AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Five
It took all of five minutes into the tour before Sebastian realized that Miss Highbridge was trying to seduce him and doing a spectacularly bad job at it. And yet, despite her clumsy attempts at catching his eye, she was somehow managing to get under his skin in a way that no woman had before. He suppressed the urge to shiver as she clutched his arm tighter, her breasts pressing into his side, whilst Barrow went on and on about the history of The White Heather.
“I am quite impressed at how quicky you’ve managed to get such a successful business going, Mr. Barrow,” she said with earnest.
Barrow preened under the praise, enough to set Sebastian’s teeth on edge. “Why thank you, Miss Highbridge. It is always nice to find someone who appreciates good business acumen, a rare sight among your circles, if you don’t mind me saying.” Barrow all but despised most of the aristocracy, caring about them only enough to fleece the money out of their vice-addicted pockets. Him and Amberwood were the only notable exceptions.
Despite the subtle insult directed at her class, she merely inclined her head in agreement. “Hypocrites, the lot of them.”
“Come now, Miss Highbridge,” Sebastian said. “It has only been a few days since you were cast aside. Surely you haven’t come to such an opinion already?”
She surprised him by shaking her head. “Actually, I’ve held that opinion for quite a long time.” A rueful smile came onto her face. “I wasn’t very popular to begin with once the allure of my supposed dowry wore off, hence why I was cast off so quickly. I daresay a higher ranked debutante might have been able to weather last night’s events with time, but not myself. I was set up for failure from the start.”
It was easy to forget she was a mere baron’s daughter, a recently and quite scandalously impoverished Baron at that. “I stand corrected, then,” he said after a moment’s consideration. “Though, I cannot say I regret your status. I feel that you wouldn’