Eve hated to admit it, but she wasn’t exactly upset when Jonathan invited Ben to join them at Gunter’s after the lecture. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she was pleased—that felt disloyal to Jonathan—but she would be lying if she denied enjoying Ben’s companionship at the museum.
Unlike anyone else, he had a way of making her feel interesting and significant. He would lean toward her and look into her eyes any time she spoke, as if missing a single word would be reprehensible to him. And he asked questions—relevant ones—that showed he was truly listening.
At the museum, when she admitted to having misgivings about the swiftness with which she and Jonathan were marrying, Ben hadn’t dismissed her concerns. And yet he hadn’t used her doubts to his advantage either.
Of course, she didn’t know what he wanted from her precisely. He claimed a desire to create a life with her, to have children and make a home together, but she had heard those same words two years ago. She might forgive easier than she should, but she didn’t have a faulty memory.
She slanted a glance over her shoulder at Ben walking with Alice. Her maid hadn’t stopped talking since they left the museum, but if Ben found her chatter unpleasant, one would never know from his attentiveness to her. Eve smiled as she returned her attention to the walkway.
“The Elgin Marbles were a sight,” Alice said. “What do you suppose happened to the heads of the sculptures, Mr. Hillary?”
“That’s a marvelous question. Perhaps they are shoved into the corner of an old attic, stored in a trunk.”
“Mercy! I wouldn’t want to be the one to find them. Can you imagine looking for your grandmother’s wedding gown and discovering a trunk of heads staring up at you?”
“I can’t imagine looking for my grandmother’s wedding gown,” Ben drawled.
Eve chuckled and noted Jonathan didn’t join in. When he quickly glanced at her, his jaw was tight. Her merriment died away. His sudden change in mood caught her by surprise. He had been in good spirits when they left the museum, laughing and teasing with them. He had even commented on being pleased their party excused themselves early from the second lecture so Alice could enjoy the exhibits.
But now… She could feel the tension rolling off him, and the air around him crackled. His gaze darted across the street and narrowed. For a moment, she was afraid they were being followed again, but she couldn’t see any sign of the man from earlier. In fact, everything appeared rather ordinary in Berkley Square with carriages clogging the street and people milling about in the park, but Jonathan’s stiff posture made her uneasy.
“Something is wrong,” she whispered. “What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“It is the man again, isn’t it? He is following us. Where? Behind us?” She swung around, looking for the man in the gray coat. “Mr. Hillary, we require your assist—”
“Julius Caesar!” Jonathan’s sharp bark made her jump, and she dropped his arm. He drew to a halt, blinking at her. “Er… Sorry. I just recalled something I forgot to do before I left home this afternoon.”
Ben clapped him on the shoulder, his smile looking a bit strained. “Is there a problem, Hackberry?”
“No problem.” Jonathan removed his hat and tried to smooth down his wayward curls, but the move left his hair tousled instead. “Well, perhaps a slight one. I—I am afraid I am a bit lost. Does anyone know the way to the tea shop?”
“Oh, law,” Alice mumbled under her breath.
Heat flooded Eve’s face. When she had accepted Jonathan’s proposal, she knew he could be absentminded. Additionally, she had argued he was brilliant and interesting when others declared him too eccentric. Even his sense of direction being akin to that of a lemming’s came as no surprise, but this—and every odd behavior he had shown today—left her speechless.
Ben raised his brows as if asking whether Eve wanted to tell Jonathan where they were or leave it to him. She supposed it would be best coming from her. Coughing delicately into her fist first, she pointedly flicked her gaze to the building across the street.
Jonathan swung his head to look over his shoulder. “Oh.”
Ben offered his arm to Eve. “Shall we?” She didn’t hesitate in accepting his escort, preferring to keep Jonathan at a distance, and very ashamed to admit it.
Jonathan seemed untroubled by Ben stepping into his place and assisted Eve’s maid across the street. “What is your favorite ice cream, Alice?”
Alice shrugged. “I never had a dish before.”
“Then I will surprise you,” Jonathan said, his affable smile returning. “It appears crowded inside, Miss Thorne. Perhaps we should dine in the park. Would you like to find a shady spot while Mr. Hillary and I place our orders?”
Eve craned her neck to see through the shop window. As usual, every table was filled, and there was barely any room to stand. “That sounds lovely.”
“We will not be long.”
As soon as she and Alice crossed the street and couldn’t be overheard, her maid clucked her tongue.
“He is likely tired,” Eve said with a sigh. “I imagine he burned the midnight oil to prepare for today’s lecture.”
Alice shrugged, jostling her heavy bosom. “Perhaps.”
Eve bit her bottom lip as a horrible possibility occurred to her. What if there was no explanation for his behavior today? Her stomach lurched. What if this was simply the real Sir Jonathan Hackberry he was allowing her to see?
* * *
Ben regarded Hackberry as they waited on the walkway for the waiter to reach them. “What was that little act? You got lost?” Ben scoffed. “No one is that harebrained.”
Hackberry scowled. “I had to think of something,” he hissed. “Besides, my little act should help settle the matter a little faster. At this rate, Miss Thorne and I will be welcoming our firstborn before she begs off.”
A waiter exited the shop with a tray and hurried across the street.
Ben’s smile likely resembled an animal baring his teeth. “Touch her and you’ll be meeting Julius Caesar personally.” His words were uttered under his breath for Hackberry’s ears only.
Hackberry arched an eyebrow. “It’s a wonder we have become friends with all the threats you make against me. I suppose I have low standards when it comes to friendship.”
“As do I.” Ben’s fists relaxed at his sides, as he recalled they were on the same side, even if he didn’t approve of Hackberry’s tactics. Nevertheless, there were worse ways the man could discourage Eve. “I guess our low standards make us perfect for one another.”
