Page 43 of A Story of Love

“Miss Fontenot, what a pleasure seeing you here tonight.”

“What is the world coming to, Lord Severn?”

“I am almost afraid to ask what you mean?” he said.

“Who would have believed that you would have sought out me?”

Fast laughed. “I must be a glutton for punishment.”

Her smile grew into a smirk, and she turned to her friend. “Freddie, this is Lord Severn. Lord Severn, the Countess of Sedgewick.”

Fast was amused by her unconventional mode of introduction and suspected she did it on purpose.

Lady Sedgewick gave a curtsey of surpassing grace. “It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord.”

Fast bowed over her hand. “The pleasure is all mine. I knew your husband about half a lifetime ago.”

Her eyes, an unusual fawn color, shuttered, and the slight amount of warmth he’d seen in them turned to frost. “Indeed.”

Fast couldn’t say he was surprised by her reaction. He’d known Sedgewick well enough back in the day and the man had been a cad who’d had some rather unsavory perversions. He suspected his widow was all too aware of what her husband had been like. He would have thought Sedgewick’s death was a happy release but clearly the countess had been left penniless if she was forced to launch Cit’s daughters to earn her crust. She was a lovely woman but had all the warmth of an iceberg. Lord only knew what Gregg saw in her to fascinate him so.

He turned to Miss Fontenot. “You look lovely,” he said, amused by the pink wave that suffused her from the swells of her delicious breasts right up her swanlike neck. A neck that only sported a rather sad-looking pearl necklace he suspected was paste. Damn! Fast knew he should have included some bauble that matched the gown.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“Did you have any plans to ask me to dance?”

She laughed. “Odious man! You should not have mentioned my shocking behavior in front of Freddie. She will be horrified.”

“But not surprised,” Lady Sedgewick said dryly.

“I believe there is a waltz next,” Fast said. “Will you honor me with a dance.”

“Oh, but the honor would be all mine,” she purred.

The small hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Bloody hell, what was she planning to grill him about this time?

Chapter 12

“I want the supper waltz, too,” Fast said only seconds after they’d begun to dance.

Miss Fontenot laughed. “What makes you think I have it free?”

“If you promised it to somebody else, tell them you forgot that you’d already given the dance to me. But I don’t think you have.”

“For shame! Are you saying that I am not taking the ton by storm, my lord?”

“You’re taking me by storm, and that is all that matters.” Her lips parted and Fast smiled at the adorably flustered look. When she didn’t speak, he added, “I have only ever seen you dance once before—and that was with Avington last year. As far as I’ve seen—and I have certainly been paying attention—you have not danced with anyone else except me this year. Although I suspect that is from choice rather than circumstance.”

“You are flirting with me again.”

“I can’t help myself. You look downright edible tonight.”

Twin streaks of red stained her cheeks so suddenly that she looked almost as if she’d been slapped, but her voice was even and calm when she said, “Is that all it takes to interest you in a woman, my lord? An expensive gown and a fancy coiffure?”

He lowered his caressing gaze to her upper arm. “Those gloves don’t hurt, either.” Before she could reply, he said, “To answer your question, what you wear doesn’t make a damned bit of difference to me. I’d still be interested in you if you wore a burlap sack.” He gave her an evil smile. “Or better yet: nothing at all.”

“If you’re trying to make me blush you have already succeeded and can stop.”