“No, I don’t think it’s that. He was able to crack jokes about her living at the North Pole, so I think they must have parted on amicable terms.”

Sophie’s brow lifted in a perfect arch. “So you have talked about it?”

Dammit. Lila could have kicked herself for being so obvious. For an ice princess, she was doing a terrible job of hiding herself away. “It came up in the regular course of conversation, that’s all.”

“Sure it did. I mean, I usually wait until the second week of training until I plumb the depths of my clients’ previous relationships, but you’ve always been much more efficient than me.”

“It’s the truth!” Lila dumped the fruit onto a platter and did her best to hide her suddenly flaming face. Okay, so her interactions with Ford had a tendency to strain the bounds of propriety, but it wasn’t as if she had any other choice. Dealing with a man like that one required all the ingenuity she had. He crushed formality with his ready smile and put her into a flutter with no more than a word. In fact, the only thing that seemed to work at all was treating him to the same cavalier flirtation he was inclined to show her.

And, you know, every other woman he met.

Lila had just wiped her hands on her apron when the doorbell sounded once again. It alarmed no one except her. Although the steady stream of guests to the door was the whole point of this exercise, she hadn’t invited anyone else to attend.

Jeeves performed his part to perfection as everyone went about the normal business of enjoying high tea. As soon as he heard the sound of an arrival, his curly black ears pricked up and his little body went rigid, just like a butler preparing to answer the door. Since he was never far from Emily, he was able to dash to her side and press his nose against her hand in a matter of seconds. Emily performed her part, too, looking to her father for permission before following Jeeves to the door.

“More company?” she squealed, remembering to thank Jeeves for his good work before using both hands to turn the knob. “Hello, and welcome to my—”

Her voice cut out the moment the door swung open to reveal the newest addition to the party. “Hello, Em-ee-lee!” Helen spoke in an overly loud, overenunciated voice. “How nice to see you again. And looking so grown up in that dress. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

Only Lila was looking at Ford as his neighbor descended upon them, so only Lila noticed the flicker of weary resignation that crossed his expression before being replaced with a beaming smile. It was as good an indication as any that the face he showed to the world wasn’t representative of his true feelings.