The Summer of Wine and Scandal: A Novella Read Online Free PDF Page B

very good.”
    Lochley bent his head in acknowledgment.
    “I wonder if you might stop by and give your opinion on our pinot noir.”
    “That would hardly be fair,” Matthew Martin told his father. “If Mr. Lochley is to judge the wine-tasting, he must be fair and impartial.”
    “I haven’t agreed yet. I haven’t even been asked.” And he’d prefer never to be asked if not judging the wine-tasting meant he could spend more time with Miss Martin.
    “You will be,” Bertie said. “If Georgie and Mrs. Clotworthy have their way—and they always have their way—you will soon be formally summoned to the committee.”
    “I don’t think I like the sound of that,” Lochley said. “Rather reminds me of being summoned to court.”
    “Have you been summoned to court?” Mr. Martin asked.
    “Not yet.”
    “Speaking of being summoned,” Gage said. “We should return to the ladies.”
    Caro Martin’s gaze met his when the men returned, but before Lochley could find a way to approach her, he was drawn into a conversation about King George and his illness, which led to discussion of the king’s profligate son. As Lochley had drunk with the Prince Regent on more than one occasion, he could offer insight as to the Regent’s preferred wines. The gentlemen and ladies decided they might like to taste the Regent’s favorite wine. Lochley happened to have brought a bottle and had considered serving it at dinner then changed his mind. Consequently, it was in his bedchamber and not the wine cellar. He retired to his room to fetch the bottle.
    His task completed, when he opened the bedchamber door, bottle in hand, Caro Martin stood outside.
    “Oh!” Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed the shape of her exclamation. “I’m terribly sorry. I must have made a mistake.”
    “Were you looking for me?” he asked.
    “No. No, of course not.”
    “That’s a disappointment,” he said in a light tone he did not feel.
    “Miss Gage said she was not feeling well, but she did not want to alarm her brother. She asked me to fetch a tonic from her bedchamber.”
    “Miss Gage said she did not feel well?” He rubbed a knuckle over his chin.
    “Yes. I thought she said to turn right at the landing, but she must have said left.”
    “Oh, I doubt that,” Lochley said, leaning a shoulder against the doorframe. He could hug Miss Gage. “Which room did she say was hers?”
    “This one. Second from the end.”
    “Miss Martin, you do not know Miss Gage well, so please believe me when I say, you made no mistake. Georgie sent you to my room, not hers.”
    She shook her head. “But why would she do that?”
    “Because she has a reputation as a matchmaker. She obviously saw we have an interest in each other and sought to find a way to give us a moment alone.”
    “But I don’t—”
    He took her gloved hand, which silenced her. “Please do not say you have no interest in me. My pride is hurt enough already. Suffice it to say, I have an interest in you.”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Then perhaps the two of you are in league, and you planned this in order to lure me away.”
    “To lure you away?” He released her hand. “You make it sound as if I have some nefarious plan. May I remind you that it was your father who suggested I fetch the bottle of wine, and your brother who asked after the Regent’s preferences. I would have preferred to stay in the drawing room so I might have the opportunity of speaking with you.”
    “Oh, you men are all the same. Is every woman an object for your game of seduction?”
    “I hardly call this conversation or us meeting here a game of seduction. I assure you, if I were to seduce you, this is not at all how I would go about it.”
    “I do not have any interest in your methods of seduction, sir. If you would simply direct me to Miss Gage’s room, I would be grateful.”
    “I’m afraid I do not know which room is hers. The ladies’ wing is on the other side of the landing. I can have a maid show