Chapter 11 #2
I glanced up at the window Colin had been spying through, but it was empty now.
What was wrong with me? I wasn’t actually feeling sorry for Colin, was I?
I pushed aside my sympathy as if it were a deadly snake.
This was the man who was forcing me to impersonate him in order to repay a debt while he watched and entertained himself.
He didn’t deserve a shred of compassion from me for having too much money.
“Being rich is not a burden.” I sat up straighter and clapped three times. “I find it quite enjoyable most of the time.” Miss Sharp jumped a little at my sudden clapping, eyes rounding in surprise. I looked toward the back door. As we had rehearsed, a footman emerged with a silver dish.
When he reached the edge of the rug, he lowered the tray until it rested in front of Miss Sharp. The vanilla and orange ices were melting slightly, but still held their shape. I had never tried them before, but Colin’s cook was experienced in making luxurious desserts for his own enjoyment.
Miss Sharp released a quiet gasp. “I have always wished to know what these taste like!”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “You said they were your favorite.”
She shifted to catch a better look at the tray, leaning closer to the white and pale orange scoops of frozen cream. “I have not tried these particular flavors before,” she corrected.
“I see.” I couldn’t help but smile as she examined the ices as if they were a scientific discovery. I was fairly certain that she was aware that her ruse was implausible at this point, but she seemed determined to continue.
Finally, she sat back with a lifted chin. “It is not pineapple, but I suppose it will suffice.”
I shook my head in exasperation as I handed her a spoon, and her lips tugged upward in a grin.
She took a spoonful of the orange first, her eyes rounding the moment the spoon entered her mouth.
My gaze froze on the delight in her expression.
I never would have expected to see such a pure reaction from her, and I found it far too endearing.
“What do you think?” The question was rather unnecessary, but she answered anyway.
“It is tolerable,” she said in a faint voice, taking a spoonful of the vanilla next.
“You are impossible to please,” I grumbled with a laugh.
A laugh escaped her mouth as well, and I was too surprised to speak again.
The cold, critical act she had been putting on melted away for a moment as she savored each bite of the ice cream.
She would want Colin’s fortune even more now that she knew what sort of desserts she could enjoy on a common spring afternoon.
“Aunt Julia, you must taste this.” With alarming speed, she stood, carrying another spoonful across the gravel path toward her aunt, who watched longingly from her bench. Her aunt had a similar reaction to the dessert, though it wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as Miss Sharp’s.
She returned to the rug with her spoon, taking a few more bites.
“Tolerable?” I questioned.
She sighed in surrender. “I daresay it is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten.”
A drip of cream had escaped the edge of the spoon, hovering on her chin like a raindrop.
Without thinking, I reached forward, wiping it away with my thumb.
My fingertip grazed the edge of her lower lip, which had been by design, of course.
They were very lovely lips. Her eyes met mine, and once again, my stomach flipped like a stranded fish. What on earth was that about?
I lowered my hand, ignoring the elevated rate of my pulse.
I had never encountered a set of eyes that could puncture me like hers.
I felt like I had been wounded, lying vulnerable under her gaze.
She stared at me in surprise, the spoon still hovering close to her mouth.
For a moment, I wondered if she had somehow discovered that I wasn’t Colin.
The slight differences in our faces were noticeable to me, but had Miss Sharp caught them?
Without knowing that Colin had a twin, how could she?
I searched for something to say, but my mind was suddenly blank. I had been trying to charm Miss Sharp by touching her face, not the other way around.
A shriek came from across the garden, and my gaze flew up in time to see Mrs. Cresswell lunging away from the bench as if the very entrance to Hades’s domain had opened up beneath it. She bustled forward with another high-pitched shriek, swatting at the air around her head.
I jumped to my feet, nearly tripping on the tray of ice cream.
Miss Sharp stood lazily, an amused smile on her lips. “A bee, I imagine.”
Her aunt pressed a hand to her heaving chest, searching the air frantically. “Oh, forgive me.” Mrs. Cresswell exhaled shakily. “Something flew past my ear. Judging by the pitch of the buzzing sound, I suspect it was a honeybee.”
Miss Sharp brushed past me, stopping just in front of her aunt. “I told you they mean no harm.”
