Paying the Virgin's Price (Regency Silk & Scandal #2)(12)

'Well, no.' It was just that she did not ever remember seeing him here before. And she was sure, had he shared the street with them in the past, she would have noticed.

Diana doubted Marc's apparent friendship with the man would require his sister's association with him. If it did, Marc would introduce them properly, in his own good time. For safety's sake, she prepared to steer Verity and Honoria to the other side of the street. 'You are probably right. He is shopping, or running errands of some sort. But I doubt he means to mix with us. He seemed most uncomfortable when visiting yesterday, and was in a hurry to leave.'

Verity gave her a round-eyed look. 'He did not seem to hold us any ill will, did he?'

'Of course not. But neither did I have any reason to think he might wish our company today.'

'Nonsense,' said Honoria. 'We do not mean him any harm. We are only being friendly. It is not as if Verity and I are angling after him, no matter how flattering your description might have been.'

Verity shaded her eyes with her hand for a better look. 'Flattering as well as accurate. He is most handsome, is he not?' She grinned at Diana. 'And it would show an amazing lack of Christian charity to appear to shun our brother's old friend, if we meet him on the street.'

Although she was sure that Verity's heart was at least partly in the right place, Honoria must know that an act of Christian charity by a marriageable young lady towards an attractive, eligible man was liable to be misinterpreted. But it was too late to explain this, for Honoria was waving her handkerchief at the gentleman in question. 'Here, Mr Dale! Over here!' She set out at a quick pace towards the man, who was momentarily curious as to the identity of the person greeting him. But then he recognized Diana, trailing in Honoria's wake. And his eyes took on a distinctly hunted expression.

'Honoria!' she said sharply, hurrying after the girl. 'You have not been properly introduced to the man.'

Honoria ignored the tone of warning. 'Nonsense. He told you he had seen us as children, did he not? Then surely we need not be so formal. But if it bothers you, then you must remedy the fact immediately, and present us to him.

'Mr Dale? I understand that you are an old friend of our family. I was most disappointed to be indisposed when you visited yesterday.' She favoured Mr Dale with her most brilliant smile and then cast a significant glance in Diana's direction.

Diana gave up, and said, with a resigned tone, 'Mr Dale, may I present Lady Honoria and Lady Verity Carlow.'

He gave a somewhat stiff bow, and answered, 'You are correct, ladies. We are already acquainted. Although you were both much too small to remember me, and I was but a boy when I last saw you.'

Verity said, 'Miss Price and I were speculating on your appearance in Bond Street. I do not remember seeing you here before.'

Diana coloured and gave a small shake of her head to indicate that they had been doing nothing of the kind, for the last thing she wanted was to reveal the true nature of her speculations. She was sure that her head-shake looked nothing like the saucy toss Verity was giving her golden curls, to make them catch the sunlight.

Nathan Dale was wearing the same poleaxed expression that men often got when the Carlow sisters turned their considerable charms upon them. He muttered, 'Tailor,' as though he could barely remember what had brought him out to shop.

'So you frequent the area?' Verity gave Diana a triumphant look. 'I suppose we have seen you in the past. But the renewed acquaintance of our families puts a fresh face on the experience. Now that we know you again, we shall be running into each other all the time.'

Diana was sure that this was not the case. She was convinced that she would have been drawn to the man's striking appearance, had she seen it before.

For his part, Mr Dale looked positively horrified at the notion that he would be seeing them again and again.

But Verity ignored this as well, and said, 'Now that we have found you, may I ask you to be of assistance? We are overburdened by packages. If you could help us regain our carriage?'

No gentleman could refuse, although this one looked like he wished to. He glanced around for a moment, almost as if he was embarrassed to be seen with them. But then he bowed again and took the packages anyway, then turned to help them find their transport. Once that was achieved, it seemed Verity would not be satisfied with the aid of servants, but required Mr Dale to escort them all the way back to the house.

Diana could see him struggling to come up with a polite refusal, his eyes finding hers and holding them with a mute appeal for aid. But then, Honoria linked her arm through his, and all but dragged him into the carriage to sit beside her. 'There,' she said, giving a sigh of satisfaction. 'This is much better, is it not?'

Mr Dale gave a nod of polite agreement. Although since she was seated opposite him, Diana could see from his miserable expression that this was the last place on earth he wished to be. He remained in strained silence as the normally quiet Verity prattled on in a most annoying way about the price of ribbons and the challenge of finding a sufficiently fluffy coq feather in exactly the right shade of blue.

Diana had no idea what had gotten into the girl, although she suspected it had something to do with silver hair and green eyes. But she was well on the way to giving her a megrim. Mr Dale seemed of a similar mind, squirming in his seat as though he wished to fling open the door and dart from the coach, willing to risk a fall beneath the horse's hooves, over slow death by millinery.