Page 30 of If the Slipper Fits
She shifted her focus to Anna. Mischief glinted in her eyes. “Don’t you agree, Mrs. Jones?”
Anna’s face flushed crimson. “Is it warm in here?”
“Nothing a glass of lemonade won’t cure,” Lady Wentworth said. She inclined her head at a nearby footman carrying a silver tray laden with crystal glasses of lemonade and he started in their direction.
“I didn’t catch your assent, Mrs. Jones,” Caden murmured, emboldened by the dowager duchess.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”
He laughed softly and had the pleasure of seeing her lips twitch as she fought an answering smile. Her rosy, eminently kissable lips.
Seconds later she cleared her throat and he realized he’d been staring.
He dragged his gaze from her mouth and sent her his most devastating smile, guaranteed to make a woman swoon if his friends were to be believed.
She all but rolled her amber eyes and very deliberately shifted her focus to the milling crowd.
He laughed outright. He was having more fun then he’d had in an age. Mrs. Anna Jones brought the playful side out of him.
Or rather, Mrs. Gloriana Jones. He had no further doubt this was she. Standing with her head held high as if surveying her domain, rather than the hide-her-face-under-a-bonnet business she’d been up to, her demeanor finally matched up with her face, marking her as none other than a grown up version of the girl he remembered.
Did Lady Wentworth know? His gaze slid to the older woman. Impossible to say, but he’d wager no. Still. She did seem fond ofAnna.
She gazed on her now, a slight, indulgent smile on her face. Yes, definitely fond. Whoever said the dowager duchess had a dour temperament had it at least half wrong.
“Ah. Here’s Lord and Lady Fenton now,” Anna offered, oblivious to their scrutiny.
“Whether to put us out of our misery, or bring on more suffering, we’ll soon find out,” Lady Wentworth muttered.
In the room’s center, their smiling host and hostess patted the air, shushing the crowd.
Caden shifted, inching closer to Anna, purportedly to get a better view of the Fentons.
He caught a faint whiff of her perfume and lowered his head, inhaling deeply. The elegant melange of cedar, rich botanicals and the essence of the woman herself had his mouth watering like he was a starving man and she a prime bit of mutton. In truth, he wanted to eat her alive.
Meanwhile, he suspected he could leave without her even noticing. He’d never found himself in such a lamentable position. Confounding.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we had intended a tournament of croquet for your entertainment this afternoon, but as you can see, Mother Nature decided otherwise. But never fear, we shall have great fun indoors playing a game devised by Lord Fenton and I. We call itHouse Party Hunt.” Lady Fenton glanced around the room, eyes alight with anticipation. “You’ll play in teams of two. One male, one female.”
Caden stifled a groan. No doubt a random pairing would commence. An entire afternoon stuck with someone about whom he couldn’t care less, when he could spend the day trying to unravel Anna’s mysteries. Oh, all right, and make another attempt to kiss her senseless.
He couldn’t get that kiss out of his head. She'd tasted so sweet. And the way their bodies fit fully clothed, he could only imagine the perfection of…
“… and the first couple to return with a full card wins.”
Damnation. He’d missed the rules. “What did she say? Objects on a card?”
Anna sniffed. “Your partner will fill you in, no doubt.”
Was that petulance he heard in her tone? Not completely disinterested in him, after all. The thought cheered him.
She inclined her chin toward a side door and aimed a loud whisper at her employer. “Perhaps I should head out now, before—”
“A moment if you please, Anna.” Steel laced the older woman’s words.
Anna’s smile of acquiescence seemed forced. “Of course.”
Caden stretched his neck ’til it popped. He’d read her wrong. Again. She couldn’t rid herself of him fast enough. Fine by him.
