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He wrinkled his nose. “It means dear or something like that. Mother gave it to me.”
“She must think a great deal about you,” I guessed as I looked him over. “And so must the girls.”
A slight blush accented Lewin’s cheeks, and he risked a look at me. “You think so?”
I grinned. “Give it five more years and you won’t have an arm to yourself. But until that happens, mind telling me why you were late for dinner?”
He slipped back into his morose attitude and scuffed a toe against the floor. “I was just playing.”
“Playing with what?”
“Stuff.”
I laughed. “I guess that never goes out of fashion, does it? I played with stuff at your age, too. Mine was a pad of paper that I tried to draw on.”
Lew lifted an eyebrow. “Did you do it?”
“Well, let’s just say I’m still working on some of the finer details. Like how to draw a straight line.”
The corners of his lips twitched upward. “I can draw a lot. I’m drawing some cards right now.”
That singular word caught my attention. “Some Puck cards?”
His eyes widened. “Yeah, how did you know?”
“It seems to be all the rage right now,” I mused as Ben joined us. Lew shrank back a little from Ben’s imposing figure, and I nudged my elbow into Ben’s arm. “You’re cramping my style.” The confused expression on his face only made me grin before I returned my attention to Lew. “I’d love to see your drawings.”
Lew bit his lower lip and his eyes rolled to one side. “I don’t know. . . I’ve never shown them to anyone but Mother. . .”
“Well, when you’re ready to show them to me I’m just across the street,” I offered as I nodded in that direction. “Put a lamp on the balcony and I’ll come running.”
He shot up straight and his eyes widened. “Like a game of assassins?”
“But without all the gore and money,” I replied.
“Count Castle,” Lord Harper called from the doorway of the fancy room. “Can we expect your company?”
“We’re coming,” Ben answered as he offered me one arm, and Lew the other. “Shall we?”
I took up his limb, but Lew wrinkled his nose and gently pushed the offered arm away. “I’ll come, but I don’t like these fancy dinners.”
I leaned down close to him as we walked toward the lord and gave him a wink. “Between you and me, neither do I.”
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
The after-supper talkwas blissfully short. The sisters left within half an hour to prepare for work the next day, and the older duke and duchess followed soon behind with their intellectual guest. Ben made sure to have us follow behind them, though not before I stepped to one side closer to where Lew stood.
“Remember,” I whispered to him with a wink. “The lamp.” He grinned and nodded.
“We’ve had a fantastic evening,” I overheard Ben comment to our host as I rejoined them at the front door.
Our host grinned and nodded. “So have we. It’s nice to have fresh faces at these dinners. Livens up the conversation.”
Lady Harper clasped my hands in hers and smiled at me. “Please do feel free to come again.”
“We’ll be sure to,” I promised, and with that, we bade our farewells.
I walked beside Ben with one of my arms looped around his. The damp chill of the night settled on us as we made our way across the wide road.
