Page 7 of Her Sort of Scoundrel
She hadn’t said much during the meeting, so Fiona was pleased she’d stepped forward now, even if the whole topic of conversation had Fiona’s cheeks pink and her nerves on edge.
“I think what Jocasta is referring to are his skills at lovemaking,” Abra said bluntly.
“Is it love though?” Vivian, Lady Warfield, asked in a dubious tone that left no doubt about her opinion of Granford. “The man will sleep with anyone. Surely, if he’d loved any of them, he’d be married by now.”
Jocasta tittered at her friend. The two had apparently been close from girlhood. “Viv, you know as well as anyone that love does not necessarily lead to marriage.”
Lady Warfield quieted, seemingly bested by that reply, though she did not seem angry at her friend. “Fair point, Jo. Perhaps my judgement of Lord Granford is unfair.”
“If the rumors are true, it is. Apparently, he’s changed,” Tabitha’s quiet voice caused everyone to still and tip their heads her way. “He has a ward now and is taking the role of her guardian quite seriously.”
Tabitha Clifton seemed to know more about Granford than Fiona did, and, for some reason, that bristled like nettles under her skin.
“So, tell us, Fiona.” Abra turned to address her directly. “Have you had an affair with your neighbor?”
“I…” The hesitation was Fiona’s undoing.
Each lady reacted to that single moment of speechlessness.
Abra tipped her head, Jocasta’s lips parted, and even Cecily quirked a brow as if to sayHow could you not tell me?
Her breath caught as her brain drowned in the gulf between what had happened and what she’d yearned for. Shehadwished for an affair with Granford.
But he’d wanted nothing of the sort from her.
“No,” she finally heard herself say. “And, ladies, I do not think he’s worth our time or consideration for the purposes we discussed because—”
As if he had been summoned, as if his ears burned because of the conversation about his prowess as a lover and his role as reformed guardian, Dashiel Forbes appeared in Fiona’s periphery.
At first, she thought perhaps he was some figment of her own overheated brain.
But then the force of his footsteps clattered on her pristine white floor tiles and his broad shoulders filled the door that led from her conservatory to his—an utterly frustrating door that she’d never yet made use of.
His gaze fixed on her the moment he stepped into the room, almost as if he’d failed to notice that the space was filled with lady guests.
Fiona’s throat tightened behind the pearl choker around her neck. She reached up and nearly ripped the thing off before she remembered herself.
Those eyes—mossy green and burnished gold when the light hit them, a darker amber in low light—held her captive. She’d missed them. Missed him. Missed the closeness there had once been between them.
Damn her treacherous heart.
Everything in her wished to go to him, touch him, and confirm that he was real, but she held still. Because in those eyes of his, she saw that he was not pleased to see her at all.
“Pardon me, ladies,” he bit out tightly, flicking one sweeping glance around at the others, “for bursting in on your party.”
That’s when Fiona realized that she wasn’t the only one affected by the sight of him. Abra Chamberlain’s eyes glittered appreciatively, Jocasta Bancroft’s mouth fell open, and Cecily scanned him from boot to brow as if sizing up what sort of danger he presented to Fiona.
He was a danger. There was no doubt about that. He affected her too much, and he always had. Something sparked in her when he was near, and the heat of it worked its’ way through her veins.
And now, after so much time, after the pain he’d caused her, she’d expected to feel…less. It was irritating, unfair, and completely undeniable that she’d didn’t. Not a jot less.
Especially now, when his gold-flecked gaze fixed on her as if she was the only person in the room. The intensity of it was almost too much.
In no time, she’d be blushing. Blast her disloyal skin.
“Thank you, ladies.” She made sure to offer each of them a smile. “This was a wonderful inaugural meeting, and I look forward to many more. Shall I see you all back here in two weeks’ time?”
“Of course you will,” Cecily answered first and then took it upon herself to shepherd the others out of the conservatory, though not before Abra and Jocasta angled so that they could make their exit while passing near Dash, making sure to catch his eye.
