Lady Lilias and the Devil in Plaid - Julie Johnstone Page 0,32

with his friend as soon as he was done dancing.

The thought of speaking to Owen about how to secure things with Lilias made him want to toss back several dozen drinks, and as a footman passed by with a tray of champagne, Nash grabbed two flutes and downed them in succession without pausing. And then, because the anger stirring inside him was starting to feel uncontainable, he drummed his fingers on the crystal, imagining it to be the rake’s face.

Behind him, Carrington cleared his throat, and Nash forced his gaze away from Lilias and back to the duke and duchess.

Carrington was staring at him with a speculative look while his wife was smirking as if she’d discovered a titillating secret. Their behavior was both annoying and odd. “Tell me what you know of this man Kilgore,” Nash said, throwing caution to the wind. He might raise the duchess’s curiosity with his questions, but that did not mean he had to explain himself.

“He tried to seduce my wife away from me before we were wed.” Carrington’s face grew dark, but his wife laughed. Nash frowned at her reaction. One would think she would not want to raise her husband’s ire.

“He kissed me twice,” she said. “Once at a ball. Just. Like. This. One.”

“Excuse me,” Nash said, shoving the two champagne flutes he was holding at Carrington.

The moment Carrington grasped them, Nash was turning, locating Owen to drag him over to Lilias and then changing courses when he could not immediately find his friend. Nash had not tortured himself for the last seven years for some rogue to end up with Lilias. And he sure as the devil wasn’t going to stand around watching the rake seduce Lilias while Owen foolishly danced attendance on some marriage-minded mama and her daughter.

He once again made his way through the crowd, but this time, he was stalking. He was practically upon Lilias and Kilgore when it occurred to Nash that he had completely forgotten about the main reason he was here—Adaline.

“Damn and double damn.” But a glance around the ballroom revealed Adaline was now standing with Carrington and his wife. That was rather surprising but very, very convenient. And then the oddest thing happened. The duchess raised her hand and waved at him, as if she’d been expecting him to look for his sister. He didn’t have time to consider it, though, because in that moment, Kilgore danced Lilias right in front of him, and when the man actually raised his hand to Lilias’s cheek and brushed his fingers down the perfect slope, Nash could only see red.

Chapter Four

“Thank you, dear,” Guinevere whispered to her husband.

Asher’s lips came immediately to her ear. “Ye’re lucky I can understand yer signals. For a moment I was not sure what ye wanted me to do.”

Guinevere grinned. “You caught on rather quick.”

A grunt was his answer. The force of it sent his warm breath over her ear and caused gooseflesh to rise on her neck.

“Guin, do ye think it wise to interfere with Greybourne and Lady Lilias?”

Guinevere wanted to answer, but every stealthy woman knew not to talk private affairs in public if someone was too near. To her left, the Duke of Greybourne’s sister stood now chatting with Frederica, whose gaze met Guinevere’s for one brief moment. Understanding, the kind that could only be between sisters who had shared secrets and well-meaning schemes since the day they were old enough to plot, passed between Guinevere and Frederica. As if Frederica had been given some magical signal—because of course she had—she took Lady Adaline by the elbow and exclaimed she must make the acquaintance of their other sister, Vivian. And off they went. One of one thousand problems solved.

Now Guinevere could focus on her husband. “I don’t see how we cannot interfere. I am certain she loves him. I know firsthand that trying to forget the one you truly love is hopeless.”

Guinevere didn’t need to use Lilias’s name; Asher would know to whom she was referring. They’d discussed Lilias last night after her friend had left with the borrowed gown. But Asher did not know what Lilias had told Guinevere about her plan to forget Greybourne after she regained some of her pride tonight. Nor did her husband know that Guinevere had asked Kilgore to aid her friend.

Asher frowned. He was the only man she knew who could look positively alluring when frowning. “I’ll defer to whatever ye wish, mo chridhe, but can ye explain to me what has