A dimple creased his cheek as he grinned. “Dinner with my family will not be nearly as much fun as waltzing in the hallway.” He took a step closer and picked up her hand. How was it that one simple touch from him could send a tingle all the way up her arm? She wanted to lean into him. To kiss that dimple on his cheek.
“No,” she lowered her voice. “But I suspect I’ve already given the footman over there enough reason to toss my name around downstairs. I don’t think Daphney’s reputation can withstand any more marks this evening.”
His smile didn’t drop, but his eyes narrowed slightly, making the grin look more intimate and thoughtful. He lifted his hand and tucked a hair behind her ear. “Hopefully soon, Daphney will no longer be a consideration. Your name is too beautiful to keep hidden any longer.” He leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek. She closed her eyes and breathed in his intoxicating scent. But the rush of flutters to her stomach and the overwhelming feeling that being kissed by Carver felt right confused her. If they were as perfect for each other as she suspected, why couldn’t she bring herself to simply say yes?
“I forgot to tell you,” Carver said after they had gone into the drawing room and greeted all of the family. “Oliver arrived this afternoon and will be joining us for dinner.”
Rose whipped her head up to look at Carver’s face. “Your best friend?” she asked. Carver had told her all about his and Olly’s friendship last night on the roof. Nervousness twisted in her stomach at the thought of meeting the one person she was sure would have the strongest opinion about their match.
Carver chuckled. “You really have a way of making a man feel mature and masculine. But yes, he is my best friend.”
Just then, the butler entered the drawing room and announced, “Mr. Oliver Turner.” Rose’s heart sunk through her stomach and all the way down through the floor where she wished she could melt and never return.
No. Surely not? It couldn’t be…
But as the tall, blonde, blue eyed man stepped through the door, Rose felt for the first time in her life like she was going to faint.
His eyes immediately caught hers and he blinked as if questioning his own sense of reality. “Kitty?”
Chapter 28
Carver prided himself on his ability to think on his feet, but as he looked back and forth between a confused Oliver and ghostly white faced Rose, his pride failed him.
Rose was the first to speak, although her words sounded a touch nervous. “Mr. Turner, how lovely to see you again.” Each member of his family took a turn looking bewildered. No doubt they had heard the personal—and wrong—name Oliver had used to address her. Why had he called her by that name? A sinking feeling told him that Oliver and Rose had already been acquainted. And knowing all that he now knew about Rose, that could not be a good thing.
A discrete jab to his ribs snapped Carver back to the moment.
“Olly!” he released Rose to advance toward his friend and clap him on the shoulder. “Glad you finally made it. How were the roads?” He hoped he could gain enough of Oliver’s attention to send him a signal that conveyed he was not to acknowledge Rose again until after they had spoken alone. Had they been friends long enough that a single look could tell the man everything he needed to know?
Apparently not.
Oliver looked around Carver, dismissing his existence. “The roads were dirty and bumpy as always.” He pushed by Carver and began addressing Rose. “Kitty, what are you doing here?”
Carver thought he could physically hear Rose swallow from across the room. His parents crossed to stand by Rose and Oliver with skeptical looks. Rose’s eyes bounced around the room as if she were searching for an escape route. Oliver reached for Rose’s hand with far too tender a touch. Not good. Carver needed to get Oliver alone before he opened his mouth again.
“Oliver,” said his father with deeply creased brows. “How do you and Miss Bell—,”
“Olly!” Carver interrupted a bit too loudly. “Have you seen the newest addition to the east wing?” He grabbed his friend by the arm and began dragging him toward the door.
“Do you mean the addition that was added two years ago?” said Oliver, annoyance running through his voice. “Yes, I’ve seen—,”
“Wonderful! Let me show it to you.” He was making a cake of himself again but he didn’t care. He needed to protect Rose. His family would know the truth eventually, but not now. And definitely not in the drawing room before dinner with the servants present.
“But Carver,” Mother called after them. “Dinner will be announced any minute. Can showing Oliver the expansion that he’s already seen wait?”
He was vaguely aware that Robert was laughing somewhere along the edge of the room but of course he wasn’t going to help. “Feel free to start without us,” Carver called back before yanking a reluctant and agitated Oliver from the room.
Oliver shared Carver’s height, but thankfully, not his broad build or else Carver might not have been able to maneuver him the way he did.
“Kenny, what the devil was that?” said Oliver, shoving Carver’s hand off of his arm as they both tripped into the hallway.
Rose looked around the room at each set of shocked eyes, all aimed at her. She blurted out the first excuse she could think of that would get her out of there. “I…feel a little bit cold,” she said. “Excuse me while I go retrieve my shawl.” And then she pulled the shawl she was already wearing around her tighter and rushed from the room.
She really was getting worse at her job.
Rose plunged out into the hallway and paused. One quick sweep of the hallway revealed a smiling Henley. “In the library, miss.” With a quick nod to her coconspirator, Rose was propelling herself toward the library, faster than was considered ladylike, but oh well.
Rose reached the library and burst through the door, sending it to slam against the wall. Her shoulders tensed at the noise, and both Carver and Oliver jumped as if an elephant had just knocked the door down. Her less than graceful entry reminded her too much of Uncle Felix and a chuckle escaped her before she realized that the two men in front of her did not share her amusement.