Page 30 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
The young viscount had a determined look in his eyes; perhaps he had come here to dig around for the truth about what happened to his father. And that would bring nothing but trouble to both Victor and George.
He watched Felicity holding her hands to her heart and sighing longingly in Sebastian’s direction. He had to admit that she was giving it her all in the charade and clearly trying to communicate something else to Sebastian at the same time.
Well, perhaps there was an opportunity here. And Victor was not a man who would miss an opportunity to leverage any situation to his own benefit. If Felicity could somehow build up a connection with Sebastian – he would not go so far as to suggest that she should seduce him, of course, but she could use her feminine wiles to secure his interest in her – then he would be distracted from everything else.
If he truly had come to Evermere to try and find out what had happened to his father, then any kind of distraction was beneficial.
Yes. Victor nodded, a satisfied smile playing on the corners of his mouth. It seemed that Felicity was doing a good job of it by herself, but he resolved to speak to her. A viscount would be a good match for her, in any case. He would encourage her efforts and wait and see how events unfolded. That way, his own secrets would remain safely buried, away from prying eyes.
Chapter 14
A little later, Isabella sat with Daphne at a small table in the drawing room, making Christmas decorations out of red and green paper.
“I am relieved that the games are over, for now at least,” Isabella sighed.
“Oh, are you?” Daphne replied. “I rather enjoyed it.”
“Well, I am not surprised that you enjoyed it. You got the best story of all and your chosen partner.”
Daphne laughed. “It was a good charade, indeed, and very easy to act. I thought Mr Sterling did a fine job! But I do hope never to suffer such a tragic fate as that of Pyramus and Thisbe.”
“And I am sure you won’t. It is a rather silly story, after all. And one cannot help feeling that the story of Romeo and Juliet is just as silly and depends rather too heavily on stories that came before it.”
Daphne shrugged. “I don’t suppose it matters all that much. People will always want to hear stories of ill-fated lovers.” She stopped cutting up the sheaf of paper in her hand and looked at her friend. “I suppose you would have enjoyed the games more if you had been paired with Lord Ashcroft,” she said, her voice low.
Others were present in the drawing room, although seated a little distance away, and Isabella appreciated her friend’s discretion.
At the mention of his name, Isabella felt her cheeks beginning to burn. It was remarkable what a strong impact it had on her, even the thought of him. After his charade with Felicity, he had sat down on the other side of the room from her, but they were unable to keep their eyes off each other.
He looked almost unbearably handsome in his evening dress, and she found herself hoping that he liked her gown and that he thought she looked pretty. But then she felt cross with herself for allowing such foolish thoughts, and now, she was unsure how much to admit to Daphne.
“I think I would have preferred it to being partnered with the duke,” she whispered eventually.
“I cannot help noticing that you do seem to be becoming rather fond of the viscount,” Daphne said softly. “I am right, am I not?”
Isabella bit her lip. She could not admit the intensity of her feelings for Sebastian, even to her closest friend. She knew that her thoughts were improper, not to mention that her parents wanted her to marry someone else. She could not even allow herself to feel hope or happiness at the idea that Sebastian might return her feelings when the pressure of her parents’ aspirations for her marriage to the duke cast a long shadow over everything.
She glanced across the room to where Felicity was sitting with her father. They were locked in what looked like a rather intense conversation, but now and again, Felicity looked over to where Isabella and Daphne were sitting. Isabella could not miss the venom in her glares. She wondered once again what she could possibly have done to offend her cousin, but she suspected that it had something to do with Sebastian.
Isabella let out a sigh. She had been rather looking forward to the festivities, but things seemed to be becoming rather complicated, and she was struggling to figure out what to do about it all.
The bell rang for dinner, saving her at least from having to answer Daphne’s question. She got to her feet.
“Come along, Daphne; let’s go and see how Mother has arranged the seating plan.”
They made their way into the dining room with the rest of the guests. Daphne had been placed next to Mr Sterling, much to her obvious delight, and the pair sat down and began conversing together immediately.
Isabella was not at all surprised to see that she had been seated next to Henry. Sebastian, though, was opposite her, and as they took their places, he looked up at her, giving her a small smile.
Her heart jumped, even at that small gesture, but before long, she was being drawn into conversation with Henry while the first course was being served.
“Lady Isabella,” he said, taking a sip from his wine glass. “I was thinking about you this afternoon and wondering if you would like to visit one of my mills sometime. What do you think?”
Isabella tried to look interested and thought back to her earlier conversation with Daphne about the duke’s mills and the challenges he had with his workforce. She found that element of the business far more interesting than the mechanics of grinding flour, but she knew that it was not quite what would be expected of her as a young lady. She decided not to mention it but to feign interest in the duke’s suggestion.
“That would be very interesting, I’m sure, Your Grace,” she replied, trying to smile as genuinely as she could.
He lowered his head and moved towards her so that no one could hear what he was about to say. “I think that perhaps you might call me Henry; what do you think?”
