She wrinkled her nose at Violet as if she must appease Anthony, and then faced him. “I would be honored to meet him.”
With a quick nod to Buswick, Anthony led her across the room. As they approached, she studied the woman on Leighhall’s arm, hoping she would be able to shed light on the man. She was tall and thin and blonde, similar to him, but with a large bosom and hips, and a wide face.
As they drew closer, the man turned his gaze to her and swept it over her thoroughly, as if cataloguing all her attributes for a later time, before moving his attention to Anthony. “Ah, and here is young Bellamore. You must introduce me to this beauty at your side.”
She pasted on a smile, not at all impressed.
“My lord, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce you to my dear Daguette. Daguette, this is Viscount Leighhall, our kind host.”
She set her free hand on her chest. “My lord, it is an honor.” She looked up at Anthony then back at Leighhall. “Mi amourhas told me of his high esteem for you on more than one occasion.”
The man lifted his chin in clear hubris. “I imagine I could teach him many things, but tell me, you hail from France, do you not?”
“Indeed I do.” Again she looked upon Anthony as if he were her only reason for breathing. “My Anthony was there fighting when we met. I will always treasure that day.” When she turned back, she could see Leighhall was clearly not thrilled with her constant reference to Anthony, so she changed tack. “When he told me of your brilliant idea for a house party, I said we must meet you. And then to hear from Delilah that you have been hosting such a lovely gathering for years, I must say I was intrigued by a man of such creativity and foresight.”
“Mademoiselle, I simply saw a need and a way to fulfill it.” Again the man puffed with pride. “It is not so easy to find the perfect person with which to share these weekends, but I am quite fortunate to have the lovely Selene as my guest.” He gestured toward Anthony. “Lord Bellamore, this is Selene, a woman of incomparable attributes.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Selene. I hope that you and Daguette will enjoy this weekend.”
The woman gave them a secret smile. “I’m most sure we will.”
“Leighhall!” The shout from the doorway had them all turning. “Is dinner not ready yet?” Lord Pemberton, as Anthony had identified him, strode in like a boar at a picnic, searching the room for his mistress.
Alice waved from where she now knelt on the chair. “And here I thought I was dinner.”
Violet responded from the settee where she spoke with Delilah, “No, dear. You’re dessert.”
More laughter followed, and Anthony guided Lissa away from Leighhall as Pemberton motioned for Alice to join him to formally meet their host.
It was all rather civilized and yet not. Lissa found herself curious not only about Leighhall and his secrets, but also about what they would encounter for the rest of their stay. As Anthony introduced her to yet another couple, she knew in her heart that after this, she could never marry. Life was so much more than tea and dress fittings.
“Daguette, you look good enough to eat.”
At Lord Rothbury’s comment, she smiled. “And so do you, my lord. I have no doubt that Delilah will tell me exactly what you taste like.”
The man’s eyes widened before he pulled Delilah closer and whispered loudly for them all to hear, “Do not be tellingallour secrets, my dear.”
The woman rolled her eyes before patting him on his chest. “Do not worry. I would never say anything you wouldn’t.”
The lord stared at her a moment then grinned. “You are far too smart for me.”
“Yes, but I do not stay with you because of your mind.” As the woman’s gaze roamed downward, Lord Rothbury stood straighter, obviously assuming his manhood was the woman’s reason for staying.
But Lissa already knew it was for the man’s wallet that Delilah remained with him.
It was an unfortunate place for a woman to be in. She herself wished to be the captain of her own fate. Too long had she allowed her grandmother to dictate her actions.
Just then, a footmen came into the room and rang a bell.
Anthony offered his arm, and she laid her hand atop it. He allowed the others to leave before moving forward. “Not exactly what I expected.”
She leaned in as they strolled down the corridor. “What did you expect?”
“Honestly?”
She nodded, very curious what he had envisioned.
“I believe I expected an orgy of some type.”
