Page 31 of The Muse of Maiden Lane

But when Stella at last entered the private parlor, nearly ten minutes past the appointed time of their meeting, Teddy didn’t seem to register the extra effort she’d put into her appearance. Busy assembling his art supplies, he spared her only a fleeting glance. “Take a seat in the chair by the window, if you please.”

A dainty shield-back chair, made of sinuously carved elm, had been positioned there at an angle. It would give him a view of her face in three-quarter profile.

Stella went to it and sat down. She arranged the full skirts of her gown about her legs. It was one of the most flattering day dresses she’d commissioned from Mr. Malik. Made of mazarine blue silk, it was trimmed with black passementerie and boasted a high neckline, wide cord-edged sleeves worn over crisp, white muslin undersleeves, and a dainty cord-and-silk belt that buckled neatly at her waist. It had taken Stella ages to close the tiny row of black cord-covered buttons that ran down the bodice’s snug front—a task she’d never have managed if her corset hadn’t been cinched so dashed tightly.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said.

“You’re here, that’s what’s important.” Teddy continued lining up his supplies on an inlaid table beside his easel. Unlike Stella, he didn’t appear to have put any effort into his appearance. Quite the opposite. He was rather underdressed.

His coat had been discarded over the back of the settee, leaving him in his shirtsleeves. His cuffs were partially rolled up—a practical action, given his occupation, but one that revealed a scandalous expanse of leanly muscled forearm.

Stella made an effort not to stare. “I was out riding with Lady Anne and Mr. Hartford,” she told him.

She’d borrowed a placid little gelding from the earl’s stable. It had been nothing to riding Locket, but it was still riding. The exercise had done her a wealth of good.

“As I observed,” he said.

“You saw me?”

“I saw all of you setting out this morning. I’ve a perfect view of the stable yard from the window of my room.”

Stella frowned. His tone was unusually opaque. She couldn’t tell if he was irritated or indifferent or…something else.

Did it bother him to see others engaging in an activity that he could no longer engage in himself? Surely not. If that was the case, he wouldn’t have attended the opening night ball, would he?

“We’ll be going out again later,” she said. “Lady Anne and Mr. Hartford have got a smallish party together to visit the ruins at Odiham Castle. You might join us if you like.”

He flicked her a dry glance. “On horseback?”

“No, of course not. We’re taking carriages. It isn’t terribly far, I believe.”

“When is this thrilling expedition meant to take place?”

“At half past eleven. Will that give you enough time to complete your sketch?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Stella hadn’t expected him to be so definite. Talented as he was, this was only a rough sketch he was making, not a masterwork. How long could it truly take? Her own sketches rarely required more than an hour. “I suppose I could—”

“We’ll have to meet again,” he said brusquely.

An unexpected rush of girlish giddiness rose in her breast. She realized, in that moment, just how much she wanted to meet him again.

And again, and again.

Never mind that it was ill-advised. That it may be, potentially, hazardous to her reputation. It was wonderful to have a gentleman’s undivided attention. She was parched for the lack of it.

And not just any gentleman.

Teddy Hayes’s attention meant something. He wasn’t some insensitive society coxcomb or some boorish country squire. He was thoughtful. Discerning. He’d studied art in Paris, for heaven’s sake.

Stella managed to keep her countenance. “Very well. When do you propose?”

“Tomorrow morning,” he said.

Her spirits sank a little. Much as she’d like to meet him in the morning, her remaining two days at the house party weren’t wholly her own. She was here as Anne’s guest, not as a guest in her own right. It was to Anne that Stella owed the bulk of her time. Especially now.

Knowing that Stella was limited to activities where she wouldn’t draw attention to herself in covering her hair, Anne had planned for a surfeit of outdoor amusements. Not only riding and visiting nearby places of historic interest, but sledding and sleighing, too.