The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance Read Free

Should she simply look him straight in the eye and tell him that
he
was the one he was supposed to make jealous? That
he
was the one whose attention she wanted so badly that she had resorted to such desperate measures?
    No, she couldn’t possibly confess the truth. It would be too mortifying for both of them. But what to do? She must name someone. The doors of the ante-room were open so that she could see into the ballroom. Just then, she caught sight of the infamous rake Lord Tennison leaning against a pillar and shamelessly leering at Lady Dunholme’s impressive bosom.
    A fraction of a second later, before her brain could tell her how absurd it was and stop her from making an even greater fool of herself, she blurted his name. “Lord Tennison.”
    Geoffrey’s jaw dropped and he glared for a moment in wide-eyed disbelief. “Good God. You can’t be serious.”
    In for a penny, in for a pound. She drew herself up and said, “I’m quite serious. I find him exceedingly charming. And handsome.”
    He stared at her as though she’d lost her mind. Which wasn’t far from the truth. “But you have no idea what he is, my girl. Trust me, Lydia, he is not the man for you.”
    “Oh, really?”
    “Really. He is a … a …”
    “A rake. I know. That’s what makes him so—” she smiled dreamily and gave a little shiver “—exciting.”
    Geoffrey narrowed his eyes. “Exciting, eh? That’s what you’re looking for?”
    “Yes, why not?”
    “I don’t know. It just doesn’t sound like you, Lydia.”
    “Perhaps, sir, you do not know me as well as you think. Besides, who wants a dull, respectable gentleman who offers little more than a lifetime of tedium and propriety? A woman wants a man who makes her feel …”
    “Desirable?”
    Heat rose in her cheeks, but she soldiered on. “Yes, desirable. Is that so wrong?”
    A corner of his mouth twitched upwards. “Not a bit. Tennison certainly knows how to do that, as he’s been openly desiring women for years. He is quite a bit older than you, of course, but I don’t suppose that signifies.”
    “I like a mature man.”
    “I do not doubt it.” The twitch became a full-blown grin. Was he mocking her? Did he guess that Lord Tennison was a ruse?
    “Well, my girl, you have given me a formidable assignment. However, I shall do my best to see that Tennison not only notices you, but is overcome with jealousy. He will be falling at your feet by the end of this evening, I assure you.”
    Oh dear. She wondered if she was in over her head, but was not inclined to turn craven just yet.
    “Here’s what I will do,” Geoffrey said, keeping his voice low even though there were only a few other people in the ante-room with them, and no one close enough to overhear. Did he do that deliberately? Did he employ that low, smoky tone because he knew it unnerved her? “I have been seen dancing with you. Now I will be seen
not
dancing with anyone else. I shall linger about making calf’s eyes at you while you dance with other men. And I shall not dance at all until the supper dance, when I shall lead you out again. Remember, you must save that dance for me. We’ll be cosy over supper and make sure Tennison sees. Does that sound like a good plan to you?”
    “It sounds brilliant. I will watch for those calf’s eyes.”
    His expression softened, his eyebrows lifted and his eyes filled with a sort of woebegone yearning. Then his shoulders sagged as he gave a heartbreaking sigh, and Lydia burst out laughing. He was the very picture of a young boy in the throes of his first infatuation. “Do not overdo it, sir, I beg you. No one would believe it of you.”
    He cast off the moonstruck look and was himself again. “You think not? You think no one would believe I could fall in love?”
    “Oh, I believe you could fall in love.” She pinned all her hopes on it, in fact. “But I daresay it would never be a simple schoolboy’s passion with you.”
    “You are quite right, my girl.” He