Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,296

croaked as a sudden jolt went through him at the mention of her name.

Lady Louisa’s face softened. “Yes, Anne. Would you come with me? I’ll take you to her.”

“Of course.”

When Phineas fell into step beside him, Lady Louisa stopped. “Not you, Lord Barrington.” Indeed, on her lips, it sounded like the worst sort of insult.

Of course, Phineas’s response to such a challenge was laughter. “My dearest Lulu, when will you finally realize that I hold you in the highest esteem?”

Lady Louisa’s brows rose as she regarded him like one would look upon an insect that had crawled onto one’s dinner table. “Coming from you, that is far from a compliment.” Then she spun on her heel and headed back toward the drawing room.

Phineas sighed rather wistfully as he leaned back against a marble column, his legs crossed at the ankles. “That is some woman.”

Tobias shook his head at his brother and then hurried after Lady Louisa, curious what Anne wished to speak to him about.

Thus far, her time had been largely monopolized by Lord Gillingham, and Tobias had been hard pressed not to interfere in a manner that would have been considered impolite. However, he feared that he would trip over his words if he were to attempt a conversation in his current state. Had anything changed since supper? Tobias rather feared it had not.

Inhaling a deep breath, he stepped into the drawing room and spotted Anne and Lady Leonora standing near the pianoforte, a few steps away from a group of caroling guests. Both looked a bit tense. While her cousin, however, appeared no more than a tad nervous, Anne looked ready to faint. Her eyes were wide, and she was wringing her hands in a very agitated manner.

“Is something wrong?” Tobias asked, but Lady Louisa merely smiled at him.

With his eyes on Anne, Tobias watched as she took a bit of a hesitant step forward. Indeed, her whole demeanor suggested that she disagreed with whatever was happening here, and he immediately hurried to her side. “Are you all right?” he asked, running his eyes over her, trying to determine the source of her unease. “You look a bit pale.”

Anne swallowed, and her lips parted as though she wished to speak. In that moment, however, Lady Louisa exclaimed, “Oh, look! They’re standing under some mistletoe!”

Tobias froze as the caroling stopped and encouraging cheers went up around them. When he lifted his head, he spotted the bit of greenery dangling above their heads that Phineas had commented upon earlier that day. Indeed, he ought to have paid better attention.

His heart slammed to a halt as the implication of his situation became clear to him and a sense of dread began to crawl up his spine. Not that he’d mind kissing Anne−far from it!−but not with all these people around, staring at them.

Dimly, he wondered where his brother was. After all, Phineas would have loved to watch him squirm like this. Had he and Lady Louisa conspired to force their hand? While Tobias wouldn’t put it past his brother, he rather doubted that Lady Louisa would have been able to set aside her hatred for Phineas long enough to cook up this plan. No, it had to be a coincidence.

Inhaling a deep breath, Tobias moved his gaze from the small crowd around him and looked down at Anne. Her head was slightly bowed, and she was still wringing her hands. Had she known this would happen? Had it truly been a plan to manipulate them under the mistletoe? Had Lady Louisa acted alone?

Tobias tried to swallow the lump in his throat when he realized that Anne clearly had not approved of her cousin’s idea. Indeed, it seemed he finally had his answer.

Anne did not want to kiss him; that much was clear. Perhaps she truly only saw him as her friend.

When she finally lifted her gaze, Tobias felt the urge to strike something or someone for her eyes barely met his, darting left and right in a nervous fashion. “You have every right to refuse,” he whispered to her, pained by the thought that she would force herself to endure his kiss.

A small smile flitted across her lips, and her eyes finally met his. “It’s all right,” she whispered before her gaze once more strayed from his. “Louisa would never forgive me.” A breath shuddered past her lips. “You do know that this was not my idea, do you not?”

Tobias gritted his teeth, then nodded. This couldn’t possibly get any worse!

Chapter