Free The Dark Earl by Virginia Henley

felt him nudge back, though his full attention seemed focused on Trixy.
    I wonder if things are never what they seem on the surface. I must tell Rachel to write a scene where a secret flirtation is carried on under cover of the tablecloth. Harry deliberately dropped her napkin, and when Thomas retrieved it, their hands touched.
    The Earl of Durham had spared no expense on the dinner he served to his guests. The soup was lobster bisque laced with cream and sherry. Next came an artichoke salad with goat cheese, lemon, and black olives. The first entrée was wild Scottish salmon, and when that was cleared away, plump roast partridges were served. A different imported wine was poured with each course, and the main dessert was a luscious traditional English trifle, followed by a wheel of warm, melting Brie cheese and fresh fruit.
    “You have a dainty appetite, Lady Beatrix,” Thomas remarked when he saw the tiny amount of food she consumed.
    Her eyelashes fluttered prettily. “Please call me Trixy, my lord.”
    He watched Harry dip a rusk into the Brie and sigh with repletion as it melted in her mouth. “You have a voracious appetite.”
    She gave him a saucy sideways glance. “And you know what that suggests.”
    “It suggests that you are an outrageous baggage,” he murmured.
    Harry felt inordinately pleased with his response.
    Her mother watched the byplay across the table, then spoke to D’Arcy. “You are a perfect host. We would love to entertain you at Hampden House. Promise you will accept if I invite you to dinner?”
    “I would be most honored, Your Grace.”
    “Oh, no formalities, please. Call me Lu.”
     
     
    On the carriage ride home, the duchess did not bring up the subject of Thomas Anson. She did, however, announce that she intended to reciprocate D’Arcy’s hospitality and invite him to dinner. Then she changed the subject to William Montagu. “I adore Will’s Scottish brogue. He spent the entire dinner gazing across the table and then told me that all my daughters were bonny lassies.”
    Jane spoke up. “I wish I’d been seated next to Will. He makes my pulses race.”
    “What’s wrong with Henry Edgcumbe?” her mother asked.
    “Well, nothing, except he spent most of his time conversing with Trixy.”
    “Can I help it if men find me irresistible?” Trixy teased. “Lord Anson told me I had a dainty appetite. Gentlemen notice these things, Jane.”
    Harry smiled her secret smile.
     
     
    Later, at home, Harry beckoned her brother into the guest chamber she was sharing with Rachel. “I spoke with Will Montagu tonight about you and his brother visiting Hazard House. I told him that next time Rachel and I intended to go.”
    “How could you, Harry? I told you that in confidence.”
    “Don’t worry, James. Will told me he would be only too happy to accompany us. The whole thing will be a lark. Make your plans with John and Will and let us know which evening you decide upon.”
    When Harry and her young aunt were abed, she asked Rachel if her relationship with James Butler was progressing.
    “I can’t believe how well we get along. It’s as if we’ve known each other for years.”
    “I can see that the Irish rogue is attracted to you, but is the feeling mutual?”
    “Oh, yes. He fair takes my breath away.”
    “Splendid! Then it is a full-blown courtship,” Harry declared. “Isn’t it amazing the things that can be accomplished at a simple dinner party?”
    Rachel laughed. “Nothing about the Earl of Durham’s dinner was simple.”
    “No. It was delightfully complex. I was invited to the theater tomorrow evening. I agreed to go only if the captain invited you. So you can expect a note in the post from him in the morning.”
    “Oh, Harry, that was clever. So D’Arcy is definitely courting you?”
    “I suppose he’s trying. But I’m going to the theater with Thomas Anson.”

Chapter Five
     
    “D arling, I fail to see the attraction. When you can have your pick of escorts