“You aren’t going to ask me to dance again, are you?”
Ben didn’t have a chance to offer a retort, since it was their turn to place their orders. Hackberry requested a dish of pineapple, nothing for himself, then turned to Ben. “What flavor does Miss Thorne like?”
“Vanilla.”
“Should I order lavender then?”
Ben shooed him away. “Join the women. I will take care of it.” After placing a request for two more dishes of ice cream to be brought to the park, he joined his party.
Eve offered a welcoming smile when she spotted him entering the grove of trees. Stray afternoon sunlight filtered through the lush branches of a maple and created a halo effect around her. Her thick lashes caught the light, making the ends wispy, and her brown eyes glimmered.
A knot formed in his throat. Did she realize how beautiful she was, or how much he’d missed her? Many nights in Delhi he had lain in bed with the image of her in his mind, looking just like this. Sometimes he would talk to her, imagining they had a connection that allowed her to hear his thoughts.
Loneliness wrecked a man’s sanity.
Her smile slipped and the tip of her tongue darted across her full lips, but she didn’t look away.
“Excellent. You are back,” Hackberry said, reminding Ben that he and Eve were not alone. “I must go. Could you see Miss Thorne home?”
A soft squeak came from Eve’s direction. Ben wasn’t sure if it was a protest or simply an expression of surprise, but he didn’t like being caught off guard any more than she did.
Eve’s gaze had dropped to the ground, and she was picking at her glove again. Her embarrassment was like a thorn lodged in Ben’s heart. If this was Hackberry’s plan for driving her away, he should have first discussed it with Ben. Humiliating her was not part of their agreement.
Hackberry sighed, his shoulders drooping as the air left him. “Remember that thing I mentioned forgetting earlier, Miss Thorne? I really should see to it. I am sorry.”
“Can it not wait until you’ve seen Miss Thorne home?” Ben asked.
“No, it cannot.” Hackberry’s jaw hardened, the muscles prominent and taut as he met Ben’s glower without a trace of apprehension. “I’ll trust you to see the lady home safely.”
Suddenly, Ben saw the difference Eve had mentioned earlier. Hackberry was behaving in a damned strange manner. An unforgivably rude manner.
Ben squared off with Hackberry, not willing to ignore the slight on Eve. “I would be honored to provide escort for Miss Thorne,” he bit out, “but perhaps she would prefer the company of her betrothed.”
Eve cleared her throat, and they both turned toward her. A becoming blush added warmth to her normally pale complexion. “If Sir Jonathan has business requiring his attention, perhaps it is best he see to it. I do not wish to keep him from important matters.”
Ben ground his teeth together. What was more important than seeing to Eve? He inclined his head toward her. “If you have no objection, I would be pleased to spend more time in your company.”
“I have no objection.”
Despite Hackberry’s earlier rush to leave, he stayed until the waiter delivered their dishes of ice cream.
Eve accepted hers with a huge smile. “Did you order vanilla for me?”
“Hillary did. I failed to ask what flavor you liked.”
“Oh.” Her gaze cut to Ben as she took her first bite. Closing her eyes, she moaned with pleasure. “Pure heaven, Mr. Hillary. Thank you.”
Her reaction was innocent but arousing as hell. Ben shoved a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth and tried to think of anything but the tiny drop of vanilla lingering on her bottom lip. Or how he wanted to lick away the sweetness for her. She upset his good intentions, however, when she stroked her tongue over her lips, leaving them moist. Ben suppressed his own groan of pleasure and looked away before he embarrassed himself.
Hackberry cleared his throat, his eyes narrowing on Ben for a moment. “Well, I must be off.” He took Eve’s hand and placed a kiss on her glove. “Until tomorrow evening, Miss Thorne.”
“Until tomorrow, sir.”
Hackberry looked back over his shoulder twice as he took his leave. When he disappeared into the crowd, Ben turned his attention back to Eve. “What do you have on your schedule tomorrow?”
“Lady Eldridge and Sir Jonathan are dining at Thorne Place tomorrow evening. Helena thought it prudent to entertain the countess before refusing her offer to host a wedding breakfast in my and Sir Jonathan’s honor. Helena said her cousin can be quite insistent, but Sebastian and his wife support our decision to forgo another celebration.”
“Hmm.” Ben’s ice cream lost its flavor, and he set down his spoon. He didn’t want to think of Eve becoming another man’s wife, and yet denying the truth didn’t change anything. “Only nine more days until the momentous occasion.”
“Yes, nine days.” She focused intensely on her ice cream as she pushed it around with her spoon. “It feels as if time is rushing by.”
For him too. In nine short days, he could lose her forever, but until she signed her name in the parish registry, he still had a chance.
When her ice cream resembled milky soup, Eve looked up with a rueful smile. “I’ve had enough. Once Alice is finished, we should probably find a hack to carry us home.”
Alice’s spoon scraped the bottom of her bowl as she pursued every drop of her treat. After her last bite, she sighed in satisfaction, pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve, and made a show of dabbing the corners of her mouth. “It has been a memorable afternoon thus far. I hate to see it end. Would it be acceptable if we walked back to Thorne Place, miss?”
Eve’s eyes widened. “You wish to walk? It is a good distance.”
“I will let you know if I tire, miss. Then Mr. Hillary can hail a hack for us.” Her maid took the dish from Eve, stacked it in hers, then held her hand out for Ben’s. “I will return these to the waiter and we may go.”
Ben could have hugged the older woman. “It appears you must be burdened with my companionship a little longer, Miss Thorne.”
Her smile when she took his arm and looked up at him through her lashes made his pulse quicken. “You are not too difficult to bear, Mr. Hillary. I will persevere.”