Read Online An Invitation to Sin by Jo Beverley, Sally Mackenzie, Kaitlin O'Riley, Vanessa Kelly - Free Book Online
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fighting to escape, just as it had in the portrait.
Anna wished desperately that he wouldn’t look at her like that. It touched her heart and made her think of kisses.
Then she realized she was standing there red-faced and speechless, a picture of a schoolgirl gaucherie. She hastily dropped a curtsy and he moved on to be introduced elsewhere.
Maria came over to hiss, “For goodness sake, Anna, there’s no need for you to look at him as if you thought he’d eat you! You were the one defending him before!”
“I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did. Oh well,” she said with a superior smile. “I suppose you are unaccustomed to meeting earls. Don’t worry, dearest, he won’t expect much from a schoolroom miss.”
Maria switched on a warmer smile and went off to greet new guests. Anna marched on in search of jam tarts, wishing fiercely that she were at least out and able to compete on equal terms.
Compete? she thought, as she picked up the plate. It was hard not to laugh like the madwoman in Mrs. Jamison’s Lord of the Dark Tower.
Maria was a diamond of the first water, and Anna was a … mildly pretty pebble! Crossing the room with the plate, she flickered a glance at the earl. He caught her at it. Almost imperceptibly, he winked, and his mouth moved in a secret smile.
Anna jerked her gaze away, and hurried back to Lord Threpton. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the Earl of Carne was flirting with her!
Nonsense, she told herself firmly. What he was doing was playing a rather cruel teasing game just to make her uncomfortable. Perhaps it was his way to pay her back for her assault.
Anna found herself busy handing out tea and passing plates of cake, and was glad of it, but inevitably this led to her offering a plate to Lord Carne. She had to stand quite close and was sharply reminded of the time she had brought him that glass of brandy.
And of all that had followed.
She watched him warily and prayed her hand wouldn’t shake.
Again he met her eyes, but with no special expression. “Thank you, Miss Anna. I am spoiled for choice. Which cake would you recommend?”
Anna’s throat went dry as if he had asked something private and significant. She swallowed. “The lady-cakes are very good, my lord.”
He studied the plate, and Anna saw it start to tremble slightly with her nerves. “I wonder if a lady-cake would meet with me …” He appeared to trail off as if in thought.
Anna’s heart skipped a beat. Had he really said, “me” rather than “my”? And had he swallowed the word “cake” so that he seemed to say, “I wonder if a lady would meet with me?”
Surely not!
“I doubt it, my lord,” she mumbled. It had to be her imagination. Even the Earl of Carne could not be so bold. She remembered telling Mr. Liddell that she did not fear seizure and rapine in her mother’s drawing room. Now she was not so sure.
He looked up at her rather seriously. “What a shame there are no maids-of-honor here today.”
Anna flushed at the rebuke and the injustice of it. But inside here there was also a spark of delight at the sheer wit and effrontery of the man. He was using the name of the almond cakes and giving it another meaning.
“Perhaps there are maids-of-honor,” she retorted. “Gentlemen-of-honor might be a little harder to find.”
The lady sitting beside the earl tittered. “Miss Anna, you are too young to attempt barbed witticisms!”
Lady Featherstone came over quickly. “My lord, is there a problem?”
“Not at all, Lady Featherstone. I was merely inquiring as to maids-of-honor. I am particularly partial to them.”
“Oh. No, I’m afraid we do not have them today, my lord.”
“Alas. But as I like my maids-of-honor for a late supper, perhaps I can still order some for tonight. At about midnight, I think.” He took a jam tart. “And, Miss Anna, I think you are quite correct. If we have maids-of-honor, we should have gentlemen-of-honor as well. I wonder what sort of cake they
Anna wished desperately that he wouldn’t look at her like that. It touched her heart and made her think of kisses.
Then she realized she was standing there red-faced and speechless, a picture of a schoolgirl gaucherie. She hastily dropped a curtsy and he moved on to be introduced elsewhere.
Maria came over to hiss, “For goodness sake, Anna, there’s no need for you to look at him as if you thought he’d eat you! You were the one defending him before!”
“I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did. Oh well,” she said with a superior smile. “I suppose you are unaccustomed to meeting earls. Don’t worry, dearest, he won’t expect much from a schoolroom miss.”
Maria switched on a warmer smile and went off to greet new guests. Anna marched on in search of jam tarts, wishing fiercely that she were at least out and able to compete on equal terms.
Compete? she thought, as she picked up the plate. It was hard not to laugh like the madwoman in Mrs. Jamison’s Lord of the Dark Tower.
Maria was a diamond of the first water, and Anna was a … mildly pretty pebble! Crossing the room with the plate, she flickered a glance at the earl. He caught her at it. Almost imperceptibly, he winked, and his mouth moved in a secret smile.
Anna jerked her gaze away, and hurried back to Lord Threpton. If she didn’t know better, she’d think the Earl of Carne was flirting with her!
Nonsense, she told herself firmly. What he was doing was playing a rather cruel teasing game just to make her uncomfortable. Perhaps it was his way to pay her back for her assault.
Anna found herself busy handing out tea and passing plates of cake, and was glad of it, but inevitably this led to her offering a plate to Lord Carne. She had to stand quite close and was sharply reminded of the time she had brought him that glass of brandy.
And of all that had followed.
She watched him warily and prayed her hand wouldn’t shake.
Again he met her eyes, but with no special expression. “Thank you, Miss Anna. I am spoiled for choice. Which cake would you recommend?”
Anna’s throat went dry as if he had asked something private and significant. She swallowed. “The lady-cakes are very good, my lord.”
He studied the plate, and Anna saw it start to tremble slightly with her nerves. “I wonder if a lady-cake would meet with me …” He appeared to trail off as if in thought.
Anna’s heart skipped a beat. Had he really said, “me” rather than “my”? And had he swallowed the word “cake” so that he seemed to say, “I wonder if a lady would meet with me?”
Surely not!
“I doubt it, my lord,” she mumbled. It had to be her imagination. Even the Earl of Carne could not be so bold. She remembered telling Mr. Liddell that she did not fear seizure and rapine in her mother’s drawing room. Now she was not so sure.
He looked up at her rather seriously. “What a shame there are no maids-of-honor here today.”
Anna flushed at the rebuke and the injustice of it. But inside here there was also a spark of delight at the sheer wit and effrontery of the man. He was using the name of the almond cakes and giving it another meaning.
“Perhaps there are maids-of-honor,” she retorted. “Gentlemen-of-honor might be a little harder to find.”
The lady sitting beside the earl tittered. “Miss Anna, you are too young to attempt barbed witticisms!”
Lady Featherstone came over quickly. “My lord, is there a problem?”
“Not at all, Lady Featherstone. I was merely inquiring as to maids-of-honor. I am particularly partial to them.”
“Oh. No, I’m afraid we do not have them today, my lord.”
“Alas. But as I like my maids-of-honor for a late supper, perhaps I can still order some for tonight. At about midnight, I think.” He took a jam tart. “And, Miss Anna, I think you are quite correct. If we have maids-of-honor, we should have gentlemen-of-honor as well. I wonder what sort of cake they
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