Her eyes widened for the merest second, then she pasted on a polite smile and came forward to greet him. Harry clasped her hand in his and interlocked their fingers. Leaning down, he kissed her cheek at the corner of her mouth to test her reaction.

Elise’s hand trembled in his. “What are you doing?”

He glanced over his shoulder casually, then faced her again. “Your parents are watching. They think something is brewing between us, so I obliged their little fantasy.” And his as well.

Elise’s smile never faltered, but she looked defenseless for a split second before her face hardened and her eyes shot sparks. Harry restrained a chuckle. She spat quicker than a wildcat every time he touched her. It made him wonder why.

His heart thumped a bit faster. Here lately, he had sensed a softening in her attitude toward him. Did she still fancy him, or did his touch upset her? One thing was certain, he intended to find out.

“Do your parents follow the proper order of precedence at these dinner parties, or are they more relaxed than Nick’s bunch of aristos?” he asked in an undertone, keeping a firm grip on her hand when she tugged.

“Generally, my father follows protocol, but when it’s just family and close friends, he bypasses it altogether.” She gave up the tug-of-war and let her hand lie passively in his.

“I assume by your remark that we’re not seated at the head table?”

“Actually, Mother wanted you there. She’s fascinated with military maneuvers and would have pestered you all through supper. I insisted you would much prefer a less conspicuous table. It was the least I could do after twisting your arm to attend. I know how you hate formal occasions.”

“Formal to-dos don’t bother me so much anymore. I grew accustomed to them when I was on General Patterson’s staff.”

A line appeared between her brows. “I wasn’t aware you were on General Patterson’s staff.”

“That’s probably because I never told you.” He tucked a shiny red curl behind her ear, his fingers lingering.

Nigel hadn’t included that bit on his SIS dossier, but Harry had to admit, it was nice to hear Elise had looked him up. She was nothing if not thorough.

“We’re at table two,” Elise murmured as they entered the dining hall.

The vast space, done in pale blues, ivories, and elaborate ceiling moldings, dripped with crystal chandeliers. Round tables lay scattered about the room to accommodate the large company of guests.

Two other couples had seated themselves at their table by the time they arrived. Harry recognized the brunette as Elise’s sister, Lady Sophie, and a quick glance at her date’s name card proclaimed him Zander Matthews. The other couple remained unknown to him.