Hawk & the Lady - Elizabeth Stevens Page 0,40

was a different matter when Edward’s voice interrupted us.

“Forgive the intrusion, Leah.”

I pulled away from Patrick like a teenager who’s been caught making out in someone else’s car after midnight. I sincerely hoped my cheeks weren’t as obviously red as they felt.

“Edward,” I huffed a breathy laugh. “How are you?”

He inclined his head as he gave Patrick a quick appraising once over. “Good, thank you. And you?”

I nodded. “Fine. Also, fine. Uh, this is Patrick Grace. Edward Barnes.”

Edward nodded once in greeting and held out a hand. “Patrick.”

“My fiancé,” I added as the two men shook hands.

“Fiancé?” Edward’s eyebrow quirked in humour.

I nodded quickly. “Fiancé. Engaged to be married. Going to be hitched.” Why in all holy hells was I so awkward?

“A pleasure to meet the man who managed to tame Leah Carmichael,” Edward said to Patrick appreciatively, but with a hint of something in it that I couldn’t place.

Patrick wound his arm around my back, his hand lying possessively on my hip. “Oh, I wouldn’t dare or want to tame her, Edward. She wouldn’t be who she is then.”

“No, of course. A figure of speech, naturally. Leah’s a breath of fresh air at these things. Truly one of a kind.”

Was this a…showdown? Were they actually peacocking over me? I was suddenly finding similarities between this and the ‘my horse is bigger than your horse’ scene in ‘Princess Diaries 2’, except there was just one horse here.

“Your engagement was quite quick, I take it?” Edward said, insinuation heavy in his tone. It was one of those hidden nuances the society brats had perfected over the years. It was layered with meaning, but only meaning between him and me. Or so I thought.

“You know,” Patrick mused, like he didn’t have a care in the world, “I must thank you for escorting Leah out for me.”

“For you?” Edward clarified.

Patrick nodded. “We talked about it, didn’t we?” he directed to me and I hoped my nod looked more certain to Edward. “But thought it was a bit early, you know.”

I thought I knew where he was going with this. “Yes. I mean, it was going well. But I didn’t want to push him away with all these,” I waved my hand in a vague gesture, “obligations.”

“She thought it would be different as her guest, you see.”

“Not at all like hanging out with the likes of Mrs Fortescue and Mr Nelson,” I said. “Different expectations as my guest, more eyes on him, added pressure to the relationship I just didn’t think we needed.”

“But it was different once I gave her the ring.”

I shrugged. “Couldn’t really avoid it any longer.”

Edward nodded. “No. I imagine not.”

Did he see through it? Edward wasn’t stupid, but it’s not like he knew everything about me either. He knew enough, surely, to know that this was all very much within the realms of possibility with me.

“How rude of me,” he continued. “I’m yet to offer my congratulations.”

“Thank you,” I said with a smile at him.

He returned it, but I was sure there was humour in his eyes. “You will excuse me.”

“Oh, of course.”

He and Patrick exchanged a somewhat charged look, then Edward was gone again. I felt myself physically sag against Patrick.

“Ex-boyfriend?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. God, no.”

“But someone.”

I turned to look at him. “Someone my mother would be very keen on me marrying.”

His eyes drifted the way Edward had gone. “Competition?”

“As far as mother’s convinced, he’s won. Apparently, Edward and I just don’t know it yet.”

“Nothing wrong with a little competition.”

I laughed. “Edward’s not interested in me.”

Patrick’s eyes found mine again. “Really?”

I shook my head as I looked to see if anyone would be paying us any attention. I leant back up to his ear and whispered, “He’s in a very toxic relationship with his step-sister.”

I felt Patrick’s surprise. “Seriously?”

I shrugged as I pulled away again. “That’s the hottest best kept open secret we’ve got going around.”

“I dunno,” he said slowly.

“Trust me. They’re fucking. And weirdly obsessed with each other.”

He grinned at me. “I meant about the secret.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I’m pretty sure people think our engagement was so quick because I knocked you up.”

“Oh, shit,” I breathed. “I didn’t think of that…”

We looked at each other and both broke out into a huge grin.

I shrugged. “Oh, well. There are probably worse things they could say about me. I’m surprised Mother hasn’t used that in her litany of excuses as to why we haven’t had the engagement party yet. ‘Oh, no. We couldn’t right now.