Lord Singleton pressed a brief and very proper kiss to the back of Sophie’s hand, then gallantly bowed over Mary’s hand as well. “I’m delighted to see you again, Miss Kendall,” he purred, causing Mary to blush to the roots of her flaxen hair.

Sophie squashed a sigh. If her sister left the comforts of her bedchamber now and again to attend a social gathering, perhaps a simple greeting from a gentleman wouldn’t have had the power to fluster her so. An admittedly uncharitable thought, but it crept into Sophie’s head, nevertheless.

She shook off the sentiment, for there was no reason for her to take her decidedly ill humor out on Mary. It wasn’t her fault that she’d been protected and sheltered all her life. The marquess would soon be her brother-in-law, and Sophie resolved to put her sister at ease.

At Sophie’s invitation, Lord Singleton settled himself on the settee between her and Mary. Before long, he was regaling everyone with a tale wherein he found himself quite lost in the countryside during the Duke of Harkenwood’s house party. The story, which was charmingly self-deprecating and funny, involved a broken boot heel, a drunken villager, and an eight-hour ordeal in a forest.

“I thought that if I climbed high enough up the tree,” the marquess was saying, “I’d be able to get my bearings and find my way out of the woods. Instead, I fell.”

Lord Singleton paused as all three women gasped appropriately.

“Fortunately,” he continued, “my sleeve snagged on a branch and prevented me from landing too hard.”

Mama fanned herself, and Mary stared at the marquess with a mixture of horror and relief—as though she could scarcely believe he’d escaped the greedy clutches of death.

“Unfortunately,” he said dramatically, “my jacket ripped from shoulder to shoulder. By the time I returned to Harkenwood’s house, I was barely recognizable and utterly unfit to be seen. I attempted to sneak past the guests and up to my bedchamber to change but was intercepted by the duke’s near-sighted grandmama. She latched onto my arm and insisted I escort her into the dining room without delay.”

“Oh no,” Mama breathed.

Lord Singleton nodded and grinned wryly. “When we walked in, the entire dinner party was aghast. Upon seeing me, the dowager duchess dropped her fork and Lord Brockton toppled his wineglass. Then Harkenwood started laughing … and carried on for at least an hour.”

Sophie shot him a sympathetic smile. “I imagine he won’t let you forget the incident anytime soon.”

“No,” the marquess said. “And I can’t say I blame him.”