I kicked the table. ‘Be quiet, you little greedy-guts. You’ll get your food.’
‘Aye aye, Sir!’
The table fell silent.
I was just about to lean back in my chair and pop open the bottle of wine waiting for me on the table when the doors to the dining room opened, and in stepped Miss Harse. Her eyes found me and lit up with joy.
My first instinct was to jump up from the table and out the nearest porthole.
Stay where you are, Lilly! You don’t run. You’ve got backbone, and if you don’t, you’d damn well better get some! You’re safe here. She wouldn’t dare to maul you in front of all the dinner guests.
Probably.
Well…hopefully.
The lady approached my table with a broad smile. I forced an answering smile onto my face, for the first time in my life understanding why it was so hard for Mr Ambrose to do that he didn’t bother most of the time.
‘Miss Harse. What a pleasure to see you,’ I lied.
The table giggled. I gave it another kick.
Miss Harse blushed. She damn well blushed! And then—bloody hell!—she stopped in front of the table.
‘Yes. A true pleasure for me as well, Mr Linton.’
And she still stood there, without showing a sign of sitting down, although she clearly wanted to. Why not?
‘Ask her to sit down, you dummy!’ hissed my table.
‘What was that?’ Miss Harse asked.
‘Nothing. Nothing at all.’ I shook my head and felt like slapping myself. Of course! Those gentlemanly rules again. She’s probably waiting for me to ask her to sit down, and to pull her chair out.
Well, time for me to do the thing I was simply fabulous at: being rude.
Leisurely crossing my arms behind my head, I leant back and gave the lady a charming smile.
‘Wonderful weather we have today, don’t we?’
She blinked, and looked from me to the chair and back. This was not what she’d been expecting to hear.
‘Err…yes.’
‘Oh dear me, where did I leave my manners? Won’t you take a—’
‘Yes, please!’
‘—nut?’
She froze in mid-motion.
‘Pardon?’
‘A nut.’ I reached for the bowl of nuts and grapes standing on the table and held it out to her. ‘As a little appetizer.’
‘Oh. Um. Yes, thank you.’
Still she remained standing, unable to sit down, but clearly unwilling to walk away. With severe difficulty, I managed to suppress a grin. Boy, this was fun! More than that, it was genius! Why hadn’t I thought of this before? I could just be abominably rude to her, and soon enough she would leave me alone.