Chapter 1 #2
What he meant of course was that she would be easily seduced by the compliments of a man who could drag her from the genteel poverty she so obviously struggled with.
“Vulnerable? Why, that’s my favourite kind of lady.”
Alexander opened his mouth to threaten bodily harm but a small furore at the entrance to the ballroom caught his attention.
Sure enough, there was a new round of people approaching.
Alex watched Elliot through narrow eyes and was about to issue another warning.
Half a second later, the small crowed at the door parted and
suddenly, the most breath-taking woman he’d ever seen stepped into his view.
Alexander’s heart just about stopped beating in his chest.
That couldn’t be Olivia Darington, could it? He quickly scanned the other people who’d entered. That was Jane taller, and coolly beautiful. And the similarity between the ladies was unmistakeable…
He looked again.
The vision that walked through the door had stunning sable hair swept away from the most breathtakingly beautiful face he’d ever seen.
He remembered Olivia Darington from three years ago. She’d been a pretty thing, even if he had felt at the time that the devil himself had spawned her. It was doubtful that time had changed her personality, but good God, time had been very kind to her looks.
Alex’s mouth went dry and his heart, strangely, began to pound.
What the hell was wrong with him? He’d never been so affected by the mere sight of a lady. Especially one he despised.
He suddenly thought back to three years ago, when he’d been quite madly tempted to kiss her.
He’d dragged her out to the garden of her father’s modest estate to get to the bottom of her recent machination.
When he’d gone to the village that morning, he had been besieged by Miss Sophie Fogers, the brashest, loudest, giddiest, and stupidest woman in the county.
Alexander, along with every other man in the vicinity, had been avoiding the girl since she’d been in long skirts.
He quite literally hadn’t been able to walk from one place to the next without her squealing and throwing herself at him.
She’d pretended to faint, so he’d catch her outside the apothecary’s, trip outside the bakery and tumble headfirst into parts of him he wanted to remain very much untouched by any part of Sophie Fogers and been forward enough to almost bring him to blush.
He’d always garnered plenty of female attention being titled, wealthy, and, he thought, rather smugly, not too bad to look at. But this! This had been something else.
It had only been when he’d finally managed to get inside the local inn that he’d gotten to the bottom of it.
That bloody doe-eyed nuisance Olivia Darington had taken out an advertisement in the local newspaper, claiming that Alexander was madly in love with Sophie Fogers but far too shy to go about courting her and was hoping that she would bold enough to make the first approach.
Alexander had known straight away that it was Olivia.
It had her written all over it. She was smarter and viler than her sister.
And took their enmity far more seriously.
Where Jane had always been happy to carry out simple tricks that were mostly harmless and had an immediate impact, Olivia’s schemes were always well-planned manipulations and war strategies, the likes of which Nelson himself would be proud.
While the sympathetic innkeeper had been helping Alexander to make his escape through a back door of the inn, Alex had been planning dastardly ways to get back at the chit.
Arriving home on horseback, he’d seen her sitting on a bench that bordered his estate, quite alone which had suited Alex just fine.
He’d dragged the impertinent hoyden off to a more private spot deep in the hedgerows where he’d delivered a furious set down without having to control his temper or his volume.
The two had been toe to toe, arguing at very nearly the top of their lungs.
Alex had been, admittedly, rather insulting about the girl; she had been more so, claiming that it wasn’t her fault the village idiot seemed to have taken a liking to him.
It was when she’d said that she should perhaps set up a charity of sorts, to help poor Sophie and other women cure themselves of their lack of taste in men that the last of his control had slipped.
To this day, Alexander had no idea what had possessed him to grab the infuriating woman and pull her toward him.
In the split second before his sanity had returned, he’d gazed into those pretty brown eyes and lost all sense.
Even now, every so often, most especially in the still, dark night, Alex remembered the feel of her soft, slender body against his own.
He remembered the gasp of surprise. He remembered the scent of honeysuckle that reminded him of her to this day.
Most of all, he remembered how, after her initial resistance, she’d melted against him as though she belonged wrapped in his arms and turned her face towards his.
Unfortunately, he also remembered the moment she’d reared back and smacked his face, the sound reverberating around the quiet gardens…
The sound of a shout of laughter brought Alexander crashing back to the present and to the fact that he was staring at the girl, practically drooling where he stood. Worse still, his friend was doing the same.
Alex darted a look at Elliot, wondering if his friend would be fooled into thinking Olivia Darington was anything other than an utter shrew.
And he didn’t like what he saw. Elliot’s eyes were on stalks.
And it shouldn’t surprise Alexander to see the effect Olivia had on the other man.
It didn’t surprise him. But it damn well bothered him.
Alexander had the sudden urge to plant a facer on his friend’s jaw, or at least cover the other man’s eyes.
Which was nonsensical. Why should he care who admired her?
Why should he care that she was slowly, torturously, removing a deep green, velvet cloak, revealing smooth, supple skin, a delicate décolletage, and curves to make a man weep.
All right. That was enough. Alexander took a subtle step in front of Elliot, blocking the other man’s view.
He’d clearly been more than a little obvious since Elliot’s chuckle sounded gratingly behind him. Alexander turned to scowl at him.
“Looks like you’re in a spot of trouble my friend,” Elliot smirked causing Alex’s temper to rise.
“Do be quiet, St. Clare,” he responded darkly, but his eyes never left the door where Olivia Darington stood oblivious to him and the confusion she had caused.