Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,291

brows rose for emphasis as she looked from one cousin to the other.

Louisa chuckled, “You sound as though you agree to our plan,” she pointed out. “And here I thought you were opposed to the whole idea. Has seeing Tobias changed your mind?” She wiggled her brows for good measure.

Anne paused. Had it?

Indeed, seeing Tobias again after almost a month apart had stirred something within her. She’d barely been able to keep her eyes off him, off that teasing smile, off those chocolate-brown eyes that seemed to see right through her. They’d touched no more than was considered appropriate, and yet, the feel of his arm under her hand had all but stolen her breath. What did this mean? Had she truly come to care for him beyond the measurements of their friendship? Or was she simply feeling self-conscious at the thought of a mistletoe kiss with him?

“Oh, look, Leo, she’s blushing!” Louisa observed delightedly before she turned to her sister. “I think we have our answer right here.”

“Great!” Anne cried, seizing this opportunity. “Then we don’t need that dreadful mistletoe kiss after all. I−”

“Oh, no! You’re not getting out of this.” Shaking her head at her, Louisa chuckled, “Why are you so reluctant? I should think you’d want to know how you feel about him.”

“I do know how I feel about him,” Anne hastened to assure her meddlesome cousin.

“Truly?” Louisa asked with a doubtful look in her green eyes.

Anne sighed, “Perhaps.” Her spirits sank as her short-lived hopes fell into the dust at her feet. “But why now? Why here?”

“Why not?” Louisa countered. “Are you not worried that he might agree to a match elsewhere if he thinks you indifferent? Has that not ever crossed your mind? After all, he’s got his father’s title to consider.”

“You mean, his brother’s,” Leonora corrected.

Louisa rolled her eyes, ignoring her sister’s objection. “He might need to father an heir and−”

“Lord Barrington needs an heir,” Leonora corrected once again, her frown deepening. “You do know how this works, do you not?”

Louisa’s nose crinkled as though she smelled something rotten. “That man is a disgrace, and I do not believe for a second that he’ll ever find a woman foolish enough to marry him.” She scoffed, “The thought alone is ludicrous. No, after that man’s no doubt untimely passing, Tobias will need to assume the title and provide an heir. Therefore−”

“That is quite harsh!” Leonora objected. “It is poor form to speak of him thusly.”

Anne nodded, unable to hide the grin that stole onto her face. “Indeed, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say…you liked him.”

Louisa’s jaw dropped; however, she quickly recovered, her eyes narrowing. “You must be mad! I hate that man. No, hate is not a strong enough word. I loathe that man.”

“Why?” Anne asked simply. “What on earth has he ever done to you?”

Louisa’s lips clamped shut. Now, this looked promising!

“It cannot simply be because he calls you Lulu.”

Her cousin’s nostrils flared, but for once in her life, Louisa remained quiet. Very telling! Very telling, indeed.

“I agree,” Leonora threw in, earning herself a dark glare from her sister. “Even taking your effervescent character into account, I cannot imagine that anyone would be riled in such a way by a simple dislike to a nickname.”

“Indeed,” Anne chimed in, enjoying that it was finally Louisa’s turn to squirm. “Therefore, I assume that you do like him for your reaction is as telling as mine.” Anne swallowed hard when she realized what she’d just admitted to.

Of course, her slip of the tongue had not escaped Louisa, whose face instantly brightened. “I was right!” she declared triumphantly. “You do like him.”

“Perhaps,” Anne croaked.

“Would you stop saying that?” Louisa huffed, a hint of exhaustion coming to her features. “Why can’t you simply admit that you care for him? He clearly adores you. Why are you so afraid to kiss him?”

“Why are you so certain he’s the one for me?” Anne countered in a hushed voice, worried that someone might overhear as they were standing in the hall with new guests coming and going every now and then.

“Very well,” Louisa said after a long breath. “I admit I’m growing tired of this discussion. So, how about this? You kiss Tobias under some mistletoe, and if I’m right, if he actually is the one for you and you end up marrying him, then I promise I’ll kiss…that man.” Her jaw tightened, but she did not drop her gaze.

“You’ll kiss Phin?” Anne asked, staring at her cousin.

“Yes.”

“Under some mistletoe?”

Louisa