Romancing the Countess by March Ashley

Author:March, Ashley [March, Ashley]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2011-09-06T04:00:00+00:00

Dinner was a success. All of Leah’s guests were witty and charming, the women dressed in gorgeous gowns and the men handsome in their evening wear. When they moved to the salon for the dancing, the musicians played better than any she’d ever heard before. Even without her organza gown on yet, the night had taken on a glittering, dreamlike luster to Leah. It was a night that she had never imagined orchestrating, a night she’d never imagined at all, one in which she defied all the rules.

From the time she was a little girl, her mother had told her stories each night when she brushed her hair. These weren’t bedtime stories to fill a girl’s head with princes and princesses and happily ever afters. They were stories about other little girls, daughters of Adelaide’s friends who had done something wrong. One had been caught playing in the mud with her brothers, another hiding a puppy beneath her bedcovers. As the years passed, Leah learned not only what was expected of her, but also what was frowned upon by her mother, who seemed the moral representative of all of England.

One must not stare. One must not belch. A lady should brush her hair no more and no less than one hundred strokes every night. Never be alone with a gentleman. Always sit up straight. Wear white for your debutante ball and black for an entire year when in mourning. Maintain a proper figure—not too plump and not too skinny. Smile when you don’t feel like smiling, dance when you don’t feel like dancing—but no more than twice with the same man—and practice perfection until you achieve it.

And never, ever—ever—break the rules.

Tonight, Leah’s only intention was to break the rules.

She smiled up at Sebastian, not because she felt like smiling but because she simply couldn’t help herself. Tonight she didn’t try to ignore the wonderful feeling that burned low in her stomach when his eyes held hers; she didn’t try to escape from his presence—at least, she wouldn’t right now. With one foot tapping the floor and the taste of the wine from dinner still sweet on her tongue, she felt as light as air. Happy. Free. And for once, she believed the lie in his eyes that said she was desirable. Tonight, it was the truth.

“You should go dance,” she told him as they watched the other guests in a reel.

“I prefer to stay beside you.”

Leah laughed; he didn’t even try to hide the suspicion in his voice, although his words were lovely. “Is my company so appealing, then, my lord?’

His head turned from the dance floor, his gaze landing on her mouth before rising to her eyes. “It is everything about you that is appealing, Mrs. George.”

Leah pressed her lips together, ignoring the blush that was surely spreading all the way to her fingertips, She watched Miss Pettigrew dance with Mr. Dunlop. “You’re very handsome tonight, my lord.”

“What’s this? A compliment from the lovely widow?”

“A mere observation.”

“Why do I

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