Dare to Be a Duchess, page 5
Lara gave in with a roll of her eyes. “Fine, let us think.”
The other two girls fanned themselves waiting for her to speak. She was, after all, their non-designated ringleader. Over the years, she’d made the plans for all sorts of mischief. Unfortunately for her, Wolf knew that as well.
After a moment, Lara clicked her tongue. “With the three of them together, there’s no way all of us can leave the ballroom without them noticing. Right?”
Camille scoffed. “That much is obvious.”
“Well then, the plan is simple, ‘Divide and Rule.’” Lara smiled. She looked around the ballroom. “Anne, do you see Cammy’s mother standing by that tall pillar alongside your mother?”
Anne waved her fan faster and nodded.
Lara continued. “Go to them and let it slip that maybe Leo is here, finally attending a ball, because he’s ready to settle down. We all know how much Cammy’s mother wishes Cammy would sweep Leo off his feet.”
“Over my dead body!” Cammy retorted. Her hand curled into a fist against her fan.
Lara plucked the fan from Cammy’s hand before she could destroy it.
“Will you calm down?” Lara told her. “No one is asking you to marry Leo. It’s a known fact that Leo runs a mile when your mother tries to approach him. And he’ll immediately suspect something is up if you show up and start making small talk with him. Everyone knows both of you can’t stand the sight of one another. So this option is the best way to get him away from Wolf.”
“I agree with Lara,” Anne said. “After I’m done chatting with Cammy’s mother, Leo won’t know what has hit him.”
Camille still looked skeptical. “This does sound brilliant. What next?”
“Cammy, you go and start a conversation with Hawk. He’s quite horse-mad like you, and you can talk to him about the prize mare that Uncle Robert is planning to auction soon at Castle Manor.”
Camille nodded along. “Yes. Good suggestion. I can draw him away with that. But what will you do?”
Lara looked at her quarry from the corner of her eye and forced herself to remain calm. “I’m going to trap the Wolf himself.”
Chapter Seven
The three ladies dispersed a few moments after Radmore left and went in separate directions. Wolf scratched his jaw. What was going on? Anne, he noted, went straight to their mother and stood chatting with the ladies around her. As for the other two, they were talking to some insipid gentlemen at the punch table.
“I say, Wolf. I don’t think anything is happening tonight. All looks fine to me,” Hawk exclaimed. “Would you mind if I leave now? I have this beautiful brunette waiting for me at Brown’s. Have I told you both how proficient she is in the bedroom?”
“Maybe if you thought beyond your cock, you’d understand that Lara and her friends are most definitely—” Leo stopped whatever he was saying midway and stared ahead, his eyes growing stormy.
Frowning at Leo’s disturbed expression, Wolf swung around and saw Lady Camille Chesterfield approaching them. His hackles rose, and he immediately searched for Anne and was relieved to see her still with their mother.
“Good evening, my Lords, Your Grace.” Camille curtsied.
The three men bowed.
“It’s nice that you all have decided to finally make your presence felt at such events.” Camille took in each of one of them before continuing with a smile, “Lady Ravensborough, I’m certain, must be delighted at her coup, and it will be talked for ages that you three attended her ball.”
“What do you want?” Leo asked her rudely.
Hawk gave Leo a pained look. “Never mind him,” he said, turning and beaming at her. “You, Lady Camille, are a vision. Is there anything we can do for you this evening?”
“Thank you. Quite frankly, I wasn’t interested in having a conversation with anyone else but you, Lord Hawksley. No offense to you, Your Grace.” Camille leveled a smile at Wolf, to which he responded with a sharp nod.
Her chin jutted out as she glared at Leo, and then she blinked, dismissing him. Addressing Hawk, Camille said, “If you don’t mind, Lord Hawksley, I’d rather leave this stifling atmosphere, and we can continue our conversation elsewhere.”
