The Bookseller and the Earl (The Merry Misfits of Bath 1)

He pulled out her seat, then did the same for Lottie and Pamela. As they were settling in, another couple joined them, the man no doubt related to Lord Berkshire, since their features were similar. Berkshire stood again.

“Haven’t seen you in a while, Berkshire. Where have you been keeping yourself?” The man nodded briefly to Addie and her two friends. “Who are your guests?”

Perhaps because she was sitting right next to him, it appeared no one else heard the low groan coming from Lord Berkshire at the man’s words. “Ladies, may I present my cousin, Mr. Samuel Newman and his wife, Emily.”

She, Pamela, and Lottie all nodded in the couple’s direction.

Berkshire continued. “Samuel, this is Lady Pamela, Miss Danvers, and Miss Mallory.”

Mr. Newman laughed quite hardy. “And which one is yours, eh, Berkshire?” He winked. “Or all three, maybe? Wouldn’t put it past you.” He pulled out his wife’s seat and then sat alongside her.

Addie swore she heard Lord Berkshire’s back teeth grinding. “Miss Mallory and I are acquainted through her bookstore. She is searching for a book for me. Lady Pamela and Miss Danvers are her friends.”

Mr. Newman leered at the four of them. “And what sort of book would that be? Ménage à trois? Or is there a French word for four and one? If anyone would have a term for that it would be the French.”

His lordship rose partway from his seat, his jaw tight, his fists clenched. “You forget yourself, Samuel. I demand an apology on behalf of these women.” He glanced in the direction of Mrs. Newman. “And your wife, as well.”

The man’s face went from lascivious to disdainful. “Calm down, Berkshire. You never were one to enjoy a joke.”

“To insult a woman in my presence is not a joke, and again, I demand you apologize to these ladies or we will meet outside.”

Mr. Newman attempted to keep his expression humorous, but it was obvious he knew Lord Berkshire was not making idle threats. “All right.” He nodded in their direction, his smile fading. “Please accept my apologies, ladies. I meant no disrespect.”

Silence fell on the group as servers began to bring out platters of food that they placed on each table. Meanwhile, footmen poured wine for the guests. Normally alcoholic beverages were not permitted in the church hall, but apparently the bride and groom had managed to bypass that rule. They would probably have dancing as well.

After a few minutes of silence, Mr. Newman looked over at her, Lottie, and Pam and his brows rose. “Aren’t you the woman who sang during the ceremony?”

Pam smiled. “Yes. It was m-m-me.”

Oh dear, if Mr. Newman made a remark about Pam’s stutter, Addie would be the one to jump across the table and pummel the man.

“Looks like your friends here had to persuade you to do it.” He grinned, looking around the table, most likely referring to their dragging Pam down the aisle.

Lord Berkshire, Addie, Pam, and Lottie all just stared at him. Mrs. Newman kept her eyes down, appearing as though she’d never seen a plate of food before.

Realizing he wasn’t going to get a response to that question, Mr. Newman shrugged and returned his attention to his meal. The remainder of the dinner was quite awkward, with only “this is delicious” to “I wonder if my cook can make this,” comments floating across the table. As soon as the dessert dishes were taken away, a three-piece orchestra began playing a waltz.

His lordship folded his napkin and placed it in front of him. Turning to Addie, he said, “May I have the honor of this dance, Miss Mallory?”

A space at the front of the church hall had been set aside for the orchestra and whichever guests wished to dance. Ordinarily, Addie preferred to stay on the sidelines—where she had spent all of her Seasons and did feel a bit nervous at her dancing skills since she rarely used them.

“I am afraid my dancing skills are not up to par, my lord, Perhaps a stroll around the room?”

He pulled her chair out and took her arm. The room was large enough that they could walk the perimeter and not interfere with the dancers. After a few minutes, when they had fallen into a comfortable silence, he said, “I must apologize for my cousin. Samuel has never been one to know when to keep his mouth closed. I oftentimes pity his wife, who is a sweet woman, but you would never know that since he rarely allows her the opportunity to speak.”

Before she could respond, he added, “And while I am offering apologies and penances, maybe I should include a request for forgiveness for my Aunt, Lady Witherspoon. She is my great-aunt, actually. My grandfather’s sister.”

That made Addie laugh. “No, please don’t feel the need to apologize for her. We all have people like that in our family. I get the impression, however, that you are quite fond of her.”

A warm smile graced his face. “Yes. If it weren’t for Aunt Mary, I would have had no childhood at all. I spent every summer with her as a lad. She has a wonderful country estate with just enough distractions for a boy to get into trouble.”

‘“Ah. You were a troublesome youth, then?” Addie asked.

“Most likely no more so than any other boy growing up. For, as overbearing as she appears, Aunt allowed me to play with the servant’s children.” He laughed. “My father would have been appalled had he known.” A flicker of sadness touched his eyes but was gone so quickly Addie wasn’t sure she’d seen it at all.

In light of that pensive statement, she decided to change the subject.

“Tell me about Michael.”