The Viscount Made Me Do It by Diana Quincy

Author:Diana Quincy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2021-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

Griff returned to find that Hanna had finally arrived.

He blinked, his mouth going dry. He admired her beauty even in her no-nonsense gowns with their modest necklines. But this evening Hanna was a true vision, resplendent in a silk evening gown of the palest blue.

The flowing fabric whispered over her body, like a lover caressing every dip in her feminine form. From the curve of her bosom to the turn of her waist and the flare of luscious hips. The stiff fabric of her everyday gowns did not offer the slightest hint of the womanly bounty that lay beneath.

Not that her gown was daring in any way. She’d selected a military-inspired design, with gold braiding and epaulets. Armor for the evening ahead. Her eyes were dark pools, her cheeks flushed, the lips pink and full. Strangers might see a fully confident woman. But Griff detected the banked defiance glittering behind her kohl-rimmed eyes and in the red of her cheeks.

It took him a moment to notice the man who stood by her side. His lip curled. Bridges.

Griff approached her. “Good evening.”

“My lord.” She lowered herself. Someone had taught the bonesetter to curtsy with the skill and grace of a lady. When she straightened, her gaze met his, and Griff registered the amusement glimmering in those dark depths.

He reluctantly acknowledged the partner. “Bridges.”

The man gave a curt nod. “Griffin.”

He returned his attention to Hanna. “You are a vision this evening.”

“I see some physicians that I know,” Bridges said abruptly. “If you’ll excuse me. Unless you have need of me?”

“Not at all.” She withdrew her hand from his arm. “Enjoy yourself.”

Once he was gone, Griff said, “You look ravishing.”

She blushed becomingly. “It’s a borrowed gown. I had nothing suitable.”

“Blue becomes you. As does silk.”

“I don’t have much use for silk when I’m tugging on people’s limbs.” Her full lips quirked. “But it does help me feel less out of place at the moment.”

“You seem very at home among these people. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume that you are accustomed to balls and ball gowns.”

“But I am not,” she said simply. “And I do not aspire to be.”

“Are you rejecting me before I’ve even made my advance?”

“Stop jesting,” she admonished, looking past him to the guests. “I am here. What do we do now?”

He could think of a million things he’d rather do with Hanna than subject her to the people in this room. But he offered his arm. “Now we circulate. I introduce you and tell everyone how you cured me.”

“Will it make any difference?”

“Viscount Payton’s allies will align with him. As I am rarely in society, I don’t have a great many allies. Payton is much more firmly established in London. But at least you have a viscount suspected of murder on your side.”

Her eyes twinkled. “And I cannot deny that I purposely did violence to Mansfield’s wrist. We make quite a team, you and I.”

He grinned. “Quite.” He liked the sound of that, the idea of them as a team.

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