Wicked by Cheryl Holt

Author:Cheryl Holt
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2014-07-31T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“This is much better than what you originally planned.”

“What plan was that?”

James glared at Lucas, struggling to focus on his friend, but he was too distracted by Rose. They were in the main parlor, the furniture shoved back for dancing. A neighbor girl was playing the harpsichord, her sister the violin.

Couples were promenading down the floor, Rose included. Every man in the county seemed to have partnered with her—except for James—and he was disgusted to find himself feeling extremely jealous.

“We were riding to London this morning,” Lucas said. “You insisted we were leaving.”

“Yes, well, Stanley practically chained me to the fence so I couldn’t go.”

“Last night, I asked if Stanley was ill. Now I’m wondering if it isn’t you who’s sick.”

“Why?”

“Ever since we arrived at Summerfield, you’ve been leashed to him like a trained puppy. It’s so unlike you.”

“I know.”

“When you get along with him, it spoils all my fun.”

“I’ll try harder to aggravate him.”

“Please do. I don’t like it when things change. If you and Stanley became chums, I’d worry that the world was ending.”

“Trust me, Stanley and I will never be chums.”

“I certainly hope not. My poor heart couldn’t stand the strain.”

The music stopped, the couples rearranging as the violinist called out the next tune.

“It’s my turn with Miss Ralston.” Lucas grinned and hurried off to claim his dance.

James was forced to observe as Rose was whirled across the room. She was in fine spirits, laughing as Lucas chattered away. Even though she’d declared she didn’t like Lucas, she definitely appeared to, and James couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t marched over and claimed his own dance.

Pride was preventing him. Nerves too.

If he danced with her, he wouldn’t be able to hide his fascination. Summerfield was a small community, where people gossiped constantly. They would detect his budding attraction—and would be curious as to what it portended. She was supposed to be at Summerfield to marry Stanley, so they’d speculate, and James liked her too much to damage her reputation.

Since she’d come downstairs for the party, he’d barely spoken to her, and it was growing more and more difficult to stay away.

That morning, he’d risen early and had been eating breakfast, intent on having a filling meal, then packing his bags. But Stanley had rushed into the dining room and announced that he’d been summoned to London on emergency business.

He’d already organized several suppers for Rose, and he hadn’t wanted to cancel them. He’d all but begged James to host the events while he was in the city.

Like the fool he clearly was, James had immediately relented, which meant he was trapped at Summerfield—with Rose available and Stanley gone—for at least a week.

With James and Lucas on the premises, Rose had needed a chaperone, so Stanley had asked an elderly, mostly deaf neighbor to play the part. She was dozing in the corner and no barrier at all to any misbehavior.

James and Rose would be in frequent contact, thrust together over and over with too many chances to learn how much they liked each other outside the private confines of her bedchamber.

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