Free To Wed A Viscount by Adrienne Basso Page B

attend my musical gathering.”
    â€œYou do me an honor by inviting me, Lady Dillard,” Griffin replied with a charming grin. The cloying scent of gardenias enveloped him as he bowed low and took the hand of his elderly hostess. “I only regret that I arrived after the performance began.”
    â€œNever fear, my lord. Senora DeStefanis shall be singing several other selections before the evening is over.”
    â€œI hardly know what to say.”
    Lady Dillard giggled like a young girl, as if she suspected his true feelings on the matter. Griffin returned her smile readily. He had met her several times during this long week of social activities and actually found himself liking the old girl. If only she didn’t have such appalling musical taste.
    They briefly exchanged further pleasantries before Lady Dillard excused herself to attend to her other guests. With a jaundiced eye Griffin scanned the milling crowd, not really expecting to find anything of interest. More and more he was coming to believe it would be better to go back to the country and wait for Faith to return to Mayfair Manor. Nothing could be more torturous than attending these society events.
    He accepted a glass of chilled champagne from a passing footman and made a final, almost halfhearted glance at the fashionable assembly. Yet as he lifted the champagne flute to his lips, his hand stilled. The cool liquid slid down his parched throat, but the taste barely registered in his brain.
    For standing across the room, directly in his unobstructed line of vision, was the most exquisite female creature he had ever seen.
    She turned, as if searching the room for someone and looked straight at him. His tiredness and gloom instantly vanished. Her face was exquisite, seemingly carved of the finest pale marble and perfect in every small detail. Her silky blond hair was styled in a simple, elegant chignon, and instead of glittering jewels there were flowers artfully placed among the yellow tresses.
    Dressed in azure blue, she was tall and willowy, yet utterly feminine. He found it impossible to tear his gaze away. The upsweep of her hair emphasized the slender grace of her entire torso. Even in the dim candlelight he could see that her eyes were a deep, exotic blue. They reminded Griffin of the crystal waters of the Caribbean.
    She was not so bold as to smile at him, but she inclined her head slightly in his direction. He didn’t even realize that he had answered her silent summons until he found himself standing in front of her.
    â€œLord Dewhurst.”
    It was not the enchanting blonde who whispered his name, but rather the tiny female standing beside her. Reluctantly, Griffin dragged his gaze away from the enchantress and found himself staring down at the very woman he had been searching for over five long days and five far more interminable nights.
    Miss Faith Linden.
    Griffin blinked, but she did not disappear. Then an immeasurable feeling of delight spread across his face as he witnessed Faith’s reaction to his sudden appearance. She made a distinctively strangled sound in the back of her throat and turned to the beautiful blond-haired woman with a look of sheer horror etched on her face.
    It was at that moment that Griffin realized this mysterious beauty must be Lady Meredith. He experienced a brief, sharp pang of regret. Pity, she would forever be beyond his reach.
    The enchanting Lady Meredith must have surmised his identity from Faith’s panicked expression, but she was far more circumspect in her reactions. Her body went rigid as she drew herself up to her full height and cast him a look of disdain that would have done a vicar proud.
    The effect was ruined however when she dropped her fan and it bounced off the toe of her male companion, causing a mild commotion.
    He recognized the man as Lord Dunstand, a pompous dandy who imagined himself an expert on all matters of propriety and refinement. Griffin dismissed him as totally