Free The Most to Lose by Laura Landon Page B

past I wouldn’t want revealed, Lady Amanda?”
    She lifted her eyebrows in a questioning gesture. “Are you suggesting that there’s nothing in your past you would rather not have remain there?”
    Celie wanted to applaud Amanda’s bravery. She wanted to congratulate her on successfully engaging Hadleigh in a conversation that didn’t revolve around all the mundane topics of the decisions being made in the House. She wanted to give her friend a hug to thank her for putting a combative glimmer in Hadleigh’s eyes she hadn’t seen for three years.
    She wanted to shout for joy.
    Instead, she giggled silently and turned her head in the opposite direction so neither Hadleigh nor Amanda could see the laughter she couldn’t stop. What she saw when she looked away from them, though, was equally as mesmerizing as the couple to her left.
    Lord Haywood wasn’t even trying to hide the amusement he found in the situation. He sat relaxed in his chair with a wide grin on his face.
    When Celie turned, he met her gaze and broadened his smile.
    Her heart did a rapid somersault and the blood flowing through her veins warmed to a soothing heat. He sat close enough so she could see several golden flecks in his ebony eyes, and a glimmer of something to which she couldn’t quite put a name stared back at her.
    “I think your brother’s met his match,” he whispered, low enough that he couldn’t be overheard.
    “The two of them have never been what you’d call compatible . Amanda thinks Hadleigh’s too full of himself. She enjoys nothing more than emphasizing his human failings, as well as what she considers his errors in political judgment.”
    “And Hadleigh?”
    “Oh, he’s convinced Lord and Lady Mattenden made a fatal error by not drowning their youngest daughter at birth.”
    Jonah tipped his head back and laughed.
    “Plus,” Celie added, “he’s convinced an even more serious error was made by allowing Amanda use of their library. She’s far too knowledgeable to fit into Hadleigh’s mold of the perfect society female, far too outspoken to conform to his expectations of demureness and refinement. He’s certain Lady Amanda will never make any man a suitable wife.”
    “And what about you? I’m surprised he allows you to associate with Lady Amanda.”
    “Oh, he’d forbid it if he thought I’d listen to him.”
    “But you wouldn’t?”
    “Of course not. I simply allow him to blame all my shortcomings on Amanda’s influence and continue our friendship.”
    “And does Hadleigh consider you to be headstrong?”
    “Of course. I’m not at all the soft-spoken, malleable female he thinks I should be.”
    His smile broadened. “Good.”
    Celie felt her cheeks warm and looked away from him before he noticed her embarrassment.
    The room was full now, every chair occupied. Thankfully, the noise level was high enough that their voices could not carry. The bustle of excitement from the guests anticipating the performance did nothing, however, to ease the tension building inside her.
    The emotions roiling inside her from sitting near Haywood were more powerful than anything she’d ever experienced before. The heat that wrapped around her when he looked at her unsettled her nerves. The emotional pull she experienced was so alien she almost couldn’t fight it.
    She almost cried out in relief when Lady Cushing called for quiet and began her introduction. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could sit this close to Haywood before her nerves stretched to the snapping point. Every inch of her body tingled in alertness. Then Elthea Zunderman stepped to the front of the room and began her first selection.
    Celie came alive the moment the mezzo-soprano sang the first note. It seemed impossible for such a petite woman to put out such a huge, rich sound, but she did. Celie was mesmerized, as was every other person in the room.
    The gathering sat enthralled, hanging on to every lilting sound, anticipating every note, immersed in