Leo appeared to be bursting at the seams with outrage, shooting daggers at Camille that had no effect on her whatsoever. Wolf chuckled to himself. It was quite amusing to watch the two of them. Leo was known for his patience and calm temperament, but Camille managed to get under the man’s skin every single time.
Hawk placed Camille’s hand on his arm and steered her away from them. Wolf overheard her mention something about a prize mare that was going on auction at Castle Manor, his uncle’s stud farm and country home, where his uncle lived with Lara most of the year.
“The arrogance of Camille Chesterfield simply astounds me,” Leo remarked, seething in fury. “It’s not like she doesn’t know better than to give Hawk an opportunity to be alone with her.”
“Camille is well capable of handling Hawk or any man for that matter, and you know Hawk won’t mess with her. He just fools around to bother you.”
“Still…” Leo started to say and then stopped, his eyes widening. “Oh no! Camille’s mother, Lady Chesterfield, is headed here. I can’t let her catch me, Wolf. She only talks to me about marrying and settling down and my responsibility to my title. Sorry, but I’ll see you in a bit.”
Lady Chesterfield chased Leo down the ballroom as he hurried away, calling out to him. Sighing, Wolf turned and caught sight of Lara at the punch table, sipping from a cup in her hand, watching the dancing couples on the floor.
His mouth set into a straight line. He had to confront her and speak his mind. She had no business encouraging Anne and Radmore. However, in spite of his anger, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She looked lovely tonight. Her pale blue gown looked exquisite on her, making the aqua in her eyes pop. Yes, he had seen the aqua turn to jade when she breathed angry fire with her eyes, and more often the fire had been directed at him.
He disliked that she rebelled against everything. In spite of living in England for so many years, she refused to accept the strictures of Society and flounced the rules that he and others of the ton followed, and perhaps that was the reason she wasn’t accepted so easily. Still, she was invited everywhere because everyone knew she came under his protection and no one would dare defy him by ostracizing her.
Nevertheless, Lara did nothing to change her conduct. She was a wild cat. He remembered her as a young girl climbing trees to pluck fruits and yelling loudly either in anger or in delight depending on her mood, and now as a grown woman she was still the same. He’d caught her many a time in the forest between Castle Manor and Wolverton Castle sitting atop a tree, her legs swinging and a book clutched in hand. She made her own rules and damn the rest of the world.
She spoke her mind and never backed off from an argument, especially if she was convinced that she was right—which, according to her, was most of the time, he thought irritably. She battled wits with him often, and each time he had left the discussion angry and in a foul mood.
Until the masquerade, they had happily ignored one another as much as they could. But then she had drastically changed their equation. Now, try as he might, in spite of his anger, he couldn’t forget how soft she had felt in his arms and how her pink mouth had responded under his. He mentally berated himself. He had to stop thinking like that.
He was about to look away from her when she put her glass of punch, half-finished, on the table in front of her, then whirled around…and her aqua eyes clashed with his.
Lara could barely contain her giddy excitement. Their plan was working! Camille had led Hawk away, and Lady Chesterfield was chasing Leo from the hall. Now, if Lara could get Wolf to bite into her plan, all would be well.
She took a sip of punch for courage and then another for luck. Her heart raced as her mind remembered the havoc his mouth had played on her senses. She’d dwelled on him and his kisses often enough in the last week. She’d thought long and hard and finally put it down to the effects of a scandalous masquerade. There was nothing to the kiss. It was a moment of insanity, never to be repeated. She had to stop thinking about it.
She did not wish to corner Wolf, but offering herself as bait was the only way to lure him into her trap and thus allow Anne to escape out of the ballroom.
Taking a deep breath, she turned and looked straight into his deep gray eyes. He was watching her, too. For a moment, her courage failed her, but she steadied herself. She was doing this for Anne. She’d do anything for Anne, even if it meant sacrificing herself to the wolf.
Inhaling a big gulp of air, controlling her nerves, she strolled toward him and smiled.
