"Do not concern yourself. I'm sure she will be back to rights this evening. We're all entitled to a moment or two of temper."
"I suppose," Penworth said, frowning at the door his sister had left through. "But I am interested in seeing what this rumored beauty Lady Sophie looks like. Let us hope she has a pleasant disposition as her face is said to be."
Albert smiled, but inside, his gut churned, hating the fact Victoria was angry and upset. That was not supposed to happen. He never wished for her to be so. "I think you shall be pleased, Penworth. Maybe it is not I who will marry first after all my schooling, but you."
Penworth chuckled, shaking his head. "She would have to be a rare gem to tempt me, but we shall see."
"That we shall," Albert agreed. "Tonight."
Chapter 24
Albert made sure to pay attention to their guests, especially Lady Sophie, whose beauty had caught him unawares. She had grown in height and beauty since he'd seen her last. Granted, she had been quite a distance from him when he had spied her.
Even so, Penworth continued to remain amusingly tongue-tied when around the woman. Which, if anything, made being near her entertaining. Not that he wanted the chit for himself. He was only talking to her more than he would normally because Victoria had asked him to.
Victoria stood beside her mother, watching his every word. He studied Victoria a moment, unable to make out if her visage was one of curiosity or displeasure.
He hoped it was the latter. That him talking to Lady Sophie, who next year would certainly be a success in London, vexed her. More the truth of the matter was that she found fault in his conversation and was working out how to correct him when they were alone.
"Are you looking forward to next season, Lady Sophie? I understand you're making your debut," Albert said, surprised by his confident tone. Mayhap Victoria's lessons were working in his favor.
"Not particularly. If you were in my shoes, Lord Melvin, would you care to be auctioned off to the highest bidder? I think not."
He bit his tongue, fighting to keep the laugh that wanted to bubble up and out of him.
Penworth wasn’t so successful in hiding his amusement at the lady's words. If Albert were a betting man he would lay blunt down that the duke's interest was piqued.
"I would not care for that, no. I suppose it is why I rarely go to town."
"Do you not?" The lady studied him a moment. "Well, I suppose it is because you're always too busy scribbling in that book of yours."
Albert choked on his drink, looking about to see who had heard Lady Sophie. Penworth narrowed his eyes, and with terribly bad timing, Lady Victoria joined them.
"You are all looking like a jolly fun party over here. What are we discussing?"
"We were discussing why Lord Melvin does not attend town. I merely mentioned the books he's always scribbling in."
"Really?" Victoria said, her tone interested. "And what book is that, Lord Melvin?"
He shrugged, not willing to tell anyone, certainly Penworth and Lady Sophie, what book he was always scribbling in. How on earth Lady Sophie would know to say such a thing was beyond him. Had his staff been talking about him around the village? He did not care for such things, if that was the case, and would put a stop to it immediately.
"Father tells me he often sees you riding out to your hunting lodge. He has called on you a time or two there, but you've always had your head down at your desk, scribbling away, and so he has not disturbed you. Our property line, you see," Lady Sophie explained to Victoria and Penworth, "is very close to Lord Melvin's hunting lodge. Father often rides the boundaries, and that is when he noticed you, my lord. Please do not think he is stalking you, for he is not." She chuckled, a tinkling laugh that grated on Albert's nerves.
"How interesting." Victoria watched him a moment before she said, "And what makes your father suspect that it is a book that his lordship is scribbling away in?"
Lady Sophie shrugged, her attention shifting to other parts of the room and showing she was losing interest in the conversation. "Oh, he is merely guessing. Was it a book, my lord? Or merely a letter?"
Albert cleared his throat. "A letter. I should be so clever to write a book."
Victoria thought over the words a moment before she said, "Lord Melvin, now that the other guests are busy playing cards, I thought we should have some music and dancing. I will play the pianoforte if you like and Josh may dance with Miss Eberhardt who looks a little lonely over by the fire."
They all turned to look at the miss, only to see her fiddling with the bodice of her gown.
Albert cleared his throat. "Of course. A lively tune, if you please, Lady Victoria."
She dipped into a curtsy, heading over to the pianoforte. He watched as Penworth followed his sister and discussed something before crossing the room and asking Miss Eberhardt to dance. The young woman looked a little star-struck at having been asked to dance by a duke.
They danced for several minutes to a reel, and Albert found it wasn't so bad to be sociable, take part in the conversation, and listen to people's lives. He so often was stuck in his own little world that it was hard to step away from the lives he created and live in the one gifted to him.
Albert caught sight of Victoria while she played the pianoforte, her straight back, her smile at the dancers as she played.
