Truce (Neighbor from Hell #4)(21)

Damn it!

James held out his hand. “I believe this is our dance, Lady Elizabeth,” James said smoothly. Their parents were practically giddy. This was planned! They wanted James and Elizabeth together.

The hell that was going to happen!

He would not stand for it.

* * *
Elizabeth had no choice but to accept his offer. Although she wouldn’t mind fulfilling a childhood fantasy by dancing with James, she needed to speak with Robert and get their stories straight. Once that was done, she would happily beat him upside the head with her book, she thought with a smile.

“I believe you’re correct, my Lord,” she said as she took his offered arm, leaving Robert behind to glare after them.

They took their place among the other couples on the dance floor. James smiled down at her. “I must say, Elizabeth, you look nothing like the child I remember.”

“Fourteen years will do that, my Lord,” she said coolly, making him visibly wince.

“Ouch. I suppose I should now apologize for my absence. I did not do it to be cruel, my dear. I had to support my brother and all that.”

“I thought as much. You were always close to my family. I assumed your absence was in support of your brother.”

“Well, you couldn’t blame the boy. You were clearly driving him on the path to Bedlam,” he said with a grin.

She took pride in that. She really shouldn’t, but she did. “He wasn’t such an angel if I recall,” she pointed out just as the waltz began.

He chuckled. “No, he certainly wasn’t. I do recall an incident where he cut off your hair.”

“Yes, I believe someone put tar or some sticky substance on his saddle,” she said innocently.

James laughed heartedly. “Yes, I believe I remember that. He was forced to leave his breeches behind and run to the house, wrapped in an itchy horse blanket.”

She shrugged delicately as they turned. “I still don’t see how he blamed me for someone’s careless placement of such a sticky item.”

His eyes twinkled with merriment. “How ever did he get to you? If my memory is correct, you were both so wary around each other and constantly on guard.”

“I was walking beneath a tree with Mary when he reached down and grabbed my braid. The silly oaf was hanging upside down from a branch. He held on tightly, ignoring Mary’s slaps while he cut my braid off with a dull pocket knife.”

He cringed. “That must have hurt.”

She smiled sweetly. “Not as much as that spanking your father gave Robert later.”

“I bet.” He laughed. “You two were awful.”

“I was worse,” she said with a gleam in her eye. He chuckled as he led her around the dance floor.

When the dance ended he led her off the floor towards the supper room. He walked with her to a table by the far wall and held a chair out for her.

“There you are,” Robert said, taking one of the extra seats at their table. He placed a plate overflowing with food and a glass of punch on the table.

“Please do join us,” James said dryly.

“Thank you, I believe I shall,” Robert said cheerfully.

“I’ll get us something to eat,” James said pleasantly to her before he sent a brief glare in Robert’s direction.

Elizabeth watched nervously as James walked away. “Never going to happen,” Robert said around a bite of biscuit.

* * *
“What?”

“You and my brother. James will always think of you as the fat little pain in the ass that used to follow him around.”

“And you’ll always be the annoying little boy who used to leave more puddles around the house than my dog.”

His temper flared. “Why you little-”

“Ah, Lady Elizabeth, may I join you?” a man with an eager expression that annoyed Robert, asked.

"No, go away," Robert said, glaring at the man.

The man opened his mouth, but quickly shut it as he scurried away.

"That was rude!" Elizabeth hissed softly.

He merely shrugged as he dug into his food.

“Here you are.” James placed a small plate of food and a glass of punch in front of her.

“Thank you, my Lord.”

“James. Please call me James. Our families are old friends, after all.”

“James, thank you,” she said pleasantly.

Robert rolled his eyes and looked back down at his plate. Damn those biscuits were actually warm and pretty good. Not the norm for ball food. He reached over and snagged the biscuit off her plate. “Thanks,” he muttered.

Elizabeth simple rolled her eyes.

“Robert,” James hissed.

“Oh, very well.” He reached over and snagged his brother’s biscuit as well, couldn’t have improprieties after all.

“Are you enjoying yourself this season, Elizabeth?” James asked, pointedly ignoring him now.

Her eyes shot to Robert. There was that blush again. He rather liked that blush on her. “Yes, thank you.”

“Have you had a chance to see the sights?” James asked.

They both knew that she’d been coming to London every year of her life. James really needed to work on his dinner conversation, Robert decided.

“Not yet,” she said with a polite smile.