“Hello, Wolf,” Lara greeted him.
He gave her a brief bow. “Lara.”
“I always thought the crush at such a ball was never to your liking. So how did you come to be here tonight?”
He gave her a pointed look. “Are you actually making mundane conversation with me?”
“Well, isn’t that what one does at events such as these?”
“Agreed, but I would suppose that since we have steadfastly avoided each other as much as we could in the past, there has to be a reason for you to have sought me out tonight. And more so especially after the way we parted the last time.”
Her eyes widened at his implication, and her cheeks heated. She hadn’t expected him to bring that up right now. What she had expected was for him to say something that would irk her and then she would retaliate and they would have a full-blown argument, thereby giving Anne enough time with Radmore before Wolf remembered that he was there to thwart whatever it was he believed they had planned.
But no. Wolf had to behave contrary as always.
“I…I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she stuttered.
“Don’t pretend to be daft when you’re most certainly not. In any case, I’m not in the mood for idle chatter unless you wish to discuss why you kissed me,” he challenged her, surveying the room.
Lara sniffed. “You’re so rude.”
“Since you’ve accused me of that very same thing often enough, it ceases to make a difference to me whatsoever.”
His haughty attitude was getting on her nerves.
“All right. Let’s talk about the kiss and get it over with,” Lara retaliated.
His gaze jumped back to her in surprise.
Just as he looked about to make a retort, they heard a loud shriek directly behind them and then someone screamed, “Heavens, Lady Merridale has fainted!”
Wolf barely had time to react.
Someone bumped into Lara, and she was jolted forward, right into his chest. Wolf caught her by her waist and held on to her while people crowded around them, jostling for the best vantage point at the fainted lady, who would surely be the talk of the ton for some time.
Wolf’s mind had been on alert ever since Lara had given him that provocative smile before approaching him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Anne with their mother. Relieved that his sister was safe, he scanned the thickening crowd around them.
He grimaced. They were getting crushed from all sides.
This was one of the reasons he never attended such events. Agitated that once again he was caught in a situation with Lara in his arms, he leaned down to growl in her ear, “Why is it that trouble follows you wherever you go?”
“That is not my intent, I assure you.” She shifted against him, struggling to move out of his arms. But there were too many people pressing into them.
Her wriggling and shifting was having a disturbing effect on his body. Before he could move her away from him, there was another shout in the crowd—apparently the crush of people had caused another lady to swoon—and more people swept forward. Lara was elbowed aside by a man Wolf immediately wanted to hurt, and this time her body collided with his on her exhaled, “Oof.”
Without thinking, his hold on her tightened. This was getting out of hand. She’d be injured at this rate. He tucked Lara firmly under his chin and took an agitated breath.
Roses and vanilla.
The fragrance had haunted him since their last encounter, and his mouth watered. He nuzzled his way to her cheek, inhaling deeply. Her fragrance tantalized him, and his body started to hum as desire raged through him like an inferno.
Wolf dipped his head and rubbed his nose slowly against the side of her throat. Lara trembled in his hold. He lifted his head, and their gazes crashed, fire leaping forth between them.
She was stunning. Tonight, her hair was set in soft curls that fell from the top of her head and cascaded to her shoulders in an intricate style that looked beautiful, but unwound on a white pillow, it would be even more spectacular. Her face was a perfect oval, her dark eyebrows delicately arched over usually blue eyes, their color a molten teal now, as they flashed at him in a mixture of confusion and surprise. Her straight nose gave her a proud and haughty look, and her angular chin added to the confidence lining her features. His gaze drifted to her mouth. That lovely pink mouth.
She sucked in a breath, and her full breasts pressed tightly against his chest, tangling his thoughts, further arousing his body. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, and a sharp pang of desire went straight to his loins. Wolf was caught in a spell by that pink tongue hovering over her luscious lips.
