you feel comfortable with, my lord."
He cocked his head at her. "All I need is a portrait that would land me in Bedlam," he commented, grinning. "My brothers could throw darts at me in absentia."
Caroline began to sketch, starting this time with his eyes. "You and your brothers don't deal well, then?"
"We generally deal excessively well. They are my dearest friends."
"Then why in the world would they throw darts at you?"
Lord Zachary laughed. "They would only throw them at my likeness. The only barbs they actually throw at me are verbal ones."
"And you retaliate in kind, I suppose?"
"One-sided barb throwing is never any fun." Holding his head rigid, he managed to look at her from the corner of his eye. "Could you paint me in a military uniform?"
Drat . He was just as peculiar as the Earl and Countess Eades. Still, at least it wasn't a monkey suit or a Greek god's toga he'd asked to be sketched in. "I could, yes."
"Excellent. I'll send it off to Melbourne. He'll have an apopl—"
"No!"
Lord Zachary looked full at her, so that she had to stop sketching his ear. "Why not?" he asked.
She drew a breath. "I need the portrait."
"To add to your wall? I'll pay you for it, of course, Miss Witfeld."
"No. It's… I'm applying to a painters' studio. The application is the portrait." Caroline gestured at him, trying to calm herself down. Of course he couldn't have the portrait when she finished it. "I can paint a second portrait for you later if you'd like, after this one is finished. Please turn your head again."
He complied. "Which studio?"
For a bare moment Caroline closed her eyes. If she told him, he'd undoubtedly ask why she hadn't applied to the best-known British painters and studios, and she'd have to explain that she had, but each and every one of them had turned her down. "I'm sure you've never heard of it. Lady Gladys said your sister recently married."
"Yes, she did. To my eldest brother's closest friend— which, I suppose, is a good thing, because otherwise we would have had to kill him."
"Good heavens, why?"
Lord Zachary cleared his throat. "It's a long story."
She smiled. "I doubt we have any of the same acquaintances, even if I made a habit of gossiping—which I don't."
His head shifted for a brief moment as he glanced in her direction. "They eloped."
"They did?"
'Twice, actually." His sensuous lips curved upward. "We caught up to them once, and they slipped away from us again. Set our damned horses loose. It took me twenty minutes to track down Sag—Sagramore. By then Melbourne had decided to let them go."
"I appreciate your trust, my lord. I won't tell anyone."
"Call me Zachary," he returned. "And I'm trusting you with my image on canvas, so I suppose Nell and Valentine's reputations are fairly safe with you."
Despite the easy tone, she understood the steel beneath the words. If she did tell anyone, he would know about it. And then she could bid farewell to his image on canvas. "Exceedingly safe," she said, noting that his smile deepened and his expression grew more attractive. If she could capture that look, she might have a chance with one of the painting masters after all.
Zachary smiled at the enthusiasm in her voice. Caroline Witfeld liked him. And that was despite his ham-fisted misinterpretation of her invitation. She also had a temper, and that interested him, as well. " 'Exceedingly safe, Zachary,'" he prompted.
He heard her blow out her breath. "Zachary, then. Thank you for doing this for me."
"My pleasure."
The whole strangeness of the situation rather appealed to him. In most circles he knew, if he'd made the error in judgment he'd made with her, their morning chat would have concluded several minutes ago with a slap across his face. And yet there he sat, posing for some sort of art project and telling her about his family's one scandal. Melbourne would be having an apoplexy at his unfounded decision to trust her. Melbourne, however, wasn't there, and his own presence was his
He cocked his head at her. "All I need is a portrait that would land me in Bedlam," he commented, grinning. "My brothers could throw darts at me in absentia."
Caroline began to sketch, starting this time with his eyes. "You and your brothers don't deal well, then?"
"We generally deal excessively well. They are my dearest friends."
"Then why in the world would they throw darts at you?"
Lord Zachary laughed. "They would only throw them at my likeness. The only barbs they actually throw at me are verbal ones."
"And you retaliate in kind, I suppose?"
"One-sided barb throwing is never any fun." Holding his head rigid, he managed to look at her from the corner of his eye. "Could you paint me in a military uniform?"
Drat . He was just as peculiar as the Earl and Countess Eades. Still, at least it wasn't a monkey suit or a Greek god's toga he'd asked to be sketched in. "I could, yes."
"Excellent. I'll send it off to Melbourne. He'll have an apopl—"
"No!"
Lord Zachary looked full at her, so that she had to stop sketching his ear. "Why not?" he asked.
She drew a breath. "I need the portrait."
"To add to your wall? I'll pay you for it, of course, Miss Witfeld."
"No. It's… I'm applying to a painters' studio. The application is the portrait." Caroline gestured at him, trying to calm herself down. Of course he couldn't have the portrait when she finished it. "I can paint a second portrait for you later if you'd like, after this one is finished. Please turn your head again."
He complied. "Which studio?"
For a bare moment Caroline closed her eyes. If she told him, he'd undoubtedly ask why she hadn't applied to the best-known British painters and studios, and she'd have to explain that she had, but each and every one of them had turned her down. "I'm sure you've never heard of it. Lady Gladys said your sister recently married."
"Yes, she did. To my eldest brother's closest friend— which, I suppose, is a good thing, because otherwise we would have had to kill him."
"Good heavens, why?"
Lord Zachary cleared his throat. "It's a long story."
She smiled. "I doubt we have any of the same acquaintances, even if I made a habit of gossiping—which I don't."
His head shifted for a brief moment as he glanced in her direction. "They eloped."
"They did?"
'Twice, actually." His sensuous lips curved upward. "We caught up to them once, and they slipped away from us again. Set our damned horses loose. It took me twenty minutes to track down Sag—Sagramore. By then Melbourne had decided to let them go."
"I appreciate your trust, my lord. I won't tell anyone."
"Call me Zachary," he returned. "And I'm trusting you with my image on canvas, so I suppose Nell and Valentine's reputations are fairly safe with you."
Despite the easy tone, she understood the steel beneath the words. If she did tell anyone, he would know about it. And then she could bid farewell to his image on canvas. "Exceedingly safe," she said, noting that his smile deepened and his expression grew more attractive. If she could capture that look, she might have a chance with one of the painting masters after all.
Zachary smiled at the enthusiasm in her voice. Caroline Witfeld liked him. And that was despite his ham-fisted misinterpretation of her invitation. She also had a temper, and that interested him, as well. " 'Exceedingly safe, Zachary,'" he prompted.
He heard her blow out her breath. "Zachary, then. Thank you for doing this for me."
"My pleasure."
The whole strangeness of the situation rather appealed to him. In most circles he knew, if he'd made the error in judgment he'd made with her, their morning chat would have concluded several minutes ago with a slap across his face. And yet there he sat, posing for some sort of art project and telling her about his family's one scandal. Melbourne would be having an apoplexy at his unfounded decision to trust her. Melbourne, however, wasn't there, and his own presence was his
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