Page 28 of A Bluestocking’s Secret Courtship

“Sir Jonathan?” Evangeline was speaking again. “Am I mistaken about this man’s identity? I assume he is a colleague.”

“Something of the sort.” He donned his hat as well as his bumbling persona to salvage the mission. “Er… Lord Dominic, our appointment—I must admit, I’d forgotten about meeting you.”

“Since breakfast? What a short memory you have, Hackberry.”

Jonathan ground his teeth, not appreciating the insinuation that he was even more dotty than he was pretending to be.

“No apologies are necessary,” Dom said with a cat-that-swallowed-the-canary smile as he turned toward Evangeline and her kin. “I know my colleague here very well. He became caught up in the moment and forgot about me. Typical Hackberry.”

“Sir Jonathan isn’t to blame for missing your appointment,” Evangeline said. “I fear we were monopolizing his attention.”

She locked eyes with Jonathan and offered a warm smile.

You surprisingly generous woman.

Her smile widened as if she could divine his thoughts.

Dom smirked. “I would be a petty man if I faulted him for choosing such charming company over mine. Introduce me to my house guests, my friend.”

Jonathan would rather eat his cravat, but he did the honors. “Allow me to present Lord Dominic Mikleson. His father is the Duke of Valmont.”

“We are estranged,” Dom added with a touch of cheer. “My father and I. I get on well enough with Hackberry here.”

Xavier’s hostile stance lessened. “I hope you and your father are able to mend fences soon.”

Dom shrugged. “Either we will or we won’t. I’ll not lose sleep over it.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Lord Dominic,” Evangeline said. “I did not realize you and Sir Jonathan were in the same field.”

“I don’t want to bore you with talk of my work, Miss Darlington.”

“Far from it, my lord. I’m an antiquarian myself. What is your area of expertise?”

His fellow spy’s eyes darted toward Jonathan, and he subtly signaled for help. Jonathan stood back, allowing Dom to squirm under the lady’s direct gaze.

“I would rather ask how you like Athens,” Dom said. “Have you taken in any sights?”

“Do you mean besides the Acropolis?”

Dom coughed into his fist, shooting a venomous glance at Jonathan.

Regina took pity on Dom and moved to her husband’s side, twining her arm with his. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord. I wish our introduction had not been quite so dramatic, but a lady can never be too careful. She never knows when a scoundrel might surprise her and take a tumble on the stairs.”

“Ma chérie,” Xavier murmured, red staining his cheeks.

The couple looked into one another’s eyes longer than customary. Did they have a secret method of communication like the Regent’s Consul? A pattern of blinks perhaps? Jonathan remained watchful but couldn’t discern anything out of the ordinary.

One message was clear enough, though. Xavier Vistoire adored his wife.

Jonathan shifted his weight. He had never looked at Miss Thorne that way. When he had surrendered his former fiancée to another man, he mourned the loss of a settled life with a kind young woman. He was tired of being alone. Now he realized how selfish his proposal had been.

A wife deserved to be adored.

“As my sister-in-law stated, we are grateful to you for opening your home to us,” Xavier said in a much friendlier tone. “We will not remain in Athens much longer, but if you prefer we seek other lodgings⁠—”

“Nonsense,” Dom said. “There is ample room at the villa. Tonight, we will dine and become better acquainted. I fear we set off on the wrong foot, ladies.”

“Perhaps you shouldn’t have sneaked up behind them,” Jonathan said.