Chapter 4 #2
Miles did his best not to stare at Miss Bryce.
But she was captivating, even with the wide table between them.
Her cursory responses and constant fiddling with the stem of the glass at her place setting led Miles to believe she wasn’t much enjoying the company of the man on her left.
Several times, she attempted to begin a conversation with the man on her right, only to be drawn back by her companion’s endless chatter.
It was something of a relief that she wasn’t happy to be with the man. Which was an odd sensation considering he’d only spoken with her twice before. But it was undeniable, nonetheless.
As the dinner wore on, though, the bigger problem with having Miss Bryce so near was that Miles wasn’t at all interested in speaking with the woman he’d been assigned to escort in.
He would so much rather elicit another teasing comment from Miss Bryce.
From his right, Miss Casburn cleared her throat once again, something she’d had to do to get his attention on several occasions through the first three courses of the meal.
“I was saying, Mr. Wentworth, how many courses do you suppose Mrs. Templeton has arranged? I found the fish to be quite satisfying, and I’m not certain how many more dishes I can endure. ”
A tinkling laugh accompanied her words. It wasn’t unpleasant.
Merely fake. Miles had spent enough time with debutants to know some of their tricks, and one of them was a soft, innocuous laugh used to make a man believe he was amusing.
“I couldn’t say, but I’m sure you don’t have to partake in any you don’t want. ”
Another round of delicate laughter, although he hadn’t intended for the comment to be funny. Meanwhile, across the table, Miss Bryce’s eyes began to glaze over. “Have you had the pleasure of meeting Sylvie Bryce yet, Mr. Wentworth?”
Miss Casburn asked it with a quiet and casual tone, but even Miles could detect the underlying hardness.
Was she setting her sights on him? If only Alexander would stop introducing him as a marquess, he might be able to avoid the unwanted attention of the single women in society.
“I have, yes. At a ball the other night.”
“Then I’m sure you’d be interested to hear of our shared history.” Miss Casburn’s eyes flashed as she sipped water from her goblet with deliberate indifference.
Miles examined her more closely. Blond and delicate, she was the sort who likely attracted a great deal of attention from men at these events.
A confident, composed air draped over her like a shawl she held close.
Other than the occasional slip of her expression, she maintained a cordial smile and was better at faking interest than Miss Bryce seemed to be.
But Miles could still see she was the kind of socialite who shouldn’t be underestimated.
He’d need to pay attention or else risk getting caught in her net.
“There’s no need to bring up the past. I’d rather hear about you. ”
But Miles couldn’t pull off a ruse as well as Miss Casburn. Her jaw tightened, the only hint that she might be more cunning than her agreeable appearance belied. “Ah, you’re a charmer, Mr. Wentworth. But you deserve to hear the delightful story of how Miss Bryce got stuck in a tree.”
Miss Casburn raised her voice as she spoke, until her final words reached the ears of at least six people around them, including Miss Bryce herself.
Miles’s cheeks burned. What if she thought he was encouraging this turn in the conversation?
His mind raced to find a polite way out of it, but anything he said might only make the moment worse.
Miss Bryce, however, donned an almost identical placid smile as his companion when she joined the others nearby in glancing at Miles and Miss Casburn. “Do tell the story, Miss Casburn. You have quite an audience. It would be a shame to disappoint them.”
If the mild challenge rebuked Miss Casburn in the least, she didn’t show it.
The two women’s gazes clashed across the table, an almost invisible contest of wills hidden behind pretty smiles.
“As you wish.” Miss Casburn turned to Miles.
“Our families’ properties bordered each other for a time before we moved to our current, much larger residence.
” She trained her haughty gaze on Miss Bryce again.
“Your family is still in that quaint little house—isn’t that right? ”
The tightness in Miss Bryce’s nod was the only sign that the direction of the conversation might bother her.
Miles still searched for some way to steer it in a different course.
Miss Casburn might not be deterred easily, but he had to try.
“I’d love to know more about where your family lives now, Miss Casburn.
