Free Elizabeth Powell by The Reluctant Rogue

her estimate of a person’s character, but it seemed she had misjudged Viscount Langley. Just this afternoon she had promised herself that she would avoid his company; now she found herself looking forward to their meetingtomorrow morning, and not just because she needed to retrieve the List.
    What a widgeon! She shook herself. It would not do for her to develop any feelings for Corinthian like him. She had an understanding with Augustus; she could not in good conscience renege on her promise to him. Besides, her mother would be even more incensed if she thought that Jane showed a preference for the viscount’s company.
    A flash of silver and white caught her eye; she turned to see Penelope speaking with Lord Langley. The viscount must have said something particularly flattering; Pen blushed and hid a smile behind her fan. Jane bit her lip. They certainly made an attractive couple. Could he be the one? He met her sister’s criteria: intelligence, wit, amiability, a title. And he was heir to a fortune of his own. If he was half as charming to Pen as he was to her, Pen would be in love with him by the end of the week.
    If only her own heart were immune.
    “Why so pensive, Sebastian?” Jace asked, and he reached for the bottle of port. “I thought the evening went quite well. You danced twice with Miss Winthrop, and Miss Gray seemed to dote upon your every word. And although you did not manage to secure a dance with Miss Rutledge, she seemed to find you amusing, which is a step in the right direction.”
    “Amusing is not good enough,” Sebastian replied sourly. “I had no idea the girl would be so skittish.”
    “Then perhaps you should set your sights on an easier pigeon,” scoffed Nigel from the chair nearest the fireplace.
    The viscount’s mouth hardened. “No. Miss Rutledge is perfect.”
    “You mean her fortune is perfect.”
    “She is everything I want and more. I simply have to make a greater effort to secure her regard.”
    Jace refilled his glass, then settled himself on the plush divan. “Her mother made no secret that she approves of you.”
    “Approves?” Nigel interjected with a snort. “Lud, she way she emptied the butter boat over you, one would think she had you leg-shackled to the girl already.”
    “If only Miss Rutledge herself shared that same eagerness,” the viscount muttered. He paced the floor of Jace’s study, swirling the measure of ruby-red port in his glass. Though he had been at his most charming, Miss Rutledge appeared indifferent to him. When he did manage to engage her in conversation, she remained polite but elusive, revealing little about herself. What was she about? He could not even guess where he stood among her other admirers; she showed no particular interest in any one gentleman. Blast.
    “What do you plan to do from here?” Jace inquired.
    Sebastian heaved a sigh. “I cannot give up just yet. I need something that will make me stand out from her other admirers to break through her reserve, and to do that I need to know more about her.”
    “Question their servants,” Nigel suggested. “Servants always seem to know everything about everyone in the house. They’re your neighbors, by Jove. It should not be difficult to get some information.”
    “If she thinks me too premeditated in my pursuit, she may bolt,” Sebastian argued. “I have a better idea. Did you notice that most of Miss Rutledge’s admirers ignoredher sister? The beauty, I believe, feels those slights most keenly. If I befriend the sister, I gain an ally in my courtship of the beauty.”
    Jace arched a quizzical brow. “Do you really think that will work?”
    “I will know soon enough.”
    “Well, the sister already seems to think very highly of you,” Nigel said, then pulled a face. “Egad, now
there’s
an antidote if ever I’ve seen one. Careful, Sebastian. In my opinion that is the type of female who, overlooked and overshadowed by greater beauty, grows desperate for any scrap of