Page 56 of How to Lose a Lord in Ten Days

‘A coup indeed,’ Lady Hesse murmured, watching as Lady Phoebe ushered the captain over the threshold.

‘Oh, my goodness,’ Miss Hesse whispered.

‘Such a pleasure to have you with us!’ Sir Waldo boomed with his usual volume, seizing von Prett’s hand in a vigorous handshake. ‘Such a pleasure.’

‘I did not know he looked like that,’ Lady Morton said sotto voce, stepping away from the window and reaching up to adjust her bodice a touch lower.

‘Lord Dacre, my brother-in-law,’ Lady Phoebe continued, moving Dacre forward.

‘Is he so special looking?’ Lord Hesse said in peevish undertone.

‘I’ve never truly seen the appeal, myself,’ Mr Brandon muttered.

‘You have eyes, don’t you?’ Lady Morton said.

Lydia tore her eyes away from Captain von Prett to look around her. Everyone else was staring, too, whether in admiration or churlishness. Even Lady Hesse was trying to subtly fluff up her curls. That clinched it. Von Prett was real. He was here, in the flesh, and for one long moment, Lydia felt awash with excitement. She had so wished to renew their acquaintance! Fortune was smiling on her at last and—

‘How interesting.’

Ashford’s voice was extremely close, intimate in tone. Lydia turned to him slowly, knowing that she would not like what she was about to see.

‘I believe that,’ Ashford said, a seraphic smile sweeping across his face, ‘might constitute some leverage, don’t you think?’

And Lydia remembered where she was.

Remembered why she was here.

Remembered what she was wearing.

‘It’s moments like this,’ Ashford said, as Lady Phoebe began to walk Captain von Prett around the room, so quietly only she could hear him, ‘that one does indeed believe in the power of divine intervention. Would you introduce me to your paramour, Miss Hanworth? As your betrothed, I should so love to meet him.’

This was bad. This was very bad. Too many thoughts were flying around her mind to focus on any single one, and all she was aware of was the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. She could not have predicted this, this was utterly new territory now, the kind that required several hours to properly absorb, and then several days to re-strategize, but Lady Phoebe was approaching, and Ashford was bowing and Lydia had no more than five seconds before she was going to have to speak to Captain von Prett, and it was becoming very difficult to breathe …

‘May I present Miss Hanworth?’ Lady Phoebe was there.

It took Lydia a moment to remember how to curtsey, and even longer to remember how to speak. She rose, staring – gaping, really, for her mouth was open and she could not seem to close it.

‘A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Hanworth,’ Captain von Prett said, bowing in turn.

‘I – we – we’ve met, before,’ Lydia stammered.

‘Oh!’ Captain von Prett said, a flicker of a frown quickly wiped away. ‘But of course! It was at the, er …’

‘Perhaps you do not recollect the exact encounter?’ Ashford suggested happily.

‘You meet so many people,’ Lydia said, wishing it were appropriate to elbow Ashford in the side. ‘Of course I did not expect—’

‘At Darracott house,’ Captain von Prett said, snapping his fingers in realization. ‘We spoke after my talk.’

‘You remember?’ Lydia beamed. Take that, Ashford.

‘Of course,’ Captain von Prett said. ‘You wished to know more about my dear Emmeline, did you not?’

The captain had lectured on some of the far and foreign shores he had visited, so vividly that one felt one had accompanied him. For Lydia, however, it had been his earnest description of Emmeline, his first love who had tragically died before their marriage, which had made the most impression.

‘Yes,’ she said, rather faintly. His smile was very warm, and in such close proximity, the effect was rather overwhelming. He had remembered her. It was more than she would have dared to hope.

‘I can only wonder that I did not recognize you at once,’ the captain said. ‘Have you have changed your …’