Mistletoe & Michaelmas Read Free Page A

now it's up to you to set the hook.”
    Had Daphne been the type to swoon, she might have done so on the spot. Set the hook . Even she knew enough about the atrocious activity of fishing to know what he'd meant. She just hoped Mr. Lentz hadn't heard her great grandfather's words and thought she was out to snare him. Which, she was not!
    Tamping down her embarrassment, she chanced a glance at Mr. Lentz from under her eyelashes and froze. He was staring at her!
    “Such a fetching color on you,” he murmured. The left corner of his mouth tipped up. “Your cheeks are a perfect compliment to your red gown.”
    “I agree,” Danby said. Why hadn't he gone off to his seat yet? “I've always thought a lady's blush was the most attractive thing a man could behold.”
    The gentleman seated on the other side of Daphne guffawed. “I can think of something more comely than a blush.”
    A few chuckles rang out among the gentlemen seated nearby at the table, but were silenced when Danby thumped his cane. “That'll be enough of that talk, Lord Grange. Or you can sleep with the dogs where you belong.” He turned back to Daphne and said quietly, “Not all men are depraved. Scoot your chair about three inches to your left when the footmen bring the soup and you're guaranteed to have a suitable husband before the New Year.”
    A heated flush washed over Daphne from head to toe. A husband before the New Year! Was even Danby trying to foist her off? She murmured something she hoped was her understanding of his suggestion, though she didn't plan to act on it, and turned her attention to her place setting that had just had a bowl of turtle soup set right before her.
    “Does that help?” Mr. Lentz asked quietly after a few minutes had passed. His tone was so soft and smooth, not full of the arrogance or condescension she'd expected after her great grandfather's words.
    Daphne met his eyes; they were full of concern. “I beg your pardon?”
    “Does staring so intently at something you don't want to eat help you eat it?”
    A small, uncontrollable giggle pushed past her lips. “Unfortunately, no.” She dunked her spoon in the bowl and fished out a turtle head. “Do you suppose Myrtle the Turtle's brain is still in here?”
    Mr. Lentz's blue eyes lit and he choked on his laughter. “I never thought about that. I was always put off by the eyeballs staring up at me from my bowl.”
    She cringed. “I try not to look.”
    “I'm sure tonight it helps that you have such a handsome gentleman you can look at instead.”
    Daphne made a show of turning to her right and giving a nice long perusal of Lord Grange. She turned back toward Mr. Lentz and flashed him her best smile. “I daresay, you are correct, Mr. Lentz. Lord Grange is quite dashing with his purple nose and the small bush of curly grey hair poking out of his ear.”
    “Good.” Mr. Lentz gave her what could only be termed as a nod of approval. He lifted an unidentifiable piece of turtle from his bowl. “Now, if only the meal was as charming as the company you're surrounded by.”
    “I'd say they're equivalent,” she quipped, garnering the most handsome smile she'd ever seen.
    ***
    Aaron released a deep breath and studied his soup one final moment before the footmen would recollect his bowl. What was it about this young lady that intrigued him so?
    All too soon dinner was over and the drawing room buzzed with guests chatting and mingling. As much as Aaron's body fought against him, he managed to detach himself from Daphne's skirts and allow her to have some time in the company of her cousins, Hope and Grace.
    Though his body was a room apart from her, his eyes were a different matter. No matter where he looked, she somehow caught his attention. Her long, red evening gown. Her perfectly coiffed hair that he'd have no reservations about taking down and running his fingers through, were they alone—and married—of course. Her porcelain face. Her plush red lips... There was always