Free To Pleasure a Prince by Sabrina Jeffries Page B

by heart?
    “Is it my sister’s song choice you object to?” Lord Draker asked coldly as she frantically searched her blank mind. “Or her choice of partner for you?”
    A stillness fell over the audience, fraught with tension. Regina’s panic increased. “It’s not…I mean…I merely don’t—”
    “So it’s both.” He added in a sneering aside to the crowd, “La Belle Dame would never sing a duet, because that would require sharing the center of attention. And God forbid she should share it with a man, especially one who—”
    “Lord Draker, an urgent message has come for you,” called a voice from the back. Everyone turned to see Lady Iversley wearing a forbidding scowl.
    He narrowed his eyes. “From whom?”
    “Your estate. It requires your immediate attention.” She leveled a quelling glance on the now-murmuring crowd. “But that’s no reason for the rest of you not to enjoy the performances. Please, Louisa, do play something for Lady Regina to sing. I’m sure everyone would love to hear her.”
    When the viscount looked as if he might speak again, their hostess added tersely, “If you would just come with me, sir, I’ll take you to the messenger.”
    Lord Draker glowered at Lady Iversley, but with an icy, “Excuse me,” marched out of the drawing room, leaving Regina shaking from head to toe in mortification.
    It was swiftly followed by anger. What on earth was wrong with the man? Had he no sense whatsoever of proper public behavior? Granted, she had handled the situation badly. If she hadn’t acted so alarmed, he wouldn’t have pounced on her slip. But why must he always say such appalling things?
    Look at the crowd—they were shocked. He’d just destroyed any gains Louisa had made for him. Even Lady Iversley’s quick thinking could not fix this.
    Still, she refused to let the woman’s efforts be ruined. She moved to the pianoforte, where she murmured to Louisa, “Can you play ‘Chastity, Thou Cherub Bright’?”
    Louisa nodded, then said in a decidedly cool under-tone, “Forgive me, but I didn’t realize you would object to singing with Marcus.”
    “I don’t. I simply don’t know the other song well enough to perform it.”
    Though Louisa looked skeptical, she said nothing as she played the introduction. Regina began to sing, but even her favorite tune couldn’t raise her spirits. If Louisa didn’t believe Regina’s protest, her brother surely wouldn’t. Nor would anyone else. They would assume that she’d deliberately insulted him.
    But honestly, it wasn’t all her fault. He hadn’t even given her a chance to think of something else.
    Frustration wound a knot in her belly. Since she refused to give up on Simon and Louisa, she must persist with his thorny lordship. Somewhere in that thick head of his, he must know how to be a gentleman. She simply had to appeal to his better nature. She knew he had one; no man could sing that soulfully without having a soul.

Chapter Six
    Let your charge have her head from time to time. It will teach her to value your judgment all the more.
    —Miss Cicely Tremaine, The Ideal Chaperone
    M arcus fought to restrain his temper as he strode down the hall after Katherine. The strains of Lady Regina’s sweet soprano followed him, a siren’s voice to match her siren’s cold heart.
    Damn her. “So where’s this messenger?” he bit out.
    Katherine stopped short to face him. “You know perfectly well there’s no messenger. I had to remove you before you embarrassed dear Louisa any further.”
    “Me?” He snorted. “Louisa’s harpy of a female friend is the one embarrassing her.”
    “Because she didn’t want to sing with you? Can you blame her? You’ve been a perfect monster all evening. Lady Regina has done nothing but—”
    “Scheme with her brother to ruin Louisa.”
    Katherine blinked. “What?”
    “You don’t know the situation, so stay out of it.” He turned back toward the drawing room. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I