―Mr. Gre-ey!" her grandmother trilled from across the room.

―Lady Vickers," he said solicitously, walking back to the seating area. He did not, however, sit.

―We think you must court my granddaughter," she announced.

Annabel felt her skin turn to beets, and she would have loved to have crawled under a chair, but panic set in, and she hurried over, exclaiming, ―Oh, Grandmother, you can‘t be serious." And then to Mr. Grey: ―She‘s not serious."

―I‘m serious," her grandmother said succinctly. ―It‘s the only way."

―Oh no, Mr. Grey," Annabel put in, absolutely mortified that he was being ordered to court her.

―Please don‘t think—"

―Am I that bad?" he said dryly.

―No! No. I mean, no, you know that you are not."

―Well, I‘d hoped…" he murmured.

Annabel looked over at the other two ladies for help, but they were offering none of it.

―None of this is your fault," Annabel said firmly.

―Nevertheless," he said grandly, ―I cannot stand by while a damsel is in distress. What sort of gentleman would I be?"

Annabel looked over at Lady Olivia. She was smiling in a way that alarmed her.

―It‘s nothing serious , of course," Lady Vickers said. ―All for show. You may part ways by the end of the month. Amicably, of course." She smiled wolfishly. ―We would hate for Mr. Grey to feel he was not welcome here at Vickers House."

Annabel hazarded a glance at the gentleman in question. He looked a bit queasy.

―Please do sit again," Lady Vickers said, patting the spot on the sofa beside her. ―You make me feel a most incompetent hostess."

―No!" Annabel burst out, without even beginning to ponder the ramifications of that one word.

―No?" her grandmother echoed.

―We should go for a walk," Annabel said.

―We should?" Mr. Grey said. ―Oh, we should."

―Absolutely, you should," Lady Olivia said.

―The weather is fine," Annabel said.

―And everyone will see us and think we are courting," Mr. Grey finished. He took Annabel‘s arm with alacrity and announced, ―And so we depart!"

They hurried from the room, not speaking a word until reaching the front steps, when Mr. Grey turned to her and let out a heartfelt, ―Thank you."

―It was my pleasure," Annabel said, stepping lightly down to the pavement. She turned back and smiled. ―I live to rescue gentlemen in distress."

Chapter Fourteen

Before Sebastian could respond with a suitably pithy statement, the front door of Vickers House opened and Olivia emerged. He glanced up at her and raised a brow.

―I am your chaperone," she explained.

Before he could respond pithily to that , she added, ―Miss Winslow‘s maid has the afternoon free, so it was either me or Lady Vickers."

―We are delighted to have you," he said firmly.

―What happened in there?" Olivia asked, descending to the pavement.

Sebastian looked over at Miss Winslow, who was looking rather determinedly at a tree.

―I couldn‘t possibly discuss it," he said, turning back to Olivia. ―It‘s far too painful."

He thought he heard Miss Winslow snort. He did like her sense of humor.

―Very well," Olivia said, making a shooing motion with her hand. ―Go on ahead. I shall hang back, being chaperony."

―Is that a word?" Because really, he had to ask. After the purview incident, she had no right to be using improper vocabulary.

―If it‘s not, it should be," she announced.

Sebastian had all sorts of pithy replies to that, but unfortunately they all involved the revealing of his secret identity, such as it was. But as he was constitutionally unable to allow the comment to pass without saying something to needle Olivia, he turned to Miss Winslow and said, ―This is her first time."

―Her first…?" Miss Winslow twisted back toward Olivia, her face delightfully confused.

―As a chaperone," he clarified, taking her arm. ―She‘ll be trying to impress you."

―I heard that!"

―Of course you did," he said agreeably. He leaned a little closer to Miss Winslow and whispered in her ear, ―We shall have to work hard to be rid of her."

―Sebastian!"

―Hang back, Olivia," he called out. ―Hang back."

―This doesn‘t seem right," Miss Winslow said. Her lips made quite an adorable frown, and Seb found himself pondering all the ways her pout might be melted into something a tad more seductive. Or seducible.

―Hmmm?" he murmured.

―It‘s not as if she‘s a maiden aunt," she said, following that with: ―Lady Olivia, please. You must come forward and join us."

―I am quite certain that is not what Sebastian wants," Olivia said, but Seb noticed that she had quite the spring in her step as she came abreast. ―Do not worry, Seb," she said to him. ―Lady Vickers gave me her newspaper. I shall find a tidy little bench to sit upon, and the two of you may meander about all you wish."

She held out the newspaper, clearly intending for him to carry it, so he did. He never argued with females unless it was absolutely necessary.

They made their way to the park, chatting about nothing in particular, and true to her word, Olivia immediately found a bench and proceeded to ignore them. Or at least to do a cracking good job of pretending to ignore them.

―Shall we take a turn?" he asked Miss Winslow. ―We can imagine this is an extremely large drawing room and walk the perimeter."

―That would be lovely." She looked back at Olivia, who was reading her newspaper.