Lady Evan Wins the Day, The Cousins Book Two (Rough Draft)

Chapter Nine

Through the door, two male voice could be heard. "I believe we are about to be joined, Rose," Emily said, her face brightening with a smile. She rose from the settee and went to the wall. "We shall need more tea."

"After having free reign with your husband's liquor, I'm not sure tea will be wanted," Rosalind said with a laugh.

As her cousin pulled the bellrope, the door opened. "My dear, did you give this stranger permission to do as he pleased with my store of brandy?" Adrian Williams asked as he entered. "He left me without a single drop. Jenson will be in hysterics to have to replenish the cellar."

"I object!" Evan exclaimed as he followed his friend in. "I scarcely touched it. If I really had drunk the lot, I would be flat out on the floor. Mrs. Williams, you ought to speak to him about that."

"Emily, he exaggerates."

"Rosalind, you must make these two see sense." Evan turned to his wife. "You know I am a man of my word."

Shaking her head, Rosalind remained where she was seated. Emily laughed and crossed the room to her husband. "Emily, are these the gentlemen we married or some imposters?" the young woman asked. "I cannot seem to make up my mind."

"Have you two had a comfortable chat?" Mr. Williams asked, taking his wife's hands into his. He dropped a kiss on Emily's cheek. "Or have we interrupted you just when you reached the important parts, and you are about to send us off to amuse ourselves?"

"You are exactly on time," Emily said to him. She smoothed the fabric of her husband's jacket, letting her hands linger on his chest.

Evan rolled his eyes as he came to Rosalind. "If this is the way they are going to behave, I think we would have been better off in London," he said as he sat next to her. "One would think after so many months, they would have gotten over this sort of behavior and that they could greet each other properly."

He leaned over, intent on capturing her lips. Swiftly, Rosalind brought her hand up and pressed it against his chest. "Evan, no," she said with as much firmness as she could muster. "We've only been apart for barely half an hour."

"There are times when you are no fun at all, Rosalind," Evan said with a pout. "Will, if you can tear yourself away from your charming wife, perhaps you would be good enough to tell who else will be joining us and when for this party."

A fresh pot of hot water was brought in and replaced the cold pot on the tea tray. "Well, given my wife's habit of disliking most everyone, you can imagine the difficulty in her finding an appropriate guest list," Adrian said with a laugh.

"Will Mr. and Mrs. Goldman join us for any part of the party?" Rosalind asked, half afraid of the answer but eager to change the subject.

"I sent them an invitation to a picnic in six days, if the weather permits, and also to a ball in three weeks, however, they have not responded yet," Emily said with a dissatisfied scowl. "On Sunday, Mrs. Goldman made a concerted effort to avoid me."

"You are imagining it, dear. As a vicar's wife, no doubt she is busy," her husband said, taking Emily's hand and patting it. "I remember Mrs. Goldman from before she married. She will not pass up the opportunity to attend a ball, not if she wishes to know what is happening before anyone else."

A thoughtful expression flitted across Emily's face. "Too true. A gossip does not like to be cut off from her source of tittle-tattle. Their acceptance will undoubtedly arrive any day now."

"Are those Cook's lemon tarts I see?" Evan asked, leaning over to have a better look at the treats displayed.

"Indeed." Emily placed some on a plate and passed it to him. "She insisted on making them for you. Nothing else would do to hear her tell it. You have a taste for them?"