Free Let Love Find You by Johanna Lindsey

front of his face to get his attention. He started to laugh at himself, but cut it off and glanced at her instead. She didn’t look too pleased either and appeared to be filled with annoyed chagrin.
    “You probably should have warned her,” he said with an amused grin.
    “No, I wanted to make sure you were available before I broached the subject with her.”
    He shrugged. “Well, you see what I mean? Instead ofadmitting she’s going about this husband hunt all wrong, she takes offense.”
    Ophelia tsked at him. “Anyone would have taken offense at what you just said.”
    “I’ll be the first to admit she shouldn’t have heard that, but the truth isn’t always pretty.”
    “The truth could be broached in any number of ways that don’t include derision, but first impressions aren’t always accurate, and from the sound of it, you’ve misjudged Mandy out of hand. I would think that you of all people wouldn’t jump to conclusions like that.”
    The lady was scolding him? He did laugh this time. “She doesn’t want my help and I don’t feel like leading any men to the slaughter today. So why don’t we scratch this matchmaking mission up as not doable.”
    “You make it sound like you think she’s a lost cause. She’s not, you know. She just hasn’t met the right man yet. But that’s where you would have come in, to find that right man for her. So why don’t you keep this.” Ophelia slapped the purse against his chest. “And simply give it some thought. If after a week or two you can’t think of a single man she might like that she hasn’t met yet, then no harm done.”
    Amanda Locke was going to need a lot more help than that, but Devin had already said as much. If the lady still wanted to squander her money on a lost cause, he wasn’t going to throw away a gift horse twice.
    “Very well,” he said.
    “Oh, and if you should meet my husband again, please don’t mention that I’ve hired you.”
    “As it happens, he said he was going to come by for a new horse, so you might want to take your stallion home today andgive him his present early. But why don’t you want him to know about this other business?”
    She sighed. “I broached the subject of hiring you to help Mandy with him last night. He was appalled by the notion, told me to bite my tongue and not give it another thought. He thought his sister would be horrified if she found out about it, and he was right about that, as you just witnessed.”
    “He forbade you to arrange this, didn’t he?”
    She nodded with a slight wince. “And he’ll think I’ll abide by that.”
    “You don’t think his sister will tell him, as angry as she is?”
    “I’m going to do my best to convince her that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
    “But you’re not really worried about deceiving him?” Devin guessed.
    She blinked. “I’m doing nothing of the sort—oh, wait, you think his dictate is the final word in the matter?” She almost laughed, he could tell she was fighting it. “No indeed. We have a marriage of the sort you try to arrange, blissful in every way. I’m trying to help his sister. He would have done the same if he didn’t think Mandy would hold it against him. But even their father has concluded that a new plan of action is needed at this point and last night spoke to one of the old matchmakers he is acquainted with.”
    Devin laughed. “Then you don’t need me.”
    “On the contrary, I don’t know what came of the duke’s conversation with the matchmaker, but I don’t really think she can help. I do think you can or I wouldn’t have asked. Your approach is innovative. You go beyond what’s clearly on the surface to make sure a match will be lasting.”
    He gave her a skeptical look as he led her into his officeat the back of the stable to conclude their first business. “Do you want me to deliver the stallion today to your London residence?”
    “No, we celebrate all birthdays at Norford Hall, and Rafe’s isn’t until next