Page 46 of The Virgin Who Humbled Lord Haslemere
“She was, yes. Lady Wylde is a devotee of rouge, and of Lady Archer’s faro tables. She’s likely to be here tonight, no doubt dangling Harrington on her arm. I doubt you’ll have to speak to them. Her ladyship rarely moves once she’s seated at a table, and Harrington, being a proper lapdog, won’t stir a step without her.”
Ah, a smile, at last! It was a tiny one, but there was a perceptible upward curve at the right corner of Georgiana’s pink lips. Pleasure rushed over Benedict, far more pleasure than he should feel at a mere smile, but before he could chastise himself for being so foolishly, absurdly gratified by it, he was speaking again, trying to earn another one.
“Lady Trowbridge will be here. Lady Trowbridge isalwayshere, usually lurking in the entryway so she can see who comes in. She’s far more interested in the company than she is in playing faro, a circumstance that drives Lady Archer mad.”
“Why does itdrive her mad?”
And there it was, the spark of interest Benedict had hoped to see in her eyes. “Because Lady Trowbridge is rumored to have a fortune in gold coins stuffed into every corner of her townhouse. Lady Archer is desperate to relieve her of them.”
“Is…is Lady Archer perfectly awful?” The high, panicked note had left Georgiana’s voice, and her slender body, so rigid only moments before, had relaxed.
Benedict smiled. “Not really, no. She’s a product of the fashionable world, certainly, but no worse than the rest of them. Lady Trowbridge is among the best of the lot. Oh, she’s as foolish as any of them, but she’s got a kind heart, andshe’s amusing.”
“An aristocrat with a kind heart, my lord?” Georgiana shook her head. “I’ve never heard ofsuch a thing.”
Benedict had never been happier to hear that sharp tongue than he was right now, and relief swept over him. “It’s rare enough. Of course, not everyone is agreeable, the guests being mostlyton, and thetonbeing mostly ratherawful people.”
Georgiana still hadn’t withdrawn her hand from his. “Why do you saythey’re awful?”
“Why? Well, consider the Marquess of Templeton, for instance. Dreadfully high in the instep. He takes great pleasure in lording it over everyone, but he’s squandered a substantial fortune at faro, and left his elderly mother and three younger sisters without two farthings torub together.”
“That’s dreadful.” Georgiana’svoice was soft.
“It is, yes. Not uncommon, though, sadly.” Benedict lowered his gaze to their hands as he played with her fingers, then raised his head and looked directly into her eyes. “The point, Georgiana, is that Lady Archer’s guests might beton, but under their rouge and feathers and jewels, they’re people with the same faults and flaws as anyone else in London.”
She let out a shaky laugh. “Most people don’t bother to look beneath the rouge and feathers and jewels, my lord.”
“Perhaps not, but that doesn’t change a thing. None of them are any better than you, Georgiana,” Benedict murmured, with a squeeze of her fingers. “And most of them are a great deal worse.”
“I daresaytheythink they’re better than me.” But even as she said it, the hint of a smile was back, the curve of her lips tugging the most fetching dimpleinto her cheek.
How have I never noticed thatdimple before?
“They’re wrong. But if you don’t want to come inside, then you don’t have to. You can wait here for me in the carriage. I’ll go in, have a quick word with Lady Archer, then come back out at once and take you back to Maddox Street.” A slight grin curved his lips. “Daniel Brixton will be very relieved to have youback so soon.”
They were both quiet for a long moment. He wasn’t aware he was stroking her knuckles with his thumb and tracing her fingertips until he heard her breath catch. When he turned to her, he found she was watching him under cover of her thick, dark lashes, and her face…
Her pallor had fled, leaving a soft, pink blush on her cheeks. Her lips were parted, her mouth soft. She was still hiding her eyes under her lashes. It was shyness, not flirtation, but Benedict’s body didn’t give a damn. His blood began to stir, and within seconds, his heart was thundering in his chest. “If you do decide to come in, there is one thing you should be aware of.”
“Oh?” She sounded as breathless as he felt. “What’s that, Lord Haslemere?”
“Benedict.” He continued his stroking, back and forth over her fingers. “You promised you’d call me Benedict, Georgiana.”
Her eyes seemed enormous, and such a vivid green in her flushed face. “Benedict.”
A thrill shot through him at his name on her lips, and he was obliged to clear his throat before he spoke. “Lady Archer’s faro tables are infamous for attracting adventurers and scoundrels. Rakes and rogues will be lounging against every wall and crowded into every table, all of them on the hunt for deep pockets, ora pretty face.”
This time when Benedict reached for her, he knew precisely what he was going to do, where he was going to touch her. Softly, gentle as a whisper, he dragged the back of his gloved fingersdown her cheek.
Georgiana sucked in a quick breath. “But…how will I know one when I see him? Arogue, I mean.”
Benedict stared at her, heat flooding through him, all the desire he hadn’t felt for Lady Wylde—foranyone—gathering in his lower belly and burning hotter until it released in a heady rush into his groin. His cock hardened in an instant, leaving him dizzy and panting.
Dear God, he wanted her mouth open under his, wanted it with such visceral hunger he could already taste her, sweet and warm on his tongue, quince preserves and something else, something unexpected, a hint of tartness, just enough todrive him mad.
But if he took her mouth now, he’d never let her go. So, instead he caught her fingers in his, lifted them to his lips, and met her gaze over theirclasped hands.
Her black pupils had swallowed the warm hazel irises of her eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment, the space between them crackling with tension. “What…what will a rogue do?”
