Page 33 of Discovering Her Earl

Thinking of mucking had him recall their battle earlier and he smiled. To his great surprise he saw her smile back, her cheeks tinged a light pink.

Ravishing.

“We are so sorry to have left London without you. As I said in my letter, we needed to stop at our son’s home to visit our newest grandchild.”

“It cannot be,” Julian said. “You don’t look old enough to be a grandmother.” Julian used the tone that won over all manner of women. Except, of course, the one he truly needed to endear to him.

“Oh, you,” Mrs. Leighton said with her cheeks pulled up into a wide smile.

“I’m sure I don’t know how I got so lucky as to choose a wife who refuses to age,” Mr. Leighton doted on his wife, making her blush deepen in a delightful way. It was nice to see a couple who appreciated one another.

“Elaina, I daresay, when you choose a husband, make sure he is completely besotted.”

Elaina.

He swallowed the urge to speak her name almost more than he could manage.

Elaina frowned at Mrs. Leighton’s comment.

“I will be certain to do that.” Even the little Julian knew of her he could tell it was a lie. She pressed a smile back on her face and turned to him.

“Lord Melville, the Leightons will be joining us in our quest for relics tomorrow.”

“I am delighted and look forward to digging about in the dirt next to you for the foreseeable future. But tomorrow? Don’t you wish to rest after your journey?”

Why had he said that? Had he sounded as obvious to the others in the foyer as he sounded to himself? Did they all know he wished to be alone with Miss Bant—Elaina?

“I assure you we will be quite restored after a good night’s sleep and will be ready at first light,” Mr. Leighton said with a bow.

Apparently, it was normal to head out at an ungodly time of night. He’d almost thought she’d done that on purpose to dissuade him from coming.

“We have time before dinner if you wish to freshen up from your journey. Are you hungry?” Elaina asked like the perfect hostess. He rather liked seeing her playing the role of hostess in his home.

“I might have eaten my shoe already if I didn’t know I would be needing it,” Mr. Leighton joked, making all of them laugh, including Elaina.

Why did she laugh at this man’s jokes, yet Julian had to work extra hard to get so much as a smile or a chuckle?

Mrs. Leighton looked around the foyer.

“Dinner sounds lovely. Will we see Henry and Rose then?”

Elaina shook her head.

“I’m afraid they were unable to accompany us on this trip. Uncle Henry had things to see to in London.”

Mrs. Leighton frowned and looked about the foyer once more as if Lord and Lady Darlington would pop out from behind the potted palm and surprise her.

With her voice dropping to a whisper the woman asked, “Who else accompanied you on the trip?”

Elaina straightened her shoulders. It was just a subtle shift, but he noticed because he was watching her so closely. The question made her uncomfortable.

After all her bluster that she didn’t need a chaperone to spend days upon days in a carriage with him, she was now embarrassed to confirm the arrangement with the other woman.

“It is just Lord Melville and myself this time. And now the two of you, of course.”

“Oh, dear.” Mrs. Leighton rested a hand over her lips in dismay. “This is all our fault. You were counting on me to serve as chaperone and I let you down.”

“Of course not. You know I don’t require a chaperone at my age.”