"Are all London gentlemen so generous with their flattery?"
One dark brow slanted upward over his intelligent and expressive eyes. "I believe many are, but I am exceedingly frugal with mine."
"Oh?" She experienced another sudden flush of warmth. Unaccustomed to flirtation, Mariah found herself reverting back to the trite remarks that had compelled him to seek better entertainment only an hour ago. "Have you been to the duke's home before?"
"Yes. I have accompanied Marcus several times,” he said. "But I understand His Grace has recently made a number of improvements."
"Indeed? Then I count myself fortunate to have been invited to see it." She grimaced internally. Another long silence ensued. She held her tongue, refusing to break it with another trite question. She wondered how long he would politely endure her dull discourse before making another excuse to occupy himself with work.
"Do you enjoy house parties, Lady Mariah?" he asked.
"I don't know," she confessed. "This will be my first one."
"You have never been to a house party?"
"Sadly, no," she sighed. "I visit my cousin Lydia from time to time, but there are rarely other guests. I live a truly dull life."
"Have you any hobbies?"
"Nothing out of the ordinary," she replied. "I paint a bit, read a lot, mostly poetry and plays."
"Who are your favorites?"
"I love Shakespeare, Mr. Pope, and Mr. Dryden."
"Really? I also enjoy Dryden. What of music? Do you play?"
"Only cards! I am a superior whist partner but a pitiful musician," she said ruefully.
"At least you acknowledge it," he chuckled. "I know far too many people who take great pride in assaulting one's ears."
"I would never be so cruel."
His lips curved ever so slightly in the barest hint of a smile. He had a truly lovely smile. Too bad he used it so sparingly. Mariah decided to make it her mission to make him smile, whether he wanted to or not.
"Do you ride?" he asked.
"I used to. I very much enjoyed the hunt with Papa, but I am no longer permitted to participate as I was once wont to do. Since he has become an invalid, Mama allows me little freedom for fear of an accident. Her greatest terror is that I will leave her alone to care for him. It's quite stifling." The confession to this near stranger had gurgled out so thoughtlessly. She wondered why she'd shared with him feelings she'd never voiced even to Lydia—how truly suffocated she felt. "What of you, Mr. Needham, do you enjoy house parties?"
"Not particularly." His confession came as a great surprise. "I often find these affairs exceedingly stifling. As one who must earn his bread, my time is rarely my own, so I also highly value my moments of solitude. Although I have learned to adapt to social demands, I am not a social creature by nature."
"Are you not?" she asked, somewhat surprised by his candor. "I never would have guessed."
He shrugged. "One quickly learns the need to be entertaining."
"I don't believe I possess such a talent," she said.
"Surely you only need the guidance of one who is more experienced. Of course, you already have the advantage of Lady Russell's acquaintance."
"We are only newly associated," Mariah said. "Through Lydia. I have no other connections in London, and few even at home."
"Do not feel yourself at a disadvantage, my lady. I have an unusually wide circle of acquaintances, but my true friends are very few.” He continued with a dry laugh, "Taken as a whole, I am less than ideally suited for a career in diplomacy."
"Then why did you choose it?" she asked.
"I didn't precisely seek it out. I had set my sights long ago on a post in the Office of the Exchequer."
"The Exchequer?" she repeated with surprise.
"You think it sounds dull?" He laughed then, a warm and rumbling sound that tickled her ears. "I suppose it does to most people, but I have always had a remarkable aptitude for numbers and had aspirations of one day achieving a cabinet post."
"An admirable ambition," Mariah said.
"But it wasn't to be," he replied with a sigh. "Attaining such a position is nearly impossible without patronage."
"Patronage? What do you mean?"
"I mean that government posts, even lowly clerkships, are rarely granted according to a man's ability, but rather according to their social and political connections, of which I had few. I next thought to seek out a position as an estate factor, but then Marcus secured his diplomatic position and asked me to assist him."
"You have done this for six years, but you don't enjoy it?"
"I enjoy some aspects of the job, but I am an Englishman and miss my own country."
"I think I would as well," she said. "I would very much love to travel, but I am certain I would not like to be away for a lengthy period. Now that you are home again, how long will you stay?"
"That depends very much upon the outcome of the house party."