Guy followed her and paused in the hotel foyer, watching as she seemed to hesitate at the entrance, as if deciding what to do next. After a moment she seemed to make up her mind, saying something to the liveried doorman before going out under the portico. The doorman blew on his whistle and a hansom cab approached immediately.

Guy sidestepped quickly around the doorman and opened the cab door himself. “Miss Rutherford . . .” He gestured invitingly.

“Are you stalking me?” Petra demanded in an indignant undertone, conscious of the attentive doorman.

“Of course I’m not. Whatever gave you that idea? Are you getting in, or not?”

Petra stepped up into the cab and was not surprised when Guy followed her, settling on the seat next to her. “Where should I tell him to take you?” he asked pleasantly.

Petra leaned forward to the cabbie. “Brook Street, please.” She sat back again reflecting that if the man wouldn’t take a gentle hint it was going to be difficult to pursue her intended course of bland indifference to his attentions.

“I’ve upset you in some way,” Guy said without preamble. “Since we agreed to let bygones be bygones, I’m at a loss to know what I’ve done now. So tell me, please.”

“Very well.” She turned her head to look at him. “You made my brother uncomfortable. He assumed he had invited us to lunch and you swept the ground from beneath his feet. You must surely understand that he looks up to you to a certain extent, you’re older than he is and you sit in the Lords. He’s a very junior member of Parliament and you outrank him in age and status and you made that clear.”

“Yes,” he agreed calmly. “I did. It was thoughtless and when he pointed it out to me, I apologized for it. I think, Petra, that your brother is quite capable of fighting his own battles. He expressed his discomfort to me and I did what I could to make amends. Do you think he would appreciate your going to bat for him? I would think that he might find it a little mortifying.”

Petra was silent, the wind completely taken from her sails. He was of course right. Joth would hate to feel that his sister thought she had to fight his battles. After a moment she said hesitantly, “You’re right, of course. But it was thoughtless of you, and Joth and I are very close. He’s only two years older than I am and we grew up very much left to our own devices. At least in the holidays. We’ve always stuck up for each other.”

Guy smiled, disarming as always. “He’s a very lucky man to have you in his corner.”

“And I’m lucky to have him in mine,” Petra said swiftly, resisting the charm of that smile.