London Lace, #2 Read Free Page A

leaned toward the dramtic. The fellow she was with wore a dark brown suit with a turquoise silk tie, which matched the iridescent glow of the peacock feather’s eye but also reminded Eliza of her silk robe at home and the fun she’d had in it last night. She shifted from one foot to the other as a warm surge pulsed between her legs, but her own skin rubbing against itself did nothing to cool the flare. She tucked herself more tightly under Todd’s arm.
    “Todd Montgomery, it’s been months.” The woman held out a gloved hand and Todd had no choice but to take it. He lifted it delicately to his lips but only brushed the air around her knuckles.
    “Lady Elliot, enchanting as usual.”
    She giggled. “Jocelyn, darling. I thought we dispensed with formalities eons ago.” She gave him a suggestive look. Todd turned his attention to her husband.
    “How are you, Peter?”
    “Very well, Todd. And you?”
    “Let me introduce my friend, Eliza Keating.”
    Friend? She didn’t know what she was to Todd but she didn’t think it was ‘friend’.
    “How do you do?” said Eliza, nodding to the Elliots.
    “And you know Andrew.”
    “Quite well,” said Peter. “I saw Golden Boy in this morning’s race. He’s coming along nicely.”
    “Thank you,” said Andrew. He and Peter chatted about some of the other horses.
    Jocelyn took a step toward Todd but kept her eyes on Eliza. “I haven’t seen you step out with anyone in months. It’s nice to see you’re still warm-blooded.”
    “I don’t often like to be distracted from my work, you know that. Miss Keating has been a delightful surprise.”
    “I don’t doubt that. Are you the milliner Eliza Keating?”
    She said milliner with a somewhat condescending emphasis that Eliza chose to ignore. Todd flexed his arm over her shoulders so she could feel his support, which she appreciated but didn’t really need. She often had to deal with snobs like Lady Elliot at work.
    “I am. That’s a lovely fascinator, by the way. It really stands out.”
    Lady Elliot swept a hand lightly over one of the protruding feathers. “It’s a Dale Huckabee, of course you’ve heard of him?”
    Eliza laughed lightly. “Who hasn’t?”
    Dale was an ex-pat Brit who’d recently moved to New York City with an aim to steal the hat scene there. His audacity to ‘take Manhattan’ was a delight to Londoners, and at home at least, his reputation was soaring.
    “You must excuse us, “ said Todd. “I need to introduce Eliza to Dante’s Fire as well.”
    Jocelyn looked at him oddly and then smiled as if to polish away any insult that may or may not have been meant by the remark.
    “Ta ta then, until next time. Good to meet you, Miss Keating.”
    Eliza nodded. “Lady Elliot.”
    “Cheerio, Andrew and Peter.” Todd waved and so did they.
    Todd slid his shoulder from Eliza’s and grabbed her hand as they walked. His face held its stiff smile until they were well out of the viewing area. Then he sighed, let his shoulders sag, and turned to her with an apologetic half smile.
    “Sorry about that. I like to come to see the horses, but I can’t seem to avoid the people. Peter’s all right. But Jocelyn…” He shook his head.
    “She’s like a lot of my clients actually. Well, some of them.” Most of them were nicer, to be honest. “Did you and she ever…?” The way she had talked to him, the suggestive looks, the way she’d looked almost but not quite envious of Eliza.
    Todd led her through a set of doors that said Private Access Only. He gripped her hand as they walked down the corridor. “Please, I’d really rather not talk about that now.”
    “Oh? Does her husband know?” Eliza’s jaw had tensed. Though Todd held her hand tight, her own grasp slackened.
    He stopped and turned to her, his blue eyes intense. “Listen, it’s not what you think. There’s a complex history there. I just don’t want to go into it now. Can you forgive me?”
    “For not going into it or for having