Page 16 of The Tempting of a Devilish Lord

“WELCOME TO EASTWICK Hall armory.”

Lucinda sucked in a breath, despite counselling herself to remain as placid and as proper as possible. Laid out before her were suits of armor, gleaming silver and gold thanks to the lit chandeliers above. Upon the walls were displays of swords and axes, some set in circles, others in rows. At the very end of the room, a horse’s armor was displayed upon a plinth. Even from the other end of the room one could not help but marvel at the size and grandeur of it.

She forced her gaze from the weaponry and scanned the room. “I see no sign of my sister.”

“Neither do I, unless she’s hiding somewhere.”

He strolled the long red carpet, peering behind suits of armor, his hands clasped behind him. She should have known he was titled. He behaved with all the self-assurance of a man who had never been denied anything.

Which was precisely why she needed to escape as soon as possible.

Notthat she risked falling into his lure, of course. For one, she doubted a man like him had any interest in a woman like her. She’d made sure of that. Men found little appeal in her manner of dress or how she conducted herself these days. But, regardless, she had spent long enough controlling her own behaviors for her to come completely undone by the mere presence of a handsome rake.

“Mary-Anne,” she called, “do come out.”

She followed Alex to the end of the room and stopped by the horse’s armor, unable to resist marveling at the size and complexity of it. “It must have taken forever to fit.”

“I suspect it was more for display than practicality. Used during ceremonies mostly.”

She nodded. “Yes, it would be entirely impractical to wear during battle. It looks to be from the fourteenth century?”

He glanced at her. “However did you know that?”

Her cheeks heated at the admiring glint to his eyes. “I had a passion for the medieval if you recall.”

“I imagined it was a passing interest, considering you made a point of saying you were no longer interested in it. But it appears otherwise. Why do you sayhad?”

Lucinda shrugged, trying not to feel pleased he had recalled their exceedingly brief conversation of her interests. “A grown woman has better things to do with her time than read about history.”

“Like what?”

She blinked a few times. “Well, like...like looking after my sister for one.” She blew out a breath. “It seems I have done a poor job of that today.”

The door to the armory opened and Mary-Anne stumbled in followed by a man of similar age to Alex. His looks were akin to the marquis’s too with a strong jawline, but he was slightly taller and his hair a shade darker. “Looking for this?”

“Mary-Anne!” Lucinda gasped. “What were you thinking?”

The man grinned. “Found her in the ballroom.”

“I got lost,” Mary-Anne protested.

Alex strode over, an eyebrow arched, and peered down at her sister. Mary-Anne met his gaze, her chin jutted forward. “You were only invited to the gardens.”

“I got separated from the ladies and did not know where to go.” She affected a pout. “I was scared and needed aid.”

The man’s grin widened as did Alex’s. “So you did not wish to see the armory then?”

“Well, I would not mind...” Mary-Anne wound her hands together in front of her. “Seeing as I am here.”

“Mary-Anne, you are being horribly rude,” Lucinda hissed.

Alex waved a hand. “Seeing as you are both here, why do we not give you a proper tour?”

Mary-Anne gave a triumphant grin. “See? I knew we would be welcome.”

“You might have asked rather than sneaking in,” Alex suggested.

Her sister made a dismissive noise. “I did not sneak.”

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