stiff at the dinner table with a woman he’d just met?
Apparently so, you idiot!
IMOGENE thought the fourth set of the dancing just as interesting as the one with Julian Everley earlier. Mr. Hargreave was such an amiable man and always very friendly, thus it surprised her when he asked directly, “Did you enjoy your conversation with Lord Rothvale at dinner?”
“Yes, sir. I found him to be very agreeable and we discussed portraits in particular. Do you know Lord Rothvale well, Mr. Hargreave?”
“Very well. We met up in our school days. Jules, Graham, and I all up together at Eton, and as thick as thieves since,” he announced, grinning. “He’s an expert on paintings and very cultured, fluent in French and Italian. I daresay he would have devoted all of his time solely to art pursuits if fate had not intervened and made him the heir to the barony and Gavandon.”
“He was not born the heir?”
“No, he is a second son. His elder brother died some years ago now, and under…difficult circumstances. Graham has borne a great many burdens and troubles since, but you would not hear him tell of it. The loss of both of his parents, responsibilities for a younger brother, and Parliamentary obligations in the House of Lords…you can see his plate has been rather full. His brother Colin, is nearly five years his junior, and also here for our wedding, having just one more term at Cambridge, Trinity, before he completes his formal studies. A serious scholar, Colin is—mathematics and astronomy. He researches for Sir William Herschel, you know, the discoverer of the new planet, Georgium Sidus , cataloguing and mapping stars for him. The brothers are close, and more loyal friends could not be found. We do not share blood, but almost. Rothvale and Colin are Jules’s cousins on their fathers’ side. I am Jules’s cousin on our mothers’ side. We feel like family.”
Imogene listened to every word Mr. Hargreave had to share during their set and she had to wonder why he was so forthcoming about Lord Rothvale and his family. She was greatly interested, but still, this whole evening was turning out very differently from what she had imagined. She got that feeling again, that flutter inside her stomach. There was that sense of change and she was on the edge.
As the dance with Mr. Hargreave ended, Lord Rothvale pulled up to return Mrs. Hargreave to her husband. He then faced Imogene solemnly. “Miss Byron-Cole, would you bestow me the honor of the final set of the evening?”
“I was wondering, my lord, if you had formally asked for the final set before. I was not completely sure.”
He made a slight tightening of his jaw. “I did assume and I humbly offer apology for my presumption. But will you…give me the final set?”
Imogene regarded him and the look upon his face told her he would be crushed if she declined. She took pity on him immediately, for the thought of causing him distress bothered her. “Oh, why not. Yes, I believe I will,” she said teasingly. “I am often accused of being too solemn, my lord, so if I must be jovial tonight I daresay others must join me in the expression.”
“Well said, Miss Byron-Cole.” He gifted her with a glowing smile and looked dashingly handsome doing it. Imogene got the feeling Lord Rothvale did not pass along smiles freely, so the fact he was giving them to her made her feel special. They stood together for a moment and Imogene repeated the behaviour she had indulged in quite a few times over the course of the evening, looking into his eyes and forgetting there was a party going on around them.
GRAHAM was a vivid dreamer. Not so much in the sense of a visionary, but he regularly experienced visualization of scenes that appealed to him and had vibrant dreams while sleeping. Tonight a new presence entered his subconscious just like he knew it would, tormenting him in all manner of
Apparently so, you idiot!
IMOGENE thought the fourth set of the dancing just as interesting as the one with Julian Everley earlier. Mr. Hargreave was such an amiable man and always very friendly, thus it surprised her when he asked directly, “Did you enjoy your conversation with Lord Rothvale at dinner?”
“Yes, sir. I found him to be very agreeable and we discussed portraits in particular. Do you know Lord Rothvale well, Mr. Hargreave?”
“Very well. We met up in our school days. Jules, Graham, and I all up together at Eton, and as thick as thieves since,” he announced, grinning. “He’s an expert on paintings and very cultured, fluent in French and Italian. I daresay he would have devoted all of his time solely to art pursuits if fate had not intervened and made him the heir to the barony and Gavandon.”
“He was not born the heir?”
“No, he is a second son. His elder brother died some years ago now, and under…difficult circumstances. Graham has borne a great many burdens and troubles since, but you would not hear him tell of it. The loss of both of his parents, responsibilities for a younger brother, and Parliamentary obligations in the House of Lords…you can see his plate has been rather full. His brother Colin, is nearly five years his junior, and also here for our wedding, having just one more term at Cambridge, Trinity, before he completes his formal studies. A serious scholar, Colin is—mathematics and astronomy. He researches for Sir William Herschel, you know, the discoverer of the new planet, Georgium Sidus , cataloguing and mapping stars for him. The brothers are close, and more loyal friends could not be found. We do not share blood, but almost. Rothvale and Colin are Jules’s cousins on their fathers’ side. I am Jules’s cousin on our mothers’ side. We feel like family.”
Imogene listened to every word Mr. Hargreave had to share during their set and she had to wonder why he was so forthcoming about Lord Rothvale and his family. She was greatly interested, but still, this whole evening was turning out very differently from what she had imagined. She got that feeling again, that flutter inside her stomach. There was that sense of change and she was on the edge.
As the dance with Mr. Hargreave ended, Lord Rothvale pulled up to return Mrs. Hargreave to her husband. He then faced Imogene solemnly. “Miss Byron-Cole, would you bestow me the honor of the final set of the evening?”
“I was wondering, my lord, if you had formally asked for the final set before. I was not completely sure.”
He made a slight tightening of his jaw. “I did assume and I humbly offer apology for my presumption. But will you…give me the final set?”
Imogene regarded him and the look upon his face told her he would be crushed if she declined. She took pity on him immediately, for the thought of causing him distress bothered her. “Oh, why not. Yes, I believe I will,” she said teasingly. “I am often accused of being too solemn, my lord, so if I must be jovial tonight I daresay others must join me in the expression.”
“Well said, Miss Byron-Cole.” He gifted her with a glowing smile and looked dashingly handsome doing it. Imogene got the feeling Lord Rothvale did not pass along smiles freely, so the fact he was giving them to her made her feel special. They stood together for a moment and Imogene repeated the behaviour she had indulged in quite a few times over the course of the evening, looking into his eyes and forgetting there was a party going on around them.
GRAHAM was a vivid dreamer. Not so much in the sense of a visionary, but he regularly experienced visualization of scenes that appealed to him and had vibrant dreams while sleeping. Tonight a new presence entered his subconscious just like he knew it would, tormenting him in all manner of
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