And then Mr. Donahue’s brother was suddenly there, intruding upon the moment.
“Tell me, Miss Smith,” Nigel said as he drew her away from Mr. Donahue and the exhibit. “How would you like to see a giant?”
“Oh…um…” Her cheeks burned with awareness.
Nigel sent her a mischievous grin. “If I didn’t know any better I’d think my brother has taken a fancy to you.”
“What?”
He drew her to a halt in front of an eight foot tall human skeleton. “Steven has a big heart. He’s kind and trustworthy to a fault, but he’s not the marrying sort, so unless you’re looking for a brief affair…”
“That’s a rather presumptuous statement to make when you and I barely know one another,” Calista told him both from a place of discomfort and rising anger. She turned more fully toward him. “The nature of my relationship with your brother is not your concern.”
His eyes widened with what appeared to be genuine surprise. “I did not mean to—”
“On the contrary, I believe you did.” Calista stared him down, allowing her irritation with him to burst forth with no attempt on her part to tamp it down. “I think you’re looking for ways in which to ruin things for Mr. Donahue.”
“My dear Miss Smith,” Nigel said with a highly exaggerated grin. “You misunderstand me completely. I have my brother’s best intentions at heart, which is why I am trying to ascertain yours since the last thing he needs is another fortune huntress on his doorstep.”
Calista was not so easily convinced. In fact, the more she listened to Nigel speak, the more he reminded her of a swindler. New York was filled with such people, all in possession of bright smiles and flowery words. Rather than say as much, she raised her chin a notch. “I’m no such thing, sir.”
The speculative glance he gave her while sliding his gaze over her person told her he didn’t believe her for one single second. In fact, it very much suggested he was convinced his brother had been the one to outfit her with the fine day dress she was wearing, which didn’t sit well with her at all. Even though it was the truth.
“Tell me about your family,” he said, confirming her speculations. “Smith is an unusually common name and yet you’re dressed like a duchess.”
In spite of feeling as though he threatened to unpack all her secrets and lay them out in public, Calista squared her shoulders and forced herself to meet his inquisitive gaze head on. “My father is in politics.”
“And?”
“And that is all I will say on the matter since my financial state and social status are none of your business.”
He responded with a jovial chuckle. “Well done, Miss Smith. I deserved a set down for that and yours was perfect – as precise as a punch to the sternum. Please forgive me but when it comes to Steven I feel a certain obligation as his older brother. It’s my duty to protect him from those who only seek to take advantage.”
Calista glanced at where Mr. Donahue stood, his interest riveted by a collection of stuffed lizards in various sizes. “Your brother has many fine qualities. Perhaps it will surprise you to know that I am more interested in these than I am in the contents of his bank account.”
“You genuinely enjoy his company?”
The amazement with which he said this made Calista wish she’d kept her mouth shut. Instead, in a moment of annoyance she’d given herself away. Since there was no taking the words back however, she chose to hold her position and give a swift nod. “Of course I do.”
Nigel grinned while somehow managing to look at her with pity. “You fancy yourself in love with him.”
“I most certainly do not,” she countered since she’d scarcely had the chance to admit as much to herself. “I merely aim to assure you that I am here because I value him as a friend, not because I hope to gain something in return.”
“Of course you do,” Nigel said, taking her by surprise once more. “It might be as simple as companionship, though I believe you dream of more. The truth is in your gaze, Miss Smith. Initially I believed it might be monetary greed, but if it isn’t, then it can only be heartfelt yearning. In which case I ought to warn you that Steven will never marry.”
She managed a tight smile. There was no sense in getting upset when she and Mr. Donahue were destined to part ways soon. And what did his position on marriage matter anyway when she had other obligations? She stared at Nigel while doing her utmost to hide the ache in her heart. “Just as well since I am returning home in order to wed my fiancé.”
A wide grin spread across Nigel’s face. “Felicitations, Miss Smith. I’d no idea you were already spoken for. Really, we ought to celebrate. Don’t you agree, Steven?”
“Certainly,” came a low murmur right next to Calista’s left shoulder. Mr. Donahue had approached without her realizing and had clearly overheard the last of her heated exchange with Nigel.
She closed her eyes while shame pricked her skin, producing what felt like a feverish rash across her shoulders. When she finally dared to look at the man for whom her heart beat faster, he was regarding her with the same sort of scowl he’d been giving his ledgers yesterday morning before she’d offered to help sort them out.
And since his brother remained near for the remainder of the museum visit, she wasn’t allowed the privacy she wanted to address the situation. Not that an explanation was needed. Mr. Donahue knew she was going back to New York in order to marry Mr. Thorkilson. Yet for reasons she couldn’t quite comprehend, she sensed the reminder had wrecked their outing.
Which didn’t make an ounce of sense unless he was just as affected by her as she was by him. Unless he too wanted more than what fate was willing to grant them.
Encouraged by this possibility, Calista strove to make the most of what remained of the day while doing her best to ignore Nigel’s presence. He was there and unless Mr. Donahue told him to leave, he would remain so. But that didn’t have to ruin her fun or Mr. Donahue’s for that matter.
So when they stopped by Gunther’s later after taking luncheon at Mivart’s and were sitting at a table with their ices, she deliberately turned to Mr. Donahue and said, “I was wondering if you’d like to go back to the park after this. Perhaps with a kite?”
He glanced at her, his spoon halfway to his mouth.
Nigel snorted. “I doubt you’ll find a kite in the carriage. Such sport is for children, Miss Smith, and besides, it’s late afternoon – the fashionable hour.”
“In other words, the worst possible time of day to be seen racing around with abandon,” Mr. Donahue said. He ate the ice on his spoon, the words he’d just spoken a cudgel to Calista’s spirits.
“Exactly,” Nigel said. “Whatever would people think?”
Mr. Donahue shrugged. “Much better for them to see us riding magnificent horses or taking an elegant stroll. Wouldn’t you say, brother?”
“I like the prospect of riding. Gives an excellent vantage point while showing off our equestrian style. Do you ride, Miss Smith?”
Calista sighed. “Not very well.”
“A pity, though not a difficult problem to solve.” He offered an amicable smile that would have suggested genuine concern for her wellbeing if it weren’t for the fact that it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “We’ll return to the hotel so you may rest before going out to the theatre later. Steven and I will have to fetch a suitable pair of horses anyway, so it works out perfectly, don’t you think?”