Easton chuckled. “Delicate constitution? That man has the constitution of an ox.”
“All I can tell you is what I heard,” Ludlow said.
The waiter brought a round of brandies for the three friends and passed them around. “Will there be anything else, my lord?”
Easton shook his head. He was in a foul mood, and his only excuse for attending that less-than-stellar ball had been to look forher. Now that his lame reason for attending no longer held any merit, he’d have to be careful not to show too much interest in this year’s debutantes, especially one in particular.
He wasn’t about to admit that his infatuation withherhad grown into more of a secret desire. What was it about her that held him captive? In the intervening eighteen months since he last saw her, he’d immersed himself in a few affairs, always walking away before the woman got too attached to him. He enjoyed women and always made sure they enjoyed their time together as much as he did, but that was as far as he was willing to indulge them. As soon as a lover became too clingy, he ended the affair.
He wasn’t a cruel or selfish man and had no intention of needlessly hurting his paramours. His number one rule was that the affair be based on mutual pleasure, nothing more, no strings attached. There would be no emotional attachment on his part,and he’d made that abundantly clear with each woman he was involved with, which led to some very enjoyable evenings with some lusty ladies. He was careful to stay away from the married ones. He didn’t need an angry husband coming after him. In any event, none of those encounters had eased the desire that he felt for her.
“Easton, I’ve never seen you so quiet before. Are you listening to Ludlow’s idea? What’s gotten into you tonight?” Chandler asked.
Easton waved a dismissive hand at his friend. “Can’t I just sit and have a drink in peace without you two harping on me?”
He saw Chandler and Ludlow share a knowing look. Did they believe him? Probably not, but he wasn’t going to tell them a different story. He’d known them since their school days, and the friendship had continued at university. They’d remained fast friends to this day. While he wouldn’t ever want to lose their friendship, sometimes their knowing him so well made it difficult to hide anything from them.
“I hear there are a couple of beautiful stallions for sale at Tattersall’s this week. Who wants to accompany me?” Ludlow asked, mercifully changing the subject.
“I’ll go,” Chandler said. “Easton?”
Easton looked between his friends and knew he’d never get any peace until they were satisfied he wasn’t suffering from an infatuation. If they knew, there would be endless rounds of teasing, and that was the last thing he wanted.
“Sure, happy to look at the new stallions.”
“Good,” Ludlow said.
Easton sat sipping his brandy, determined not to fall under any woman’s spell.
Really?
Who was he kidding?
He was so far underherspell that he wouldn’t be able to dig his way out with a dozen shovels.
After a few more rounds, Easton excused himself and headed to his bachelor quarters at the Albany. A man could only take so much nonsense in one night, although he was looking forward to going to Tattersall’s with his friends, so something good had come out of his disappointing evening.
Chapter2
Miss Mia Parker giggled atthe young man’s obvious embarrassment. Mr. Thompson, the host’s son, couldn’t seem to get the words out of his mouth. She knew he wanted to ask her to dance, but she was tired of waiting for the shy young man to stop stuttering and actually ask her.
She’d had endless conversations with her sister, Lady Fletcher, and family friend, Lady Devon, about proper behavior and decorum at a ball. Ladies didn’t gossip, or act too bold, or offer an opinion on anything other than the weather, which Mia thought was ridiculous. She had opinions on lots of topics and had rarely held her tongue when she had something to say growing up. Tonight was different. She would try her hardest to conform to Society’s idea of the ideal young woman. She didn’t want to seem too brash at her first ball.
So she waited for the young man to speak.
After another excruciating minute of stammering and then silence, she held out her dance card to Mr. Thompson. “Sir, do you have any particular preference for a dance?”
He looked relieved and wrote his name down for a country reel.
“Thank you, Mr. Thompson. I’m looking forward to our dance,” Mia said.
The young man bowed and scurried away without another word.
“That was well done, dearest,” Lady Fletcher said. “Sometimes young men can become tongue-tied, just like young women, when meeting new people.”
Mia glanced at her eldest sister, who was standing next to her husband, Baron Fletcher. They’d married nearly two years ago, and the Parker sisters’ quality of life had taken a turn for the better. The baron never made her feel unwanted and had done everything within his power to support her desire for a Season. Her sister had been the one to caution against extravagant spending on her wardrobe, especially after the expense of all the renovations to their London home and Dandridge Manor.
She remembered their conversation as if it were yesterday.