Page 24 of Hot and Bothered in July
He made a weak attempt to locate the earl in question, but since he didn’t have anything to say to him, merely making his excuses so that he could explain away the error in his actions, Reed made his way toward the perimeter of the room where he could still keep an eye on Sariah without, hopefully, making it too obvious that she was his current obsession.
As he stood, temporarily free from playing nice with the aristocracy, Reed had time to ponder what Lord Richard had told him about making the engagement a reality. He had never thought that settling down was in the cards for him. He certainly hadn’t found anyone intriguing enough to spend more than a few nights with in an effort to slake their mutual lust.
However, being with Sariah in the gazebo had made him wonder if he would tire of her. She certainly fired his blood like no one else had and, not only that, but the more faults he discovered in her, they went further to mask the insecurities in his own life. It meant a lot that she did not judge him or point out his failings. He found it easy to imagine a life where the two of them could live in a semblance of harmony. And something told him that the bedchamber would never grow cold.
His focus temporarily deterred by his own thoughts, Reed glanced up to see a gentleman approach Sariah. He narrowed his gaze when he saw her eyes light up when she spied him. It certainly did not help matters that he was dressed as a Dragoon Guard in a red tailcoat with white bands across the chest, as a true decorated soldier of the Crown.
He started to move forward, but then a figure moved next to him. “Your influence with Sariah has seemed to make a marked difference in her overall reception to other suitors,” Lord Richard drawled. “Father will be pleased when she makes an advantageous match once it is proven that your engagement has been broken.”
Reed clenched his fists at his sides. He wasn’t certain who he wanted to strike down at the moment. Instead, he said, “I am glad I could be of service to your family, Lord Richard.”
The other man chuckled. “Are you, indeed? Because you look as though you would like to run Lord Michael Feltstone through with his own sword.”
Now that the prospect had been thrown down in front of him, Reed decided that wasn’t such a bad idea after all. He forced himself to ignore the bait and speak rationally. “The arrangement your sister and I have is temporary.”
“As you keep saying.”
Reed was steadily losing his patience. “What would you have me say? That I deserve to have Miss Kent as my wife because I have worked tirelessly to make something more of myself?”
Lord Richard shrugged. “Some would call that honorable.”
“But not everyone in society is in agreement with that assessment,” Reed snapped.
“Then you will lose her on a technicality without trying to fight for the right to court her?”
Reed clenched his jaw. “The real question is you should be asking, Lord Richard, is—was she ever truly mine to begin with?”
He left his prospective brother-in-law and honed in on his host. Lord Harville was one of the main reasons he’d decided to embark on this house party at all.
It was time he remembered that.
Chapter Ten
All throughout dinner,Sariah tried to catch Reed’s eye from further down the table, but for some reason, it seemed as though he was avoiding her, when in the parlor, she could feel his stare following her about the room. However, she started to wonder that his sudden reticence might be due to Lord Michael’s desire to suddenly be close to her. He’d even confessed that he’d found a way to secure a seat next to her for the meal.
This was not a welcome surprise. Although she had once fancied herself in love with the handsome soldier before he’d gone away to war, his return as a hero was not as enticing as she had imagined it might have been. She was glad to see him, of course, because he’d been good friends with her brother over the years and had made numerous appearances at Foxworth House, but he had never seemed to reciprocate her feelings. Now that she was engaged, it seemed that he had finally discovered her allure and was intent on wooing her away from her current betrothed.
She wondered if perhaps she was reading too much into his attentions, but when Maggie remarked on the same thing in the parlor after dinner was over, Sariah was grateful someone elsehad noticed it. “I bet he intends to make you an offer,” Ava said emphatically.
The three of them were huddled together on a settee.
Sariah put a hand to her forehead. She was not in the particular mood to endure her friend’s penchant to romanticize everything. Not when her body was still humming delightfully from her encounter with Reed in the gazebo. She had been considering all night how she might find enough time alone with him to duplicate the sensation of the “little death,” but Lord Michael Feltstone had turned into an unwelcome complication. “I do not want another suitor,” she sighed. “One is quite enough at a time.”
Maggie gave a snort. “I am just glad you are the one having this issue and not me. While my mother despairs that I shall ever make a suitable match after one failed season, I fear for what will happen when next spring arrives. I may have to break a leg on purpose just to save myself the horrors that I will certainly be forced into with my mother’s matchmaking efforts.”
“I would love to find a husband,” Ava sighed dreamily. “I do not want someone old enough to be my father and I should prefer it if our interests aligned, but I am eager to set up my own household and start a family.”
Sariah had an idea. “What do you think of Lord Michael?”
Ava blinked her wide blue eyes. “I think he is quite handsome, but he barely flicked a glance over me.”
“Then we shall have to endeavor to change that,” Sariah said firmly. “I will give it some thought and devise a plan so that his attentions become fixed on you and I can continue in peace with Re—er, Mr. Carrington.” She would have been too lucky to hope that Maggie didn’t catch her slip of the tongue.
“Are you on a first name basis?” she murmured. “I am truly starting to wonder how false your betrothal is.”
Sariah could not keep the warmth from seeping into her cheeks. “I daresay I am starting to wonder that myself.” When Ava gasped and Maggie lifted a red brow, Sariah quickly added, “There is no new understanding. I want to make that perfectly clear, but I would not be… averse if it were in truth.”
Maggie shook her head. “I never thought I would see the day you would be eager for marriage.”
