Page 41 of Seducing a Frigid Lady
Tonight is certain to be fun,Lionel declared to himself. It was at parties like these where the men of thetoncould entirely let their hair down and forget about all their responsibilities and their families’ expectations and simply be men.
It wasn’t at all like the ball at Lady Bishop’s that they had attended only a few days earlier. And yet, for just a moment, Lionel found himself wishing that it was. Maybe then he would get to see Miss Lloyd again. He had refrained from calling upon her, wishing to give her some time to come to terms with whatever it was they had actually agreed between them in the study that night.
“Please, won’t you have a seat at this table?” Lord Frost suggested, guiding him and Max over to the nearest table, where the only seats in the room had been left available for them.
“Thank you,” Lionel said as he took the nearest seat.
“I am sure you have met Mr. Kenyon,” Lord Frost said, gesturing to the only other man sitting at the table, looking as though he was slightly frustrated that he had been left waiting while several other tables had already begun to play and drink and smoke.
“I do not believe we have been formally introduced,” Mr. Kenyon replied before Lionel could say a word. He leaned over the table and offered Lionel his hand. “Harold Kenyon, of the Kenyon Company.”
“Mr. Kenyon, I had no idea you had not yet met my cousin,” Max exclaimed, sounding shocked, though Lionel could tell from the expression on his face and knowing him so well that there had likely been a reason why he and Mr. Kenyon had not yet been formally introduced. “Please, allow me to introduce you to Lionel Sinclair, heir to the Earl of Oxforth.”
“Yes, I know very well,” Mr. Kenyon announced, inching his hand further across the table. “Pleasure to meet you, my lord.”
Lionel was unsure as to why meeting the man caused his jaw to clench, though he forced a smile and took Mr. Kenyon’s hand, shaking it firmly as he said, “The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Kenyon.”
“Well, now that is over, shall we get to playing?” Lord Frost suggested, throwing his hands in the air in a grand gesture. Immediately, a servant placed a set of cards in his hand. “Please see that my guests have whatever refreshments they desire.”
The servant turned to look at the rest of the table.
“Scotch over ice,” Mr. Kenyon announced immediately before the servant could say a word.
“Make that two,” Lionel said, examining the man across from him closely.
“No, three,” Max added.
“And I shall have a red wine,” Lord Frost declared, cutting the deck before he offered it to Lionel and suggested, “As my newest guest, perhaps you would like to shuffle? I would hate to be accused of cheating at my own game.”
“I would be happy to,” Lionel responded, taking the card deck from the host and beginning to shuffle the cards expertly. It was something he had done a million times before, and he could have done it blindfolded or even in his sleep. Both Lord Frost and Max watched him with fascination while Mr. Kenyon’s expression was far more scrutinising.
“Mr. Kenyon, perhaps you would like to deal?”
Lionel offered the deck to the gentleman with a raised eyebrow. A look of surprise flashed across Mr. Kenyon’s face, but he happily took the cards with a nod.
The three men watched while Mr. Kenyon started to deal card after card in front of them.
“Lord Sinclair, forgive me for saying, but I could not help but notice how close yourself and Miss Lloyd were at Bishop’s Ball,” Mr. Kenyon commented as he dealt. The hair on the back of Lionel’s neck immediately started to rise, and he was forced to grit his teeth. Why did her name upon his lips make his hackles rise so badly?
“Miss Lloyd is fine company,” Lionel responded simply, wondering where the conversation could possibly be going. What interest did Mr. Kenyon have in the businessman’s daughter, anyway?
“I agree,” Lord Frost put in. “Miss Lloyd is a fine and intelligent woman indeed.”
“Really?” Mr. Kenyon exclaimed incredulously. “From what I have heard from many members of thetonshe has quite the icy disposition.”
Lionel was glad that his hands had already been on his lap beneath the table because he balled them into fists at the man’s words.
“That is the opinion of many members of theton, yes,” Max put in, eyeing the two men as though he was fearful that something might be said to upset one of them. Lionel couldn’t blame his cousin. He most definitely could feel the tension that was growing between them. And the expression on Mr. Kenyon’s face, the barely veiled amusement, suggested to Lionel that it might be exactly what he was trying to do.
“Though I have found Miss Lloyd to be growing more and more pleasant each time I have met her.”
“I fear she is simply misunderstood,” Lionel commented, picking up the cards that had been dealt before him. He organised them between his hands before spreading them out to take a look at what he had. Not that he really cared much for the card game now. He was far more interested in what Mr. Kenyon had to say.
The gentleman scoffed at Lionel’s words and rolled his eyes. “Is that what you call it? I have always found her prickly myself, and I have known her for quite some time.”
Bile rose in the back of Lionel’s throat. The thought that this man had known Miss Lloyd for any length of time, long enough to have gotten to know her, made his stomach twist with jealousy.You do not deserve the pleasure,he thought, feeling as though he had already gotten the measure of the man. From the looks of him and his fine clothing and how he was speaking, Lionel thought him pompous and arrogant and not at all the kind of man Miss Lloyd would ever consider sharing.
“Then you must also know that she is intelligent and does not suffer fools willingly,” Lionel bit back, feeling the heat rising beneath his collar and most definitely not in a good way. His teeth were gritted and his hands balled so tightly into fists that when he glanced beneath the table at them, his knuckles had turned white.
