides hurt tonight at bedtime when she did a spot-on impression of that pout.
But laughter would have to wait. For now they were stuck in this perpetual nightmare of awkwardness and veiled insults.
“Miss Sally, Miss Rebecca, might I take you for a tour of the grounds?” Sebastian’s gaze met hers and it was knowing. So very knowing. Almost like he could read her thoughts.
The idea was disturbing, overall, but at this particular moment his words came as such a relief that she could do nothing but nod eagerly even as one of the young ladies protested that it was getting too late in the day, that the weather was too cold and so on and so forth.
Sally held Sebastian’s gaze and willed him to read her thoughts now.
Yes. Please. Let us escape!
Whether it was telepathy or just the intensity in her widened eyes, he seemed to get the message and deftly swatted away the protests with assurances that they would not be long and he would ensure their safety.
Sally held her breath until she and Rebecca were in the hallway with Sebastian and then she let it out with a sigh. “Thank you,” she said.
Sebastian laughed. “It takes some getting used to.”
Sally itched to know what precisely he was referring to but Rebecca started whispering loudly in her ear about the dresses and the manners and the hairstyles and...well, Sally stopped paying attention, focusing instead on Sebastian as he led them and their newly appointed maid out toward the back gardens.
“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Rebecca gushed.
And it was. It truly was. Despite the fact that the summer flowers had long since died, the layout of the grounds and the garden in the distance
