Her eyes narrowed, and he could tell that she was trying to decide if she believed him. He didn’t want to give her any cause to think him anything but perfectly comfortable, so he glanced idly over at the three youngest Pleinsworth sisters, squeezed in a row. Harriet was tapping the feathered end of a quill against her forehead, and Elizabeth had pulled out a small book. Frances was leaning past her, trying to see out the window.

“We haven’t even left the drive,” Elizabeth said, not taking her eyes from her book.

“I just want to see.”

“There is nothing to see.”

“There will be.”

Elizabeth flipped a page with crisp precision. “You’re not going to be like this the whole— Ow!”

“It was an accident,” Frances insisted.

“She kicked me,” Harriet said, to no one in particular.

Hugh watched the exchange with some humor, well aware that what was amusing now would be agonizing if it went on for the next hour.

“Why don’t you try to see out Harriet’s window?” Elizabeth said.

Frances sighed but did as her sister had suggested. A moment later, however, they heard the sound of paper crumpling.

“Frances!” Harriet cried.

“I’m sorry. I just want to look out the window.”

Harriet looked over at Sarah pleadingly.

“I can’t,” Sarah said. “If you think you’re uncomfortable now, just think how tight it would be with me there instead of Frances.”

“Frances, sit still,” Harriet said sharply, and she turned back to the papers on her lap desk.

Hugh felt Sarah nudge him lightly with her elbow, and when he turned, she motioned with her eyes toward her hand.

One . . . two . . . three . . .

She was discreetly counting the seconds, each finger stretching out in time.

Four . . . five . . .

“Frances!”

“Sorry!”

Hugh peeked over at Sarah, whose faint smile was decidedly smug.

“Frances, you cannot keep leaning over me like that,” Elizabeth snapped.

“Then let me sit at the window!”

All eyes turned to Elizabeth, who finally let out a hugely irritated huff as she crouched in the middle of the carriage to allow Frances to slide over to the window. Hugh watched with interest as Elizabeth wiggled about far more than was necessary to find a comfortable position, reopened her book, and glared at the words.

He looked at Sarah. She looked back with an expression that said, Just you wait.

Frances did not disappoint.

“I’m bored.”

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sarah sighed, torn between amusement and embarrassment that Lord Hugh was about to witness a classic Pleinsworth spat.

“For the love of— Frances!” Elizabeth glared at her younger sister as if she might take her head off. “It hasn’t been more than five minutes since we switched places!”

Frances gave a helpless shrug. “But I’m bored.”

Sarah stole a glace at Hugh. He seemed to be trying not to laugh. Which she supposed was the best she could hope for.