She shook her head slightly and moved to an open chair. He took the seat next to her, which suddenly felt far too close. She could do this, she reminded herself. It was just a dinner.
She had wanted to confront him about his affair in the salon but did not dare with Jennette and Blackburn in the house. All she had to do was manage to get through dinner with him next to her.
As she sipped her soup, she listened to the conversation. Avis and Jennette spoke of their children while Elizabeth and Victoria listened intently. The men talked of politics. Yet, she and Nicholas remained oddly quiet.
“Nicholas, did you know that you and Sophie were in Venice at the same time?” Elizabeth asked before sipping her wine.
Heat streaked across her cheeks. Sophie glared down at her friend. How could Elizabeth do this!
“I did not realize that,” Nicholas said evenly.
“Yes,” Elizabeth continued. “Wouldn’t it have been interesting if you had met there?”
“Interesting, indeed,” he replied before turning to Sophie. “What do you think, Miss Reynard?”
She cleared her thro
at softly. “Since we had never been introduced before that trip, I doubt we would have even noticed each other.”
Nicholas smirked at her. “Oh, I think we would have noticed each other,” he muttered so quietly only she heard him. “True enough,” he added loud enough for the others.
She attempted to think of some topic to change the conversation. “The weather has been quite lovely lately, don’t you agree?”
Everyone murmured their agreement. Thankfully that seemed to have worked . . . until Jennette spoke up.
“I am not sure I agree with you, Sophie.”
“On the weather? But we have scarcely had any rain—”
“I meant about you and Nicholas meeting in Venice.” Jennette played with her food but ate almost nothing. “After all, you were both English in a foreign country. I believe you would have been drawn to each other just to hear your native tongue.”
Sophie choked on her meat.
“Are you all right?” Nicholas asked.
She nodded and then sipped her wine. “Perhaps you are right, Jennette. However, since we did not meet in Venice the topic is meaningless.”
Thankfully, Avis steered the conversation back to some gossip running through the ton. But as she did, Sophie suddenly felt Nicholas’s knee brush up against her leg. A rush of desire washed over her. How could she feel desire for a man who had gotten a married woman with child? He looked over at her and excused himself, but she noticed the humor in his eyes.
When the footman cleared the last of the plates, she rose and said, “Ladies, let the men enjoy their port or brandy while we have tea in the salon.”
Her friends agreed and followed her into the salon. All four of them burst into giggles the minute the door shut behind them.
“I cannot believe you find this amusing!”
“Oh, come now, Sophie,” Avis said as she sat on the sofa, “you have to admit the man is interesting.”
Sophie could never deny that. She found Nicholas interesting, handsome, quick-witted, and so much more. “I suppose he is.”
“I apologize for what I said about you and Nicholas meeting in Venice,” Elizabeth said. “I just think it would have been so romantic to meet in a foreign land. And Venice is such a beautiful city.”
“Yes, it is,” Sophie replied, staring into the empty fireplace. She would never forget that night in Venice with him.
“Why are your cheeks getting so red, Sophie?” Victoria asked with a smile.
Sophie blinked and looked over at her sister-in-law. “What are you talking about?”
“You appeared to be daydreaming and staring at the fireplace,” Jennette added. “Were you thinking about that man you met in Venice?”