Page 7 of More or Less a Countess
“Miss Somerset, will you play?”
Nick followed Lady Derrick’s gaze to a yellow silk settee near the back of the room, to a young lady who froze like a frightened rabbit at the request.
It was his sweet little dinner companion with the dark blue eyes, fair hair, and pretty lips. When he’d taken his seat across from her at table she’d flushed as pink as a peony, and hadn’t been able to bring herself to meet his gaze.
“Ah, see how clever my wife is.” There was no mistaking the way Lord Derrick lingered possessively over the wordsmy wife. “We’ll be fortunate indeed if Lady Derrick can persuade Miss Somerset to play. She displays her musical skills only rarely, but they’re exceptional.”
Nick stifled another yawn. He didn’t much care whether the chit played or not. “Somerset, you said? I don’t recognize the name. Who is she?” Oddly, he didn’t recall Derrick introducing them at dinner.
“Hyacinth Somerset. She’s one of Lady Chase’s granddaughters.”
Nick’s gaze narrowed on Miss Somerset as she seated herself on the pianoforte bench and paused, her fingers poised above the keys. “Lady Anne Chase? I didn’t realize she had granddaughters.”
Lady Chase was one of a group of a dozen matrons who continued to hold considerable power over fashionable London, despite their advanced age. She was alternately feared for her irascibility and respected for her spotless character and vast fortune, but no matter what one thought of her, she was indisputably one of the grand old dames of London.
“They only came to London two years ago, to live with Lady Chase after their parents were killed in an unfortunate accident. Hyacinth Somerset is a sweet little thing, and a dear friend of Lady Derrick’s. She plays beautifully, but she’s rather timid, I’m afraid.”
Nick stifled a snort. Timid? She looked as if she were about to fall into a terrified swoon. The delicate pink had leached from her cheeks, leaving her so pale she was gray, and her hands were trembling. For God’s sake, what was wrong with the chit? Surely she’d displayed her musical skills in dozens of drawing rooms before this? Nick stifled a sigh as her fingers sank to the keys, and he braced himself for another lackluster performance.
There was a collective indrawn breath as Miss Somerset’s fingers began to move delicately over the keys, and Nick went still as the first dozen notes of Haydn’s final piano sonata floated through the drawing room. A hush fell as she sank into the piece, a faint smile curling her lips as the light, trilling notes tumbled over each other.
The tense muscles in Nick’s neck eased, and a flush of pleasure washed over him, akin to the feeling one got when sinking into a warm bath after a day spent outdoors in the cold. He was particularly fond of Haydn, and he’d never heard this piece played so beautifully. Miss Somerset’s technical skill was impressive, but she’d also captured the exuberant, whimsical quality of the music, and she took such obvious delight in playing that it was a joy to listen to her.
Joy.Now that…thatwas something new.
When she was finished she sat for a moment at the piano bench, lost in the music still, but her head jerked up at the enthusiastic applause, and her eyes widened, as if she were surprised to find a crowd of people in the room.
She rose awkwardly to her feet, and Nick half-rose himself, but before he could offer to escort her back to her place Lady Derrick hurried over, wrapped an arm around Miss Somerset’s shoulders, and led her from the drawing room.
Derrick nodded at a fair-haired lady and a tall, stern gentleman who followed after them. “That’s her sister, Lady Huntington, and the Marquess of Huntington with her.”
“Why is Miss Somerset in London at all this time of year?” It wasn’t as if it were the middle of the season, after all. “She must be off to the country soon for the holidays.”
“Lady Chase has a country estate in Buckinghamshire, but she never goes. She claims it’s too far. She’s rather fussy, and she detests the country. She rarely leaves London, and she insists upon having her granddaughters with her at all times.”
“Miss Somerset is a pretty little thing. I don’t believe you introduced me to her at dinner, Derrick. Why don’t you, and perhaps I’ll call on her tomorrow.” It was something to do, anyway, and the gesture would please his aunt. Even with her exacting standards, she couldn’t find anything to fault in one of Lady Chase’s granddaughters.
But Lord Derrick let out a short laugh and shook his head. “An introduction? No, indeed. Miss Somerset is alady, Dare, not an opera singer or an actress, or a lusty widow looking for a protector. Introducing her to you would be like throwing a tender lamb straight into the lion’s jaws.”
Nick stared at his old friend, a sudden, bitter anger burning his throat. He should have known Derrick hadn’t simplyforgottento introduce him to Miss Somerset. It had been intentional, and there could be only one reason for such a slight. Nick didn’t deny he was a rogue, but for all his wicked ways, he wasn’t a despoiler of virgins.
“Christ, Derrick. Do you truly believe I’d insult an innocent young lady? I may not be Graham, but I’m not an utter villain.”
A dull red flush spread over Lord Derrick’s face. “I beg your pardon, Dare. I didn’t mean to suggest…my wife is very fond of the Somerset sisters, and Hyacinth Somerset is…unusual. I’m afraid we’re all rather overprotective of her.”
“Yes, well, I didn’t ask you to deliver her to my bedchamber like some kind of pagan sacrifice, Derrick. It’s a simple introduction, that’s all. If the lady doesn’t care for me, I’ll leave her alone.”
Of course, shewouldcare for him. Ladies always did, and with little effort on his part.
As if to prove this point, Lady Uplands caught his eye from the other side of the room and began to pout and nibble at her lips. Nick let his gaze drift from her luscious mouth to her spectacular bosom, and all at once he recalled a special sensual talent of hers, one that involved her two best features:
Those pouting lips, and that generous bosom.
Perhaps he’d pay her a brief visit in Harley Street tonight, after all. His aunt didn’t need to know—
“I suppose an introduction won’t hurt,” Lord Derrick allowed. “As I said before, she’s shy, but I’ll see if she’ll agree to come back to the drawing room with me. If she does, you’ll act the proper gentleman, Dare.”
“What, you mean no leering, and no suggestive comments? No throwing her over my shoulder and—”
