Page 13 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
Near the end of the line, she saw a well-dressed middle-aged couple approaching them, whom she did not recognize. Behind them came a younger man. He was tall, with dark hair, almost black. And behind him was the face she had been looking for all evening. The man from the library!
She almost let out a squeak of excitement but managed to hold back. Her heart began to race as the introductions began.
“Lord Sterling, what a delight to see you.” Lord Evermere reached for the man’s hand and shook it heartily. “Our good friend Wexington has told me much about your business ventures. I look forward to hearing all about it during the house party.”
Isabella’s heart leapt. The group of guests that the mysterious man from the library belonged to were staying for the whole party! It was just as she had hoped. But still, she did not know his name. She forced herself to be patient. She knew she must not look too eager to be introduced to him.
“Allow me to introduce my wife, Lady Lucinda Sterling,” Lord Sterling announced. “And my son, Mr Adrian Sterling.”
The young man with the dark hair bowed in greeting to Isabella and her parents. Then, finally, it was the turn of the man whose face she had been longing to see again.
“And this is my dear stepson, Lord Sebastian, Viscount Ashcroft.”
Isabella’s heart leapt in her chest as he met her gaze. She prayed that nothing on her face gave her away to anyone around them, but when their eyes met, she saw the slightest flicker of something in his eyes before it disappeared. He clearly did not want to give anything away either, but of course, he must recognize her as the young lady he had rescued in the library.
“Sebastian, Adrian, this is Lord and Lady Evermere, our very generous hosts, and their daughter, Lady Isabella,” Lord Sterling finished. Isabella watched as her father reached out to shake Lord Ashcroft’s hand. The handshake went on for longer than usual, and Isabella could not help noticing a strange look crossing her father’s face as he looked at the young man before him.
He looked almost as if he had seen him before. But surely that could not be the case? Isabella remembered that her mother had told her that Lord and Lady Sterling were new acquaintances; it was very unlikely that her father had met Lord Sterling’s stepson before. But there was definitely something odd in the manner of their greeting.
Isabella shook her head and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. She was probably imagining things, as was her wont.
The surge of guests to be welcomed had finally ended, and it was time for them to go into the ballroom. Isabella found that she could not wait to see Daphne and to tell her about the gentleman in the library. Lord Sebastian Ashcroft. She repeated his name in her mind and wished she was engaged to dance the first dance with him rather than with the Duke of Harbridge.
***
Sebastian took a breath and forced himself to stand up straighter, raising himself to his full height. This was the moment he had been waiting to finally be introduced to George Langley, Lord Evermere. The man that he was sure held the key to finding out the truth about what had happened to his father.
Sebastian saw the look of recognition on Lord Evermere’s face as they shook hands. The man knew who he was; he had no doubt. His face paled noticeably as the realization dawned on him that the son of his old business partner was standing in front of him and would be under his own roof for the next few days, for the whole duration of the house party.
And Sebastian held his gaze, unflinching. He would not allow the man to think he was ashamed of who he was or what had happened to his father. Indeed, he was proud to be his father’s son and determined to find out the truth about what had happened to him. Nothing would cause him to deviate from his plan.
And then his eyes fell onto Lady Isabella again, the young lady with whom he had had such a strange and spell-binding interaction in the library. When they had been introduced just a few moments ago, all he could focus on was trying not to betray anything to those around him.
No one could know they had met before, in private. And no one could know the feelings and desires she had triggered in him, that he was scarcely willing to admit to himself.
But now, he realized the full importance of who she was. She was the daughter of the man he suspected had caused his father’s downfall. And she clearly was enraptured with him; he had sensed it in the library, and he saw it in her eyes now as he glanced at her again. She really was very pretty, and her blue eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
His heart began to race. He was in the house of his long-time rival, and his daughter, this captivating lady, was present and seemingly ready to be wooed. Through Lady Isabella, perhaps he could uncover the truth about his father’s past. He did not know how yet, but he was certain of one thing. This was an opportunity that was too good to miss.
Chapter 6
“So the one with the black hair is Lord Sterling’s son, and the other one – the one from the library – is Lady Sterling’s son, is that right?” Daphne asked.
Isabella and her friend were standing near to where the dance floor was set up. The musicians were tuning up their instruments, and Isabella was trying to prepare herself for her dance with the duke, but her mind kept on returning to Lord Ashcroft, and Daphne’s questions were not helping.
“Yes, that’s right,” she replied, rather distractedly. She could see Mr Sterling and Lord Ashcroft standing close together on the other side of the room. They seemed to be deeply immersed in conversation.
Part of her wished that Lord Ashcroft would look up and see her, meet her gaze with his deep brown eyes, but she also knew that if he did that, she would be unable to stop thinking about him before her dance with the duke, and she knew that she should not allow herself to be so distracted.
“Mr Sterling is rather handsome, isn’t he?” Daphne said in a low voice, hiding a giggle behind her hand.
“Daphne! You should not say such things. What if someone were to hear you?”
Daphne raised an eyebrow. “Well, it is true, isn’t it? Why shouldn’t I say it? How ridiculous it is that young ladies must pretend not to notice these things when young gentlemen are allowed to say and do pretty much whatever they like.”
Isabella rolled her eyes. “You know I agree with you, but now is hardly the time for us to have this debate.” She looked around nervously, wondering where the duke had got to. “I will have to dance with the Duke of Harbridge any minute now. I should not be thinking about whether any other young man may or may not be considered handsome.”
“No, indeed,” Daphne agreed. “You must focus your attention on the duke tonight. It is what your parents will be expecting, after all.”
