A Christmas Seduction (12 page)

There was no one in Meredith’s room when Louisa rushed in there however, so she could only assume that Meredith had already gone to break her fast.

Stepping back into the hallway, Louisa collided with the Mayford’s long serving butler.

“My apologies, Miss Bright,” the old butler wheezed, the silver tray in his hands wobbling alarmingly.

“No apology necessary, Sterling, it was my mistake,” Louisa answered with a smile, reaching out and steadying the tray.

“Her Grace has decided to host a party in the maze this evening, Miss, and asked that I deliver invitations to you all.”

Louisa took the proffered envelope from Sterling with her thanks then dashed off in the direction of the breakfast room.

How wonderful.

She would ask Meredith to partner her this evening so Lucas Mayford would be unable to get his paws on her, and she would be able to determine if Hugh’s concerns were legitimate or just another way for the man to cause trouble.

Bursting into the breakfast room, Louisa found Meredith sitting at the table, as she had assumed.

“Meredith, have you heard?” she asked excitedly, glancing around for Sara.

Her eyes and excitement came to a screeching halt as they landed on Lord Ashbury, sitting right beside her sister.

“You,” she snarled automatically, and her temper was immediately ignited by the man’s answering smile.

“Heard what?” asked Meredith, and Louisa brought her attention back to her sister, walking over to her and studying her face intently.

Was that a blush?

Louisa felt a little as though the wind had been taken out of her sails, and she certainly couldn’t be as open with Meredith as she would have liked, with Lord Arrogant sitting there listening.

“Tonight we are going to have a party in the maze! The Duchess of Ashbury will have a frost-themed dinner and the maze will the lit with torches! Do you remember the last time she did that? It was so diverting! I simply cannot wait! Will you be my partner?” she rushed out, determined to leave Lucas Mayford out of the conversation.

“Partner?”

“Yes, we need partners for the game!” Louisa reached over and took her sister’s hand, in an effort to further isolate Lucas.

“I’m afraid your sister cannot be your partner, Miss Bright.” Lucas interrupted, setting her teeth on edge.”It’s true. My mother has all the teams set up as couples. Already she informed me that my brothers and I will be teaming up with you and your sisters. I do hope you are able to control yourselves for one evening. My mother has assured me that you’ve… matured since our last encounter. So you’ll see, Miss Meredith is my partner for the challenge.”

He smiled his devastating smile, and Louisa wanted to land a facer on his pretty face.

“I heard nothing of the sort when I was speaking with your mother.” Louisa snapped back. He wasn’t to know she hadn’t actually spoken to his mother.

“Nor I,” Meredith added.

“She informed me, I’m informing you. Simple as that.” His expression looked a little too innocent for Louisa’s liking.

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t need to. Simply ask my mother once she is up and about this lovely morning. Now. If you two ladies will excuse me.”

Louisa kept her mouth firmly shut as she watched him leave the room.

Risking a glance at Meredith, she was more than a little concerned at the way her sister watched him; there was none of the heat of anger in Meredith’s stare. More like — more like intrigue and interest.

Louisa lifted the cup of coffee that had been poured for her when she’d entered the room. Though she was loathe to admit it, Hugh was right. Something needed to be done.

“A
RE YOU OUT OF
your mind?” Hugh asked, making sure his tone reflected his outrage.

Lucas merely grinned and shrugged his shoulders in response.

“What do you think you’re playing at?”

“I’m not
playing
at anything. Not yet anyway,” Lucas grinned, every inch the rake.

“Please, spare me the details of what you do when you’re alone with a woman.”

“Why should I? You could pick up some tips.”

Hugh snorted.

“The day I need tips from you on what to do with a woman, is the day hell freezes over.”

Lucas didn’t respond with a witty rejoinder the way Hugh expected him to. Hugh watched Lucas closely.

Something was… off.

And he suspected it had a lot to do with the icy Lady Bright.

“Luc,” Hugh began hesitantly, not entirely sure how to broach the subject. “You’re starting to seem… taken … with the lady. Like your interest lies in something other than seduction and battle.”

Hugh watched the panic momentarily flare in his brother’s eyes, before Lucas schooled his features into impassivity once more.

“You’re wrong,” he said softly, and his tone told Hugh more than anything else that he was most definitely not wrong.

Oh, God. This was a bloody disaster.

Hugh groaned aloud and shook his head.

“’Tis painful to watch you fall, brother,” he said, “but I will not follow you on your descent to Hades.”

“Oh, calm down Hugh. You are becoming hysterical.” Lucas was enjoying this far, far more than he should.

Hugh snatched the tumbler of brandy that Lucas held out to him and downed the contents in one gulp.

“You’re asking me to spend an evening in a darkened maze with the little viper just so you can seduce her sister, am I right?”

Lucas’ smile widened.

“Come now, you’re not going to try and make me believe it will be a hardship? Moonlight, darkened corners, nobody around to witness your actions?” Lucas asked cajolingly. “We’ve all seen your interest in her, Hugh. You may as well have a sign painted.”

Hugh suppressed a shudder.

“Usually I wouldn’t hesitate to agree with you wholeheartedly, brother. But the lady we’re talking about is Louisa Bright. Moonlight, darkened corners and no witnesses is not only a perfect setting for seductions…” Hugh swallowed noisily, “…it’s also perfect for a murder.”

