Free My Lady Rival by Ashley March Page B

cared so much about their smiles.” The voice of the coachman soothing the horses to a standstill came as the carriage ceased moving. Willa’s smile turned sly. “Of course, after seeing so many people laughing at the masquerade last night, I can well understand the desire to keep their teeth covered when possible.” She grinned at Sarah’s choked gasp of laughter. The footman opened the door.
    “Willa—”
    “No need to fear, I will behave myself with an immense amount of decorum.
    A nd I promise to not show my teeth—not even once.” Taking the servant’s hand, she stepped out of the carriage. She threw cursory glances at the imposing Byrne town house and the black carriage sitting on the street near their own, then looked back toward Sarah. “I neglected to ask. Is Lady Marianna Woolstone’s younger sister or older?”
    “What does it matter?” Sarah walked toward her as the footman closed the carriage door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the door of the other carriage open.
    “It may indicate how protective she wishes to be, how much information she cares to give us.” A fter Willa’s mother had died when she was fourteen, she’d become both mother and sister to her younger brother, Jeffrey. Even though he become both mother and sister to her younger brother, Jeffrey. Even though he was a grown man now, she would never cease worrying about him.
    “I believe she’s younger.”
    Willa nodded. “Good. That means—”
    A voice at the other carriage stilled her thoughts. Willa’s head turned, her gaze searching . . .
    She scowled. Or rather, on the inside she scowled. On her face she wore that slight, secretly amusing smile Sarah had taught her as she met A lex Laurie’s eyes.
    He nodded a wary greeting. Willa turned. “Come,” she whispered urgently, then proceeded to rush toward the Byrne town house’s door.
    She could have cursed. Somehow he must have devised the same ingenious plan: get close to Woolstone’s sister to discover if she knew of his whereabouts.
    Sarah’s skirts rustled behind her as Willa climbed the steps. “Why are we— Oh, good afternoon, sir.”
    “Good afternoon, madam.” He bounded up the steps beside Willa, cutting her off at the door. “Miss Stratton.”
    Willa drew herself up instantly to avoid crashing into him yet again. He thought himself very clever; she was certain his eyes laughed at her before he turned his back to her. Though she nearly teetered off the edge of the top step, she managed to draw her skirts close to her legs and edge beside him. Her shoulder brushed his arm. “I believe we arrived first, Mr. Laurie. Kindly move out of the way.”
    “I would of course concede if you were correct, Miss Stratton, but you are wrong. My carriage arrived before yours.”
    Sarah poked Willa’s arm. When she glanced over her shoulder, her friend’s brows were lifted inquiringly.
    “Oh yes. Lady Carlyle, allow me to present to you the back of Mr. A lex Laurie.”
    “I apologize for my rudeness, Lady Carlyle. It is not my habit to be offensive.”
    “You do not have to forgive him. This is, of course, the one I told you of before.”
    “Spreading lies about me again, madam? How very unoriginal of you.” Willa almost laughed. He thought she’d told lies about him to Contarini?
    “On the contrary, I find lies wholly unnecessary. A nd please be assured that I will tell you if I ever feel the need to court your opinion of my actions.” He said something beneath his breath which she couldn’t hear. She would have been tempted to ask him to repeat it louder, if she didn’t believe he did it for the sole purpose of irritating her.
    She sensed Sarah’s quiet assessment of him as Willa knew he must appear to her: the breadth of his shoulders, the jaunty tip of his hat, the fine tapering of his waist and legs. She didn’t wish for her companion to be undone by his appeal; it would not do to have her friend enamored of her enemy.
    Though she professed to