Lady Vivian Defies a Duke - By Samantha Grace Page 0,7
an earful from the earl.”
“It has to work.” Vivi rose from her seat and smoothed her hands over her skirts. “Lord Ellis cannot realize it was me he saw today.”
Her maid held out a fan. “Wave it in front of your face often to obscure his view.”
“Brilliant suggestion.” She accepted the offering and walked from her chambers as quickly as the wig would allow.
As she glided down the curved staircase, she refused to acknowledge Saunders’s quizzical glance. The butler would likely report her odd fashion choice to Patrice later, but he knew his place and kept his opinions quiet. She would tell Patrice the truth once her cousin was well.
If she asked.
Or if Vivi’s plan failed.
Picking up her pace, she made her way to the formal dining room, her skirts whispering around her ankles. She had never cared for the dining room. It was self-important and stuffy, but appropriate for a visiting nobleman. Most importantly, the dining room housed a long table that was unsuited for prolonged discussions or thorough inspections of one’s dining partner. If she made it through the meal without Lord Ellis becoming wise to her, she would collapse with relief once she reached her chambers again. The moment the earl continued on his journey couldn’t come soon enough.
Dim light spilled from the opened doorway of the dining room and onto the polished marble floor. At the threshold, she paused. The servants had followed her directions nicely, leaving the room cast in shadows.
She ventured into the dining room, intent upon reaching the seat farthest from the door so her guest had no need to pass by her. Her gaze traveled to the mantel clock. She had fifteen minutes left to gather her wits.
“Lady Vivian, I presume?” The rich timbre vibrated within her chest, sending shock waves quaking through her arms and legs.
“Oh!” Vivi recoiled then shot her hands out for balance.
Lord Ellis was standing beside his chair. His quick blue eyes narrowed. “You are Lady Vivian, are you not?”
“Yes.” She snapped the fan open and fluttered it in front of her face as much to hide her identity as to cool her scorched cheeks. He was early again! A most unbecoming habit. “I didn’t see you there.”
She lowered her head and dashed past his seat.
“Perhaps the servants should light the chandelier,” he said.
Her lips strained with the effort of forcing a smile as she assumed her place at the table. “That would be wasteful, wouldn’t you agree?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “Quite right, Lady Vivian. How sensible of you.”
A frisson of pleasure rippled through her until she recognized his compliment was tainted by sarcasm. Sinking into her seat, she noted with satisfaction that the massive arrangement erected between them blocked him from her view. The earl would have a devil of a time seeing her through the floral jungle.
“Lady Vivian?” Lord Ellis leaned to the side to peer around the peonies. His black hair gleamed in the candlelight and his eyes sparkled. “Ah, there you are. I feared I had lost you for a moment.”
She lifted her arms to allow a footman to drape a napkin over her lap. “I suppose a man of your station expects more of a fuss, but as it is my cousin’s larder and not my own, I didn’t feel at liberty to prepare a lavish affair. Please forgive the oversight.”
“On the contrary. I have been made to feel comfortable at Brighthurst. Your cousin is most gracious.” He disappeared behind the arrangement again as a second footman reached his end of the table with a bottle of wine. He murmured something to the servant before returning his attention to her. “I’m sorry to hear Lady Brighthurst is unable to dine with us this evening.”
“I will convey your regrets. She will be sorry to have missed making your acquaintance.”
The footman serving Lord Ellis headed in her direction, stopped halfway, and then plucked the arrangement from the table.
Vivi stifled a gasp and snatched up her glass of lemonade. She took a long sip, trying to hide and likely failing.
A corner of Lord Ellis’s mouth kicked up. He nodded to the footman. “Lady Vivian appears thirsty. Please refill her glass.”
Once her glass had been refilled, he raised his for a toast. “To Lady Brighthurst and her entertaining kinswoman. May fortune smile upon Brighthurst House and her occupants from this day forward.”
Vivi pressed her lips together before she said something she would regret. He was laughing at her. Maybe not outright, but the humorous ring to his voice