Desires Of a Perfect Lady (2010) by Alexander Victoria

Author:Alexander, Victoria [Victoria, Alexander,]
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books
Published: 2011-01-14T19:06:41.296000+00:00

Twelve

At once, Sir Lawrence crossed the room to Lady Wyldewood, took her hand in his, and raised it to his lips. “You are as beautiful as ever, Millicent.”

Millicent? Sterling rose to his feet.

“And you, Lawrence, are as charming as I remember.”

Lawrence? It was all Sterling could do to keep his mouth from dropping open in shock.

Mother tilted her head and smiled, a thoroughly flirtatious sort of smile. What was the woman doing? “It has been a very long time.”

“Twenty-three years, four months and some-odd days by my count.” Sir Lawrence gazed into her eyes. “Which would make it twenty-three years, four months and some-odd days entirely too long.”

His mother laughed. A girlish sort of sound, young and fresh and, had she not been his mother, intoxicating. Where had she learned to do that?

“I thought I would hear from you after Charles died,” she said lightly.

Sir Lawrence grimaced. “I did send my condolences.”

“And they were most appreciated. Still, I had rather thought . . . once I was out of mourning . . . Surely, you have been in London in the past decade?”

What on earth did she mean by that?

Sir Lawrence nodded. “I have but, well, I was not certain of the reception I would receive. I did not wish to be forward.”

And what did he mean by that?

Sir Lawrence bent closer and said something into his mother’s ear, and she laughed again. Behind the couple, Josiah looked as if he didn’t know whether he should remind the gathering of his presence or keep silent. He wisely chose to say nothing.

Livy stood and nudged Sterling with her elbow, her voice low. “You should stop staring.”

His mother was gazing at Sir Lawrence with a look he could not recall ever having seen on her face before. “I am not staring.”

“You’re right. You’re glaring, and you should stop it at once.” She slanted him a chastising look. “It’s not at all becoming.”

And Sir Lawrence was returning the very same look! “But that’s my mother!”

“Indeed it is. And that . . .” Livy grinned. “. . . is apparently an old and very good friend.”

“I had no idea.” Sterling was hard-pressed to tear his gaze from the older couple. Fortunately, his mother remembered poor Josiah and turned to reintroduce the young man to Sir Lawrence.

“It’s always best to know exactly with whom one is dealing, you know.” A teasing note sounded in Livy’s voice. “It gives you the upper hand.”

“This is not amusing,” Sir Lawrence said through gritted teeth.

“Odd, as I find it most amusing.” Livy grinned.

Sterling cleared his throat and caught his mother’s attention.

She cast a reluctant smile at Sir Lawrence, almost as if she did not wish to leave his side, which was absurd, and moved farther into the room. “Darling, you didn’t tell me the gentleman we were coming to see was Lawrence Willoughby.”

“I am certain I mentioned it,” Sterling said, trying and failing to keep disapproval from sounding in his voice. Livy elbowed him hard.

“No, I would have remembered. Imagine.

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