TALL DARK AND HUNGRY Page 0,101

warned Kate and Lucern that he was allergic to certain flowers when they'd asked him to stand up in the wedding, and they had both assured him that they would see to it that none of those flowers made it into the wedding arrangements. They had been care¬ful when choosing the first arrangements; but both had forgotten all about his allergy when the tragic floral crisis had occurred, and they had unintention¬ally chosen unfortunate arrangements the second time around. The editor had been having a miserable time of it all day.

Her gaze sought Chris out. The editor couldn't dance with his cast, but he wasn't at the head table where he, as a member of the wedding party, had been seated for the meal. That table was now empty, most of its inhabitants on the dance floor. Aban¬doned, Chris had chosen to join the table where his coworkers from Roundhouse Publishing were seated. Vincent was standing behind the editor's chair, one hand patting his shoulder soothingly, no doubt sym¬pathizing over his floral misery.

Terri really hoped the editor's luck changed soon. He seemed too nice a guy to suffer so.

An elegantly clad woman approached the table to speak to Chris, and Terri tilted her head to stare. The woman looked terribly familiar, and Terri was sure that Kate had introduced her at some point, but she'd met so many people today that it was hard to put names to faces.

Terri was sure the woman worked in the publishing industry somewhere, though, and judging by the way C.K. straightened in his seat as the woman addressed him, she'd guess that the lady had some influence.

"Lucern?" Terri glanced at her dance partner curi¬ously.

"Hmm?"

"Who is that woman?"

He followed her pointing finger. "Kathryn Falk."

"Ah." Terri nodded. "Lady Barrow."

"Yes. She's a nice woman. Smart and savvy. Kathryn was very helpful to me at the first romance conference Kate dragged me to."

Terri bit her lip to keep from laughing. It was a bit of an understatement. Kate had told her all about Lucern's codpiece getting caught on the tablecloth at the medieval feast, and how Lady Barrow had climbed right under the table with Kate to help her unhook him. She'd apparently held a flashlight or something while Terri's cousin worked to free Lucern. It had sounded like a hilarious tale.

"She did more than help Kate unhook my cod¬piece," he announced, and Terri guessed she hadn't hidden her amusement very well. He'd obviously guessed what she was thinking. "She also gave me a ride back from the airport, and some advice, and..."

He shrugged. "She was a good friend to me that day, and we've kept up the friendship since. I've agreed to attend the next Romantic Times conference as a fa¬vor to her."

Terri knew that was saying something. According to Kate, Lucern refused to do any of the conferences as an attendee. Even at the one he'd gone to last week, he hadn't gone as Luke Amirault the author, but Lucern Argeneau, Kate's fiance.

Noting the man's sudden frown, she glanced back toward the table. Vincent was holding Lady Barrow's hand and carrying it to his mouth to kiss. Terri could almost hear his sexy, trademark "Enchantee," from where she stood. The man was an incorrigible flirt, she thought with vague amusement.

Lucern didn't appear amused. When Vincent led the woman onto the dance floor and buried his face in her neck, Lucern's gaze sliced to where Bastien and Kate danced. Bastien turned, as if his brother had spoken his name. Their eyes met briefly; then Lucern glanced toward Vincent and Bastien's gaze followed. Bastien murmured something to Kate, and she looked to see what Vincent was up to as well. Not one of them seemed too pleased to see Vinnie with Lady Barrow. Terri didn't understand why. He was just dancing with the woman. A little too close, perhaps; but just the same, they were only dancing.

All four of them watched the couple dance. When the music ended and Vincent began to lead the woman off the dance floor, Lucern led Terri to Bastien.

"I'll take care of it," Bastien said. "You two con¬tinue your dances. You have a lot of people to go."

The newlyweds nodded and thanked him. They moved off to find the next couple from the wedding party to dance with, and Bastien glanced at Terri.

"Go ahead, I'll be fine," she assured him, though she really didn't know what there was for him to take care of. The family all seemed to be overreacting a bit.