A Curious Heart (Love Vine: A Regency Series) Read Free Page B

regal lady in the ton . You would be perfection together." Undeterred by Alana's lack of response, Allie smiled brightly. The girl was a natural match-maker.
     "Who? Oh him. Well, perhaps, child, he is enamored of you . Danced with you twice last night. You should make yourself amiable to the earl. He would be a great match. You are untitled, but that could be overcome."
    The words she spoke caused a small knot of pain in Alana's stomach. She had noticed him staring, but she'd done her best to ignore it. Too late for her, she surmised, to aspire to marriage. She was on the shelf and had been too much disappointed in the past to put herself in that position again. Still, he was a handsome devil, and though she would not consider him for herself, perhaps she could arrange a match between him and her niece.
    Lady Alana did her best to ignore the feelings that had begun to surface for Lord Rothburn. He would be looking for a girl who was young enough to give him an heir and a spare. Something she felt she was much too old to do.
    Still, she pondered, what of her mother's advanced age when she had produced the second set of her brood for the Earl of Champlay? Past thirty, she was. Well, it was a moot point, even if she was a great deal attracted to him. Lady Alana liked her independence, or so she told herself with some ferocity, and turned her mind away with resolve from such musings.
    Allie studied Alana's face, and could not miss the varying range of emotions—an unusual display for Lady Alana whose privacy was paramount.  Hearing the lady casually toss the Earl at her head, Allie gave an unladylike sniff of disdain. "He is not staring at me aunt, but at you ."
    She gave her aunt another sidelong glance. "Are you not in the least interested in being gazed at so  longingly by one of the most eligible peers of the realm?"
    "I am long past the age of romance." Alana, startled by the asperity of her words, softened her voice as she continued, "Men have found me attractive in the past, but they always withdraw when they know my true nature. I have long since grown weary of the game. I will not put myself in that position again."
    "What position?" Allie queried in a most innocent, casual voice. Her curiosity working overtime as was normal for her, prevented her not asking the question.
    "Rejection." Alana's tone was clipped and gave every indication that the subject was closed. She shifted the topic of conversation to something more suitable for a young lady. "If you do not find Lord Rothburn an enticing catch, perhaps we should attend Lady Beasely's intellectual soirée on the morrow. There you might find a poet or an artist."
    Lady Alana grinned to show that she was teasing, then added for good measure, "One who is accepted by the ton , of course."
    Allie's response was cut short by the butler announcing dinner was served. The assemblage repaired to the large dining room and dinner proved quiet. Rothburn's gaze did not stray to Lady Alana as often, nor did she at allow her gaze to stray in his direction, though it was difficult.
    It disturbed her that she found Lord Rothburn attractive. If he had an interest in her, she thought, it would be for an illicit assignation, not matrimony. His reputation for dalliance was known far and wide. Lady Alana did not want to think further upon his penchant for wealthy, titled ladies.
    Her independent nature rebelled at the idea of becoming a slave to any man's baser desires. Even were they discreet, any liaison between the pair would eventually become known—such was the grapevine among the nobility. Nothing went unnoticed forever; nothing was sacred.
    She'd been the object of gossip before; she would never deliberately place herself in that position again.
    Despite her best resolve, awareness of him—the very sound of his voice down the table—gave rise to some unusual feelings in various parts of her anatomy. His deep baritone resounded through her and when he laughed—which was