The Groom's Gamble by Jade Lee

Author:Jade Lee [Lee, Jade]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc.
Published: 2013-11-05T06:00:00+00:00

Five

Gregory stared into the cold grate in his bedroom. Night after night he had sat here, not even bothering to take the three steps to his bed. He sat here and thought about Caroline—about climbing the stairs to her bedroom, or better yet, carrying her down to his.

But he had resisted. He respected her too much to do such a thing. He would not destroy her reputation, nor would he abuse her trust. She wanted to preserve her virtue. The least he could do was honor her choice.

But having once tasted her, resisting her had been hell. For five days and five nights, he’d watched her prepare for the Season, seeing her laugh with his sister or ease some difficulty with the staff. He knew she wanted him. He would catch her looking at him, longing in her eyes. Just as she would sometimes catch him.

They never moved toward one another. And every time he prepared to take a step, she turned away. It was as if she could read the intention and rushed to avoid it.

Tomorrow would be the first ball of the Season. The day would be spent in preparations, then Anne had invited a few friends for a light dinner. It was there that Caroline would first be introduced as his sister’s companion. After that would be three parties, the last of which was a ball. And that was just tomorrow’s schedule.

He didn’t know if he could do it. He had promised his sister that he would look for a wife. He had meant the words when he said them, but the idea of charming a bevy of fresh-faced girls made him queasy. How could he speak to them when his thoughts were completely consumed with Caroline?

***

“And this is Mrs. Lyncott, great granddaughter of the Duke of Bucklynde and my sister’s companion this Season. Mrs. Lyncott, may I introduce you to Lord Metzger?”

Gregory all but ground his teeth when the lecherous Lord Metzger bowed over Caroline’s hand. He was a relatively young man, still handsome, though his body tended toward fat. And his eyes dropped unerringly to Caroline’s trim figure and ample breasts.

Caroline did as she had done for the last two dozen or more introductions. She smiled like the lady of quality she was, curtsied with deference, and then turned the conversation toward Lady Anne. In short, she was acting as a companion ought, and in such a way, he kept his temper. Because, frankly, he feared for his sanity if she showed the least interest in any of the popinjays preening before her and his sister. As it was, he nearly growled at every man who scrawled his name on Caroline’s dance card.

Meanwhile, his sister would not stop throwing young girls at him. “Gregory, have you met my dear friend from school? This is Mrs. Kimberly Stanton and her younger sister, Miss Diane Harker. Diane, this is my brother, Lord Hartfell.”

He bowed over the wisp of a girl, his eyes glazing over at her elfin beauty.

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