Page 30 of A Wicked Viscount's Stormy Affair
“Then we must go right away,” he told his friend sharpish. “We must be where the ton is so I can prevent my brother from corrupting anyone.”
Sebastian laughed. “Of course. We must go and woo the young lady, so she is not wooed by another.”
George refused to rise to the bait. He was not going to let Sebastian’s teasing get under his skin. Not when he had a mission at hand. It did not matter what Sebastian or his heart thought, this was what he needed to do, and there was nothing more to it.
***
The carriage ride did not take as long as George worried it might. He had gotten himself all tied up in knots, worried that Gregory would have all the time in the world to twist Sophie’s mind and turn her against him. Realistically he knew that she was much stronger willed than that, but he could not stop his worries. He could not help his emotions getting the better of him.
So when they finally reached the park and found themselves surrounded by so many wanting to greet him, he found himself a little frustrated. Especially because he knew that they were really all here to greet Sebastian. He was the one that they all liked and enjoyed talking with because he was confident and fun to be around. Plus, Sebastian really enjoyed this sort of event. He loved socializing and getting to know new people. It made him extremely happy.
He allowed his eyes to scan around the park, to see who he could spot there. Who he could see already with Sophie…
And there she was.
There was the scene that he most certainly did not wish to see.
Sophie was, just as he feared, being charmed by Gregory.
But as he stared at her, she seemed to sense his eyes upon her. She turned to face him, and their eyes locked in once more.
All the emotions that he did not want to crash over him in that moment, of course did. She made him warm and happy, but knowing that she was walking with Gregory left him with a nasty pit of jealousy coursing through his veins. He had to make his way over there immediately, to capture her attention and remind her that he was a far better option for her.
“I shall be back,” he told Sebastian, not that his friend was really listening to him. He was too busy chatting and gossiping.
So, George crossed the park with his heart pounding hard against his rib cage, anticipation rocketing through his body. The closer he got to Gregory and Sophie, the more annoyed with his brother he became. Why did Gregory have to pick the one person he could not stand to see hurt? It was almost as if his twin could sense what would get to him the most.
“Well hello there, Gregory… and Lady Dashwood.”
Even though he spoke through gritted teeth, George did what he could to keep his tone light and sweet. He did not want anyone to pick up on the truth of his mood.
“Lord Harrington.” Sophie curtsied to him, keeping a polite distance. But he could see from the flames in her eyes that she recalled the sensation of his hands all over her. In her fantasies, but as they danced as well. “Good afternoon.”
“George, what are you doing here?” Gregory spat out spitefully, doing far less to hide his derision. “I most certainly did not think that you would make it today. What have you been doing?”
“Taking care of business.”
“Business,right,” Gregory drawled with an almost eye roll. “Does that include last night as well?”
George could sense that this was a sarcastic comment, but he could not work out what Gregory was supposed to be getting at. He was being mocked, but Gregory was not making it obvious why he was making fun of him.
“Yes. I was taking care of business then as well.”
“Interesting. Seems like you have a lot of business at the moment. Must be a lot for you to handle.”
George could not help but notice the look that Gregory gave Sophie. His heart sunk because he knew in that moment, endless lies has been spun about him. He could only hope that Sophie knew him well enough now to see that his brother was not telling the truth.
Although George had to admit that he’d been a little guarded around Sophie. He had not been open and willing to allow her to see all of him. That left her with room for interpretation. Gregory might have taken advantage of that without even realizing what he was doing.
“Well, I am sure that you have plenty ofbusinessto take care of now that you are here, so Lady Dashwood and I are going to continue on with our delightful walk. We are having such a lovely time getting to know one another and do not wish to be disturbed. I am sure that is something you can understand, my very busy brother.”
George could not help but notice that Sophie did not seem to agree with him. She looked like she might wish to actually spend more time with George, but society rules dictated that they could not do anything considered rude. So he was going to have to take a step back and allow this to happen.
With a bit of luck, their conversation would not last too long, and he would be able to sweep her off her feet. Even if only for a few moments. As long as he left a good impression on her, and she would leave the park today, thinking only of him.
“Please, enjoy yourself,” he declared as he took a step back from them both. “I hope you have a lovely walk on this wonderful day.”
Urgh, it was really hard being a gentleman and doing what was expected of him. Especially when it allowed Sophie to slip through his fingers far too easily.