“How on earth would you know that?” Mrs. Cresswell asked with a shrill laugh. “I do not trust them at all.”
“They are only after the pollen behind you.” Miss Sharp leaned close to one of the roses.
As I approached, I saw a small bee crawling across the petals.
To my surprise, Miss Sharp nudged a bent finger into the petals, allowing the bee to crawl across it.
She moved her hand, lifting the bee gently away from the flower.
It continued to crawl across her skin. She lifted it close to her face.
“Look how beautiful she is. And entirely harmless.”
Her aunt watched with obvious misgiving, keeping at least two yards between herself and Miss Sharp. “Put her back this instant. She could very well sting you.”
“She will die if she stings me.” Miss Sharp’s dark brows drew together. “Why would she choose to do that?” With complete confidence, she lowered her hand back to the rose, allowing the bee to crawl back onto the petal as if she had done so hundreds of times.
I stood back in shock. I had never met a young lady who would willingly touch insects, especially one who claimed to have such elegant taste.
What else was she hiding?
Mrs. Cresswell shrieked again when a stray bee flew past her head.
Her niece’s reassurances didn’t seem to have taken effect.
“P-perhaps we should return home. We would not wish to take advantage of your hospitality, Mr. Campbell.” Mrs. Cresswell ducked abruptly, though she seemed now to be imagining things. Her face was flushed.
I exchanged a glance with Miss Sharp. She seemed to be barely containing her laughter at her aunt’s reaction to the imaginary bees. She smiled in my direction from behind her aunt’s shoulder.
I smiled back.
As if she had done so by mistake, she quickly erased the expression and looked down at the grass.
When she looked up again, her features were as smooth and cold as the vanilla ice.
“Yes, we must be going. Thank you, Mr. Campbell, for a diverting afternoon.” She curtsied, taking her aunt gently by the arm.
“If you swat at them, they might mistake you for a threat. And then they actually might sting you.”
Mrs. Cresswell lowered her hands, hunching her shoulders and dropping her head as I led the two women through the house and out the front door.
I stood in the doorframe, watching Miss Sharp’s back as she walked down the cobblestone street away from the Circus.
My chest buzzed with intrigue, but I pushed the feeling away, forcing myself back inside the house.
I closed the door firmly on the image of that confusing woman.
Her gentle touch with the bee did not match the harsh scowls and words she often employed.
I had only been in her company for a short time, yet I found myself eager for more.
I turned away from the door and started toward the stairs, unsettled by my own thoughts. I glared at my feet as I walked. My brother deserved a scolding for nearly being caught watching from the window. I reached his bedchamber and tugged open the door.
“Would you care to knock?” Colin whirled around in the chair by his writing desk.
“Would you care to be more discreet?” I strode across the room, parting the curtains and looking down at the garden below. The picnic rug was in clear view as the servants carried the food and drinks back inside the house. “Miss Sharp saw you.”
Colin shook his head. “She did not. I closed the curtains quickly enough. I had to ensure you were representing me well.”
“And what was your assessment?”
“You might try smiling less. You looked far too giddy.”
“Giddy?” I exclaimed in disbelief.
“You seemed to be enjoying yourself.”
“I was not.” My voice was firm. “You underestimate my acting abilities. I would like Miss Sharp to believe I actually enjoy her company. I can’t look like I’m being suffocated by my cravat all afternoon.”
Colin smirked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. “I have received an invitation to a dinner party later this week. I believe there will be parlor games and dancing, and if I am not mistaken, Miss Sharp also received an invitation.
“Must I attend?”
“Of course.” Colin rested his hands behind his head. “Your courtship is barely beginning. Her attention could easily be drawn to one of the other wealthy men in attendance. You must be there to prevent that.”
I sighed. “Very well, but you must describe all the guests to me. I cannot continue omitting names when I greet people with whom you are already acquainted. It will raise suspicion and reflect badly on you—if it hasn’t already.”
Colin agreed with a nod, withdrawing a sheet of paper from his desk. He dipped his quill, writing a list of all the people he expected to attend the party alongside a description of their appearances and ages. When he was finished, he handed the sheet to me.
I read it over quickly with a sigh. Not only did I have to continue my act, but I was battling an inconvenient attraction to Miss Sharp.
And now I had studying to do.