Page 53 of How to Tempt an Earl

A sensual light passed between them, arousing and intimate at once, and her heart thumped uncomfortably. She dropped her gaze. It was too easy to get lost in the way he looked at her.

Ian opened the door to the confectioner’s shop, and the little bell chimed as they entered. Adam stared at the array of treats on display in the open cases—Italian wet and dry sweetmeats, marshmallow, creams, sugar plums, pastries, ices, and numerous ice cream flavors including pistachio, orange, lemon, and even jasmine and elderflower. It was an irresistible buffet for a boy.

“Can I have more than one serving?” Adam asked.

Ian grinned. “You can have as many as you can eat.”

Adam hopped from one foot to the other in a dance of boyish excitement. Grace watched, amazed. Adam hadn’t been this carefree or happy in a while, and guilt pierced her breast. Over the course of the past months, he’d had trouble sleeping. Had he instinctively sensed Grace’s anxiety over the baron’s gambling and her worries over money?

Her guilt mounted. Had she been so consumed with their imminent future that she’d neglected Adam’s immediate needs? She’d never brought Adam to Gunter’s. It was a luxury, but at the look of rapt adoration on Adam’s face she experienced a pang of regret.

Ian leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Do not think of the past. Once we are wed, we can bring Adam here every week. He’ll soon tire of pistachio.”

She tore her gaze away from the display cases to look up at him. How could he possibly know her thoughts? And more importantly, how could he be so kind toward a young boy he’d just met?

The confectioner approached, and Ellie and Olivia ordered lemon ices and Grace ordered orange. Adam and Ian remained at the counter after Ian had encouraged Adam to sample several flavors to decide which he’d like to accompany his pistachio.

The women chose a table by the window and sat at wire-backed chairs. Finely dressed ladies and gentlemen enjoyed their sweets at neighboring tables. Gunter’s was one of the only establishments in which a gentleman could be seen with a lady without harming her reputation. Several couples were taking advantage.

Grace tasted a spoonful of the ice, and the mix of sugar and citrus was a burst of refreshing flavor. It reminded her of the orangery at Prudence’s country home.

Ellie tasted her ice and looked at Grace. “Have you returned to the milliners?”

Grace lowered her spoon as the hair on her nape rose in warning. “No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?” she asked as casually as she could manage.

It was Ellie’s turn to look nervous. She pushed aside her ice and leaned forward. “Do you promise to keep a secret?”

“A secret?” Grace’s gaze darted to Ellie’s sister, Olivia, who was seated at the table with them.

“It’s all right,” Olivia said. “I know the secret, too.”

“Okay, then. I promise to also keep your confidence,” Grace said.

Ellie nodded. “The owner’s son, Jonathan is most handsome.”

Grace released a held-in breath. Ellie was simply asking about a boy, the milliner’s son. She recalled the look that had passed between them in the shop. It had been harmless flirting between two young people.

“Mrs. Kent is kind. Her son, Jonathan is polite to the clientele and works hard in his mother’s shop.”

“Polite? Yes, I suppose so.” Ellie stirred her ice with her spoon.

“My sister is fond of him and wants to return for another bonnet,” Olivia said.

“Olivia!” Ellie said. “Do not put words into my mouth.”

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“It may be, but I also know there can be nothing between us. But I can notice him, can’t I?” Ellie said beneath lowered lashes, then she grasped Grace’s hand and looked in her eyes. “Promise you will not tell my brother.”

“I already promised to keep your secret. But you must be aware that your mother would frown upon such a…friendship.” The countess would be shocked, then furious. The daughter of an earl could never be with a shopkeeper’s son.

“I know what she would say. Ian would probably agree with her,” Ellie said.

“Are you certain? Your brother is not traditional in his beliefs.” The moment the words were out of her mouth she wondered if they were true. Ian had not lived by Society’s standards. The first time she’d seen him at the Raven Club, he’d been dressed as if he’d stepped out of a boxing ring. He owned a gambling club. But none of that would matter when it came to his sisters.

“Shh. Ian’s headed this way now,” Olivia said.

Ellie exchanged a glance with Grace. The young woman’s eyes were pleading as if to say, Please don’t mention our talk to my brother.