AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Georgie, ah Georgie, you drive a man wild. You…you know I mean to have you, don’t you?”
Star, in spite of the present company, snorted and for her transgression, received a brotherly glare. Star rolled her eyes at him.
“Do you, Vern dear?” Georgie countered. “What a very odd thing to say to someone who has been a sister to you most of her life.”
“Oh do stop your bantering you two and let Vern tell us what he means,” Star said after she had made the perfunctory round of greeting the others in the room.
Sir Edward had jumped to his feet when she and Georgie had come into the room, giving her the full view of his tall, dashing self and it was hard, so hard not to stare at him. What the deuce was wrong with her? Something certainly was.
“Right, so what it means is that you two needn’t sit home tonight for lack of escort. You have three!” Vern grinned from ear to ear. He looked at Georgie, “Sad as I am that I shall not have you on my arm Georgie, I am pleased as a generous man can be that you won’t miss this ball.”
Star looked at Miles who was standing erect and proud. Jules looked hopefully her way and Sir Edward, she could clearly see, appeared completely amused.
* * *
Sir Edward had watched Star enter her brother’s room and the vision of her lively beauty hit him soundly. He discovered he was momentarily bereft of speech as he watched her with her white gold hair all windblown and making a perfect frame around her heart-shaped beautiful face and thought that she was stunning.
Jules was completely right; she did take the breath away. Why had he not immediately seen this—or had he and resisted?
Evidently a bit of a drama was taking place and he found it intriguing. Vern seemed to want Miss Madison and from where he stood, the lovely Miss Madison seemed to have eyes for his friend, Jules. In addition to this, both Miles and Jules wanted Star and this was he thought something Shakespeare would have had a very excellent time describing.
However, somehow he was being drawn into the romantic comedy, much against his will. He had meant to keep himself aloof and then what must the pretty Miss Star do but turn her dark eyes on him. Deep inside of him he felt a stirring, a flutter he did not recognize, for it had never happened before.
“What can you mean?” Star asked her brother and turned to look at the gentlemen grinning all around her.
Vern laughed and Edward made up his mind, whereas, at first he had thought otherwise, he now believed this young lord was just that, young. He was obviously in financial straits and needed immediate guidance.
He had immediately deducted that something had gone wrong with the young lords’ attempts to set his house in order. He was at first curious, but now after meeting the lad, he thought he might take matters in hand. Why he should, he couldn’t fathom.
Yet, he could see the young lord had both heart and good intentions and although he told himself none of this was his business and that it shouldn’t matter to him, for it was all a bloody nuisance, he still had quite made up his mind to help.
Miles stole Jules’s thunder at that moment by stepping up immediately and taking Star’s hand and Edward found himself narrowing his eyes as inexplicably he found himself irritated and felt the frown descend over his face.
“I am honored to be one of your three escorts tonight,” Miles said with heart felt resonance.
Jules, evidently not to be outdone, came forward and nearly wrenched Star’s hand from Mile’s grasp. He clicked his heels and Edward nearly choked with laughter. Jules glared at Miles, stared hard at Edward, and then brought his pale blue eyes back to Star’s face and said with great earnest, “And I am as well—honored that is, to be your escort.”
Sir Edward inclined his head and felt a mischievous tingle as he said, “With the pleasure of Miss Madison’s and your company, how could a gentleman be otherwise.”
Star’s eyes glittered at him and he watched her as she turned away from Jules, and answered some remark Miles had made to her.
Georgie said in an aside to him, “Neatly put Sir Edward, but not, I think, very sincere.”
Sir Edward arched a brow at her and gave her a warm smile, saying quite openly as he glanced toward Star, “Oh, but dear lovely lady, sincere enough when I think of you on my arm.”
She eyed him dubiously and laughed right out loud.
* * *
Was that jealousy coursing through her veins? Jealous of her dearest friend, Georgie? How could that be? Ashamed. She should be so ashamed. She was ashamed and yet, jealously overrode all other considerations and filled her with unmanageable emotion.
What did it matter if Sir Edward preferred Georgie to her? He did seem to prefer Georgie’s company over her own. He scarcely even glanced her way. Well, she had always known she wasn’t his style…yes, but neither was Georgie.
Star could see from the corner of her eyes that his smile seemed more than genuine as it rested on her friend’s countenance. She immediately looked away.
She tried to concentrate on what Miles was saying, yet she couldn’t help but strain to hear what Georgie and Sir Edward were speaking about.
Miles had twice to recall her attention to him.