I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting Cleveland yet. ”
Single-minded, she kept her eyes on Miss Bryce.
“In due time. It would be a shame to leave everyone waiting for the details I promised. One afternoon, not long after we moved in, I was reading in the parlor when I heard the most terrible clatter. I rushed to the window, worried it could have been a wild animal in one of the trees close to the house. Imagine my surprise when I saw a tangle of skirts and an indecent amount of exposed legs sticking out of the branches. Our gardener tried for half an hour to help her before he had to call the fire brigade to bring their tallest ladder.”
Miss Casburn tittered, but it had more of a malicious effect than a charming one. Then she looked at Miles, placing her fingers on his lower arm. “Oh, Mr. Wentworth, imagine that being the first time you met Miss Bryce. It was such a shocking scene.”
A glance across the table revealed pink creeping across Miss Bryce’s cheeks.
Instead of giving Miss Casburn the scandalized response she sought, Miles directed his attention to the subject of her story.
“There must have been a good reason for her to be there. Miss Bryce doesn’t seem like one to cause trouble. ”
She blinked at him several times before softening a little.
“Indeed. I’d been walking past the Casburns’ home while getting some fresh air when I heard a tiny mewing coming from around the side of the house.
It was early spring, before the leaves came out, so I was able to catch sight of the most darling little kitten clinging to a branch.
But it had worked its way out so far that it was in danger of falling. ”
A kitten? Even Miles had to admit it was uncommon for a lady of her standing to attempt the rescue of a kitten from a tree on her own. Genuine interest spurred him to ask, “And what made you decide to climb up yourself?”
The pink grew brighter on her cheeks as she shrugged. “It didn’t look that great a distance from the ground. I had no trouble climbing up. It was getting down that caused a problem. I discovered then that I’m a bit terrified of heights.”
Without meaning to, Miles let out a hearty chuckle.
Those listening around them responded in kind, breaking all the tension created by Miss Casburn’s obvious effort to embarrass Miss Bryce.
Even the gentleman she’d come in to dinner stared at her with adoration rather than horror.
“Rescuing a kitten. Noble of you, Miss Bryce. And you should know, if I were to be involved in your life in the future, I would go out of my way to keep you from needing to fear heights or anything else.”
It might have been a sweet sentiment while tucked in a private corner, but Miss Bryce twirled her glass again, obviously uncomfortable as those seated within earshot stared at them.
Thankfully, servants brought their next course at that moment, allowing the conversation to naturally move on.
Miles turned to the older woman on his other side and struck up a conversation, confident he didn’t want to hear anything more from Miss Casburn.
Her pursed lips and gray complexion revealed she needed a moment to collect herself, anyway.
But he couldn’t refrain from sneaking glances across the table at Miss Bryce.
She most certainly didn’t realize it, but she lit up the room.
She remained elegant and cheerful even while managing her dull companion.
And more than her social skills, the glimpses of depth Miles had seen in her intrigued him.
She was brave enough to find a paid position entertaining crowds at Cedar Point.
She was caring enough to climb a tree and risk public embarrassment to save a kitten.
And she was strong enough to hold her own against a petty woman like Miss Casburn.
What other qualities lurked beneath the surface?
An overwhelming need to learn more about her expanded in his chest. But she had acted so put off by him at the ball earlier that week. How could he convince her he was trustworthy so he could answer the multitude of questions burning in his mind and distracting him from his work?
Polite laughter toward the head of the table caught Miles’s attention.
The influential group of guests seated there included Mr. Bryce, whom Miles hadn’t met yet.
He seemed a pleasant enough man from a distance.
It occurred to Miles that his next step might be what any bachelor would do when faced with a beautiful, charming woman he wanted to spend more time with.
He would call on her at her home. He would show her through time spent together that he was trustworthy.
While Miles hadn’t set out to court anyone this summer, it wouldn’t do any harm to enjoy each other’s company.
And he could get answers to the questions she raised.
He nodded to himself. It was a solid plan if ever there was one.