Page 11 of Avoiding the Merry Viscount
Elias huffed and glanced back at the perfect, far-too-attractive miss approaching with who he could safely assume were her parents. Especially given how much she favored the older woman with her.
Diana greeted the older couple. “Lord and Lady Cary, I’m so glad you could join us.”
She shifted her attention to his beauty. No, not his. Never his. He just thought she was beautiful. That’s it.
“Miss Cary,” Diana continued. “It’s so good to see you again.”
Diana turned toward the rest of them and introduced them all to Viscount Cary and his family. Elias was the first to step forward and take the perfect Miss Cary’s hand, bringing it to his lips and placing a light kiss on her glove.
His heart raced, and he wasn’t certain why. But he couldn’t take his eyes off hers. Gray—the color of her light, mesmerizing eyes, was gray.
She pulled her hand from his, more like jerked it away, and gave him a tight, polite smile. “Nice to meet you, my lord.”
He couldn’t help but notice that when she went to greet his younger sisters, her expression was far more genuine, and pleasant. What was she about?
Once everyone had made their greetings, Lord Cary and his family followed Miller inside to settle into their chambers. Elias watchedthem, unwilling to admit to himself that he hoped Miss Cary might turn back to glance at him. She had been less than interested in him, and it only made him all the more curious about her.
As soon as their guests were inside and the door closed, his father released a stream of chuckles.
Elias jerked his head toward his father, irritated that he was almost certain that his father was laughing at his expense.
“Oh, son,” his father said, controlling his laughter. “This is going to be so much fun.”
“And just what is that supposed to mean?”
His father clutched Elias’s shoulder. “You’ll figure it out.”
Elias rolled his eyes. His father had lost it. One step away from Bedlam. That was the only explanation.
Chapter Three
Lydia
Miss Lydia Caryknew she’d end up spending a sennight alongside some of the biggest rakes of thetonwhen they received their invitation to the Snowdon holiday house party. But she had found that encountering Lady Diana’s brother, Viscount Snowdon, in person had been something she hadn’t been prepared for. Lady Diana became a fast friend when Lydia met her during the season at a garden party, but she had been all too pleased that she had avoided an introduction to the sworn rake.
It was obvious why he was a notorious rake, given he could drive a woman to distraction merely from looking at her. But she knew better. And wouldn’t allow herself to be deceived by such charms again.
She knew exactly how dangerous a devilish man like Viscount Snowdon could pull willing women into his web, and she wouldn’t allow herself to get ensnared by such a bounder again. She shuddered to think what it would have been like to end up trapped forever in marriage to a man who would have used her body and then taken up with every other willing light skirt in England.
But there was no harm in looking, right? She could still allow herself to admit that the viscount was indeed quite handsome. His light chestnut hair was just a tad longer than was proper, only adding to his rakish allure. Damn him. It was the deep blue eyes that shone likesapphires that were almost enough to render her speechless. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. His broad shoulders also had something to do with it. Even in his greatcoat, she could see how well he filled it out. There wasn’t a doubt that he possessed a taut form beneath all of his layers of clothing.
She shook off her woolgathering about the viscount, reminding herself that such thoughts would only lead to trouble. And she didn’t want to be dallied with by the likes of him. She wished to find a man with more depth. One capable of love. And a husband that would respect and honor their vows. Even if a love match was too much to hope for, she would at least expect that her husband could remain faithful. Something that men like Viscount Snowdon were incapable of.
Lydia followed behind her parents as they ascended the grand staircase. Once they reached the top, the Snowdons’ butler took them to the right. He showed her parents to a room on the left side of the hall, and then she was shown to a room on the right, across the way from her parents.
Entering the chamber she would call home for several days, she found a roaring fire set in the fireplace, making the room already feel warm and cozy. She fell across the four-poster bed, staring up at the canopy, pushing aside frustrating memories of Clint. Lydia had given little thought to the worst bounder of thetonin months. Not after she cried off from their engagement, and he disappeared.
But the handsome viscount downstairs made her body recall things. Things like the hint of pleasure that she hadn’t realized her body was capable of, until she allowed the wrong man to touch her in the most scandalous, private of places.
With any luck, the blackguard was still at one of his family’s Scotland estates, where he ran off to after her father threatened him if he didn’t walk away quietly and leave her be.
The upside to the situation was that she had learned before it wastoo late. The rest of thetonwas none the wiser that she had ever considered marrying the man, and Lydia had been spared a marriage where she would turn the other cheek while her husband was the worst sort of unfaithful arse.
Although, since then, her marriage prospects had been non-existent. She supposed she only had herself to blame, as she couldn’t bring herself to get too close to any man. Nor had any intrigued her enough to consider getting over her fear that they would just lie to get at her virtue and her dowry.
“My lady,” her maid, Tilly, said from the doorway, pulling Lydia from her thoughts. “Are you ready to change and freshen yourself after the long journey?”
“Yes, please. Thank you, Tilly.”