Scowling at Lucas’ raucous laughter following his statement, Hugh turned his back to look out of the window that overlooked the formal gardens, and stopped dead.

Was that Louisa?

He squinted and stepped closer to the window.

Sure enough, there was her golden head bobbing up from the bushes.

What on earth was she doing?

He watched in amused captivation as she spied him standing by the window and raised a hand to beckon him outside.

“What has caught your attention?” Lucas asked, stepping over to stand at Hugh’s shoulder.

Hugh watched as Louisa’s eyes widened a split second before her head disappeared once more. He could assume, then, that she didn’t want his brother knowing she was out there.

Biting back a grin, he turned to Lucas to make his excuses.

“Nothing, I just fancy a walk.”

Lucas’ eyebrow rose in disbelief.

“You? Walk?”

“Yes, me walk,” Hugh huffed. “It’s not that bloody unusual.”

Lucas frowned but thankfully didn’t question him any further, and Hugh swept from the room and dashed toward the garden.

Just what was the little hoyden up to now?

“W
HAT TOOK YOU SO LONG
?” Louisa snapped more sharply than she intended. She’d been trying to get Hugh’s attention for an age, watching furtively from the bushes like a thief in the night, not to mention getting tangled in twigs and branches.

“A thousand apologies, my lady,” he responded sarcastically, “but I couldn’t very well announce to Lucas that there was a young woman, desperately awaiting me in the bushes, could I?”

Louisa’s temper flared at his tone.

“How nice for you, to finally have a woman actually
want
your attention,” she said sweetly.

His answering grin could have melted the frost surrounding them and Louisa suddenly felt unaccountably warm.

“Believe me, sweetheart,” he said softly, “I’ve never had a problem with women not wanting me.”

The arrogant swine.

This ridiculous conversation had gone on long enough.

“Much as I enjoy tales of your exploits whilst stuck in your mother’s shrubberies, I would rather speak plainly, farther away from the house,” she bit out snippily, refusing to acknowledge his inappropriate and wildly flirtatious comment. “And I’m not your sweetheart.”

He seemed to know he’d affected her however, as he chuckled softly before offering Louisa his arm.

Louisa placed her hand lightly on his navy blue superfine and fought valiantly to suppress the shiver of awareness that coursed through her body.

Gracious. This wouldn’t do. The last thing the man by her side and his ego needed was to be made aware of her reaction to him.

They walked in silence until they reached the walled garden beyond the shrubs and flowers.

This would afford them privacy to talk.
Just
talk.

“So.” Hugh was the first to break the silence. ”Why were you peeking at me from the bushes?” he asked casually.

Immediately, Louisa’s teeth were set on edge.

“I was not ‘peeking’ at you,” she responded hotly.”I was trying to get your attention to discuss
your
idea about the problem.”

“So, does that mean that you admit that your sister is a problem?”

Louisa dug in her heels, forcing him to stop walking and spun to face him, snatching back her hand.

“’Tis your brother who is the problem, Hugh.
Not
my sister. Why, he practically assaulted her at the breakfast table this morning.”

His face was a picture of skeptic disbelief.

“It’s true,” she demanded. “Only for my timely interruption they would have — well, they would have…”

Louisa trailed off, suddenly feeling embarrassed.

She could hardly discuss such things with Hugh.

“They would have what?” he pressed, grinning. He knew, the blighter. He knew she was discomfited.

“They would have engaged in activities entirely inappropriate for a single man and woman to engage in,” she finally answered, quoting directly from the journal of comportment her mother had made them all read after the fire incident.

Hugh looked at her in surprise for a moment before throwing back his head and bursting into laughter.

Louisa positively refused to let herself dwell on the strength of the muscles in his throat, or the husky sound of his laugh, and chose instead to be furious at his laughing at her.

“Where did you hear such a thing?” he asked, still grinning widely.

“I don’t know what you mean?” She sniffed.

He raised a brow and bent slightly to look directly into her eyes.

“There is no way such virtuous drivel came from a hoydenish Bright sister,” he said softly.

Blast the man. He was right, of course.

“We are ladies, Hugh. Not little girls any longer. And we know, ‘how to conduct ourselves in a manner befitting ladies of our station,’” she quoted again before coming back to her point. “And your debauched brother was — well, trying to make her conduct herself in a manner absolutely
not
befitting ladies of our station.”

He grinned again at her convoluted sentence.

“I shouldn’t worry too much, Louisa. After all, our kiss didn’t steer you down a path of destruction, did it?”

The mention of their kiss seemed to suck all of the air straight from Louisa’s body.

Why had he brought that up? She wasn’t prepared to speak of such things, especially with him.

She glanced up into his distractingly blue eyes and was immediately irritated by the smug, knowing look in them.

The man had an ego the size of Westminster.

It was about time someone deflated it a little.

Giving her best, most believable innocent expression, she answered as sweetly as she could.

“I hardly think one, insignificant, thoroughly forgettable kiss would be enough to send me down a path of destruction,” she said with faux innocence.

Later on, Louisa would wonder how she hadn’t noticed the sudden, dangerous glint in his cobalt eyes. She would wonder why his growl of frustration hadn’t been warning enough of his intentions. But she had paid no attention to these things, and so, when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her in his arms, pulling her body against his, she had been taken completely unawares.