The fluttering stopped. He made her sound like a twelve-year-old with her troop of fellow tots, for heaven’s sake.
“As I am nineteen, I am no longer a girl,” Livy pointed out. “Nor am I difficult to find. That is, if one was actually bothering to look.”
Drat. Now I sound like a jealous nincompoop.
“I stand corrected.” Hadleigh’s dark brows inched upward. “Are you youngwomenacquainted with Lady Charlotte Fayne?”
Catching his sardonic emphasis, Livy flushed.
“I have not had the pleasure of meeting these lovely young ladies,” Lady Fayne said.
The woman had a voice like mulled cider, earthy and warm. Her curtsy was a thing of art, and her graciousness made Livy feel smaller than an ant.
Hadleigh made the introductions.
“Your dress is beautiful, Lady Fayne,” Fiona said. “The very height of fashion.”
“Thank you, Miss Garrity. I must return the compliment two-fold.”
Fiona preened. Livy bit back a scowl.
“His Grace was just telling me about the Willflowers,” Lady Fayne went on. “What a delightful moniker.”
“A classmate thought she could bully us with it, but we turned the tables on her.” Glory lifted her chin. “We are proud to be Willflowers.”
“And you ought to be.” Lady Fayne’s smile reached her grey eyes. “To be beautiful, bright, and bold is a rare combination indeed.”
“Bold is one way to put it. Livy was voted the Most Stubborn Debutante at her finishing school,” Hadleigh said.
Livy narrowed her gaze. “That was MostDeterminedDebutante, as well you know.”
His reply was a bland smile.
“Thereisa difference,” she insisted.
His smile turned even blander.
Argh.
“Livy, wasn’t there something you needed His Grace’s help with?” Fiona said pointedly.
Right. Concentrate on the plan. On seducing Hadleigh…not strangling him.
Inhaling, she mustered up her sweetest look. “That’s right. I do need your help.”
“With what?” he asked.
“I will show you when we get there.”
“How mysterious,” Lady Fayne murmured. “You mustn’t make the lady wait, Your Grace.”
“It is a matter of importance,” Glory said.
“And great urgency,” Fiona added.
“All right, all right.” His expression beleaguered and eyes amused, Hadleigh offered Livy his arm. “Lead the way.”
3
