Across the room Dare’s deep laugh sounded, and Georgiana’s blood heated to near boiling. Obviously he didn’t care a fig that he’d wounded a young girl’s feelings—or worse, broken another heart. Oh, yes, he badly needed a lesson. He was the reason they’d made the lists in the first place. And she knew the exact lesson she intended to teach him. In fact, she could think of no one better qualified to deliver it than she. “Yes, Dare. And, obviously, I’ll have to break his heart to do it, though I’m not certain he even has one. But—”
“Shh,” Evelyn hissed, making a cutting gesture with her hands.
“Who has one what?”
Her spine stiffening at the low drawl, Georgiana turned around. “I wasn’t talking to you, my lord.”
Tristan Carroway, Viscount Dare, looked down at her, his light blue eyes amused. He couldn’t have a heart, if he was able to smile that charming, sensuous smile right after reducing another woman to tears and flight.
“And here I was,” he said, “only approaching to tell you how remarkably lovely you look this evening, Lady Georgiana.”
She smiled, seething inside. Now he was complimenting her, while poor Amelia was without a doubt in some dark corner, weeping. “I did choose this ensemble with you in mind, my lord,” she said, smoothing her silk burgundy skirt. “Do you truly like it?”
The viscount was no fool, and though his expression didn’t change, he took a half step back. She hadn’t brought her fan along tonight—though Lucinda’s was in easy reach if she changed her mind about rapping him across the knuckles.
“I do, my lady.” His sweeping glance took her in from head to toe, leaving her with the unsettling sensation that he knew whether her shift was silk or cotton.
“Then this is the one I’ll wear to your funeral,” she said with a sweet smile.
“Georgie,” Lucinda murmured, taking her arm.
Dare lifted an eyebrow. “Who says you’ll be invited?” With a devilish grin, he turned on his heel. “Good evening, ladies.”
Oh, did he ever need to be taught a lesson! “How are your aunts?” Georgiana asked his backside.
He stopped and, with a slight hesitation, turned around. “My aunts?”
“Yes. I don’t see them this evening. How are they?”
“Aunt Edwina is quite well,” he said, his expression wary. “Aunt Milly is recovering, though not as quickly as she would like. Why?”
Ha. She had no intention of explaining the reason behind her question. Let him wonder until she had the details of her plan figured out. “No reason. Please give them my compliments.”
“I will. Ladies.”
“Lord Dare.”
As soon as he was out of sight, Lucinda released Georgiana’s arm. “So that’s how you make a gentleman fall in love with you. I’d wondered what I’d been doing wrong.”
“Oh, hush. I can’t simply fall into his arms. He would know something was afoot.”
“How are you going to accomplish it, then?” Even the usually optimistic Evelyn was skeptical.
“Before I do anything else, I need to speak with someone. I’ll tell you what I can tomorrow.”
That said, Georgiana went in search of Amelia Johns. Dare had vanished, but she kept an eye out for his tall form anyway. One of his more annoying traits was that one never knew when or where he might turn up.
Drat. That reminded her that she’d forgotten to ask him whether he’d been invited this evening or had bullied his way into her aunt’s party.
A thorough search revealed no sign of the pretty young debutante, and with a preoccupied frown Georgiana went to find her aunt and resume her hostess duties. Being Aunt Frederica’s live-in companion came with both certain privileges and responsibilities, and spending the evening being charming when she would rather have gone upstairs to plot was one of the latter.
Making Tristan Carroway fall in love with her was risky for more than one reason, but it was a lesson he badly needed to learn. He’d toyed with one heart too many, and she would make certain he never did it again. Ever.
Chapter 2
Fair is foul, and foul is fair.
—Macbeth, Act I, Scene i
