Page 31 of The Wedding Challenge

A faint smile played about his lips, and there was a light in his eyes that warmed Callie’s blood. “Indeed, I did not forget. But it was your feeling on the subject that I wanted to determine.”

With that, he bowed to her, then turned and made his way to the door, where Francesca stood, chatting politely with Mr. Tilford and one of the newer arrivals. As Callie watched, the earl spoke to Francesca, clearly making his goodbyes with a bow. Francesca smiled at him, and when he said something else to her, she glanced quickly over at Callie. Then she turned back to the earl, a smile on her face, and said a few more words. Callie felt certain she had given the man permission to call on them.

The rest of the evening dragged. The play could not hold Callie’s interest, and she had to resist the temptation to turn and look over at the earl’s box when the intermission came after the second act. There were more visitors to their box at that point, and she chatted with them in a superficial way, but her mind was elsewhere.

She was happy when the play ended and they were able to return home. Callie was quiet on the ride, and she noticed that Francesca was, as well. When Sir Lucien teased them about their unusual silence, Francesca smiled faintly at him and admitted that their day of shopping had left her somewhat tired.

“Then I shall not keep you ladies up any longer,” Sir Lucien promised.

True to his word, when they arrived at Francesca’s house, he escorted them inside, then promptly took his adieu. However, when they had climbed the stairs to their rooms, Francesca made a gesture toward her bedroom, saying, “Why don’t you come into my room for a moment? We can talk.”

“All right,” Callie agreed, and walked past into Francesca’s bedchamber.

A little anxiously, she wondered what Francesca’s purpose was. Had Sinclair specifically told her not to allow Callie to see the earl? Was Francesca regretting her decision to allow Callie to stay with her?

“Is aught amiss?”

“No. Oh, no.” Francesca smiled. “I hope you did not think I meant to lecture.”

Callie shook her head, returning the smile. “I know you would not lecture me. But I thought perhaps you had misgivings about my staying with you.”

“No, of course not!” Francesca exclaimed. “I am delighted to have you here. I was just wondering…” She hesitated, a delicate frown creasing her forehead. “That is to say, I am not sure whether Rochford would quite like the Earl of Bromwell calling on us.”

“Do you know aught against him?” Callie asked, coming closer. “Did you dislike the man?”

“No, on the contrary, I found him quite pleasant. He was well-spoken and polite. Very handsome, as I suspect you noticed.” She cast a teasing glance at Callie.

Callie could not keep from blushing, but she said only, “I was aware of it.”

“I know almost nothing about him—only what Lucien told us,” Francesca went on. “I had never met the earl until this evening.”

Callie knew that she should tell Francesca that Sinclair had told her not to see the earl. She should reveal that her brother had warned the man away from her. It was not fair to Francesca to let her unwittingly go against the duke’s wishes.

But Callie could not bring herself to do so.

“If you do not know him,” she began carefully, “why do you think I should not see him?”

Francesca shook her head. “It is not that I think you should not. It is just that I am…uncertain.” She paused, then asked bluntly, “Is the earl the man over whom you argued with Rochford?”

“Yes,” Callie admitted. She could not lie to her friend. “Sinclair was looking for me, and he found us out on the terrace. But there was nothing wrong with it. We did not go out there together. I had been foolish enough to allow another man to maneuver me outside, and then, when I wanted to go back in, he grew quite obnoxious, and he seized me by the arms.”

“Callie!” Francesca exclaimed. “Did he—”

“He tried to kiss me!” Callie told her, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment and anger at the memory. “I was furious. But then Lord Bromwell came up and sent the man packing. He—we—well, I took a moment to regain my calm. And that is when Sinclair came looking for me and found me with the earl.”

“Did you explain to Rochford?” Francesca asked.

“I tried,” Callie recalled indignantly. “He would not listen to me. He would not give either of us a chance to explain. Nor would he give me any reason for doing so—and now you say you think he would not like it, but you will not say why, either.”

Francesca pressed her lips together and turned aside. Callie felt a strong suspicion that Francesca wanted to say more but would not allow herself to.

“What do you know?” she asked Francesca quickly. “Why won’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know why Rochford reacted that way. And it is not my place to say.” Francesca looked distinctly uncomfortable.

“Perhaps you do not know, but you suspect something,” Callie persisted. “Surely I have a right to know. I am the one who is affected.”

“Yes, of course, but…” Francesca grimaced. “This should lie between you and Rochford.”