He stared, mesmerized, as she caught her lower lip between her teeth. Unthinking, his mouth descended, seeking her lips.
“No,” Lara whispered, pushing his arms.
But Wolf wanted—no, he needed—a taste of that soft mouth again.
Urgently pushing him, she whispered again, “Wolf, please. Stop this!”
Her quiet plea reached through the thick fog in his brain, and he straightened, releasing her.
What insanity had taken hold of him that he’d been about to kiss Lara here in the middle of the ballroom? They were in the midst of a ball with people fanning all around them. Right now, all their curiosity was focused on the fainted ladies, but had he kissed Lara, all the attention would have shifted to them, and he would have created the biggest scandal London had ever witnessed.
His hand curled against his thigh. Thank God she’d jarred him back to his senses. He looked at the stunned expression in her eyes and grimaced. She must think him a cad. Why had he suddenly wanted nothing more but to taste her lips? To taste and remember the untold sweetness they promised? He shook his head. She was his uncle’s ward, and Anne’s friend…
Anne!
He turned to look at where his mother was standing, and Anne wasn’t there.
He glanced over the heads of the crowd. Hawk was nowhere to be seen, off with Camille God only knew where. Leo was long gone, having fled the ballroom to escape Lady Chesterfield. And Lara…
He frowned down at the woman in question. Lara had laid the trap to split him and his friends, and she had succeeded. Worse, she’d distracted him. And now his sister had slipped away.
He growled in frustration. “You have made a habit of testing the limits of my temper, Lara. Tonight, you’ve crossed that line completely.”
Lara blinked.
What was he talking about?
She was unable to comprehend him; her wits had scattered to the winds. One moment he was about to kiss her and now he was angry with her. Why? She blinked, trying to control her raging senses.
“Why are you angry with me? I wasn’t the one who was about to…to…” She faltered, unable to even form the rest of the sentence.
“You deliberately set out to separate me and my friends,” Wolf retorted. “You were trying to distract me from whatever mischief the three of you have concocted, and your plan seems to have succeeded so far. I admit I got a bit carried away for a moment, but not anymore. My sister has disappeared, as it seems was your plan all along.”
Her mouth dropped open. He was angry because Anne had escaped, not because he had been on the verge of kissing her? She looked at the livid expression carved on his face and shook herself out of her wayward thoughts. Now that Anne had managed to escape, Lara had to remain calm and control the situation.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she responded. “Your sister is of course around here somewhere.”
“No, she is not,” Wolf fumed. “You helped her disappear. But I’m not going to let you succeed.”
Lara made a face at him. “Are you suggesting that I caused Lady Merridale to faint, just so that I could create some sort of diversion for Anne to escape?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You very well know what I’m talking about.”
“That’s exactly the problem. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Stop lying to me, Lara. I want to know where my sister is, and you are going to tell me, or so help you God,” he snapped.
Her mouth tightened. She fixed him an icy look. “Threats and more threats. Nothing changes with you. As usual, it’s a mistake on my part to assume that we can share a decent conversation. But luckily for me, it’s a mistake that I can easily correct, so I’ll take your leave. Good night!”
Fully intending to make a dramatic exit, she whirled around. She had taken not one step when Wolf caught her hand and put it on the crook of his arm. When she tried to resist, he covered her hand with his own and marched them toward the terrace door.
“What are you doing? Unhand me right this moment,” Lara lashed out through gritted teeth.
Caught in Wolf’s viselike grip on her hand, Lara had no choice but to allow Wolf to lead her outside the terrace doors and down the steps into the garden. It was that or create a scene. Either way, she was not getting out of this situation easily.
Her heartbeat quickened as the fountain came to view. The orangery was just a short distance ahead of the fountain. If Anne was caught with Lord Radmore, it would be a disaster, just like she had predicted. She had to stop Wolf from going any farther. As he led them toward the fountain in the center of the empty garden, she dug in her heels and stood her ground, refusing to take a step more.
