studied Charles with a bemused expression, as if he were speaking Hindi.
âWhy the devilââ She stopped, pressing her lips together when he raised his eyebrows. âWhy in heavenâs name would you take us to see an ornamental dairy in the middle of London?â She punctuated her marginally more polite comment by rolling her eyes.
Aunt Lucy had been correctâGillian Dryden was a social catastrophe in the making. Charles wondered again why heâd agreed to tutor her in the fine art of polite behavior.
After Gillianâs quip yesterday about hunting bandits, the discussion had gone rapidly downhill, only ending when Aunt Lucy ordered them to stop behaving like children. That had been an accurate assessment of them, especially Griffin Steele. Heâd threatened to run Charles through with a blade if Charles made one more insulting comment about his sister. Steeleâs threat had come when Charles suggested that Gillianâs lowbrow behavior was more suited to a tavern brawl than a polite discussion. Gillian had retorted that sheâd find a brawl a great deal more entertaining than talking to him.
When Aunt Lucy had finally reduced them to grumbling acquiescence, sheâd looked at Charles with a woeful expression and released him from any obligation to Gillian or the family.
âYou mustnât stay a moment longer and subject yourself to this unfortunate scene,â sheâd said, fluttering her lace hankie at him as if waving a flag of surrender. Sheâd ended on a little quaver that Charles suspected was entirely feigned.
Clearly affected by her grandmotherâs artful performance, Gillian had blushed pink and bitten her lower lip. Still, she held her tongue, neither apologizing nor contradicting her grandmother. Steele obviously didnât want Charles there by that point either, so theyâd given him the perfect out.
Though heâd had every intention of taking the opportunity to escape from the Marbury Madhouse, heâd found himself settling back in his chair, thinking for a minute or two. Then heâd made some inane comment about growing pains and how he knew theyâd all get along just fine. His about-face had stunned Gillian and Steele, but not, he suspected, his aunt.
Aunt Lucy had exploited his weak pointâhis infernal pride. If there was one thing Charles hated, it was the notion that there was someone he couldnât bend to his will. He came from a long line of warriors and politicians, stretching back to William the Conqueror. Nobody ever told a Penley what he could or couldnât do. It was like waving a flag in front of a bull, and yesterday it had worked like a charm on Charles.
He touched Gillianâs elbow and got her walking again. âMany visitors to London come to see the ornamental dairy. And I thought you might enjoy seeing Green Park and its various attractions.â
âYou obviously donât know me very well.â She glared at the pretty little farm building as if its very presence was an offense against nature. âThe whole thing is ridiculous, but I suppose nothing should surprise me about Londoners.â
âMiss Dryden, itâs usually not the done thing to berate a gentleman when heâs kind enough to take a young lady on an outing. Instead, she displays a becoming gratitude by showing her enthusiasm for the activity, even if such enthusiasm is partly feigned.â
âLie, in other words.â She crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the large feather muff that dangled from one wrist. It hung down like some strange animal, making Charles wonder why sheâd carted it along in the first place. Fortunately, it was the only flaw in her otherwise elegant ensemble. A dark green, close-fitting pelisse displayed her tall and naturally graceful figure to excellent advantage, and was matched by a dashing grenadier-style hat that sat at a rakish angle on her glossy, dark curls.
There was