Moments later, Jane found herself looking up into the grinning face of Garrett Upton, the man she’d accidentally—not so accidentally—shared a passionate interlude with the night before. To make things worse, she was intensely aware of how handsome he happened to look today. His eyes were particularly green against the backdrop of the grass of the meadow and his slightly curly dark hair was a bit mussed as usual. She’d never realized how handsome he was. Why? Why had she never noticed how strong his jaw appeared? Or how straight his nose? For heaven’s sake, what was happening to her? She should have worn her spectacles last night. Had she not traded them for a domino mask, she might not be waxing poetic about Upton’s looks at the moment.

Jane cleared her throat and kept her gaze trained on her lap. That seemed the safest way to stop thinking about the man’s firmly molded lips and dark brows. When she dared a peek, Upton immediately looked away. She took a tentative sip of the wine a footman had just poured. She’d never been so pleased to see a glass of wine.

Mrs. Langford broke the awkward silence. “Where did you get off to last night, Miss Lowndes? I didn’t see you after the dancing.” Was there a bit of a sneer in the lady’s voice or was Jane imagining it?

Jane nearly spat her wine. “I— We— I mean, I—”

“Jane was in the library reading,” Cass, that dear, offered. Thank heavens for Cass. Jane loved Cass.

“Ah.” Mrs. Langford’s green eyes narrowed. “The library?”

Jane squinted at the woman, not liking the tone she continued to use. Not one bit. “Yes, the library.”

“That’s right,” Mrs. Langford added. “I nearly forgot you’re a bluestocking. Where else would you be but the library?”

Jane straightened her spectacles. She’d begun this encounter a bit embarrassed to be sitting across from Upton, but if this woman intended to be rude to her, she could give as well as she got.

“A fact of which I’m infinitely proud.” Jane gave Mrs. Langford a tight smile.

“As you should be, of course, dear. If one cannot find a husband, one ought to make the most of one’s intellectual ability.” Mrs. Langford’s eyes were barely slits.

Jane clenched her jaw and waved her wine glass in the air. Why was this woman being so awful to her all of a sudden? “Funny. I’ve always thought if one cannot use one’s intellectual ability to any effect, the only option would be marriage.”

“Who would like some bread?” Cass’s overly enthusiastic voice rang out.

“I would!” was Julian’s immediate reply. Cass set about handing her future husband a basket of bread that had already been sliced into big, fluffy pieces by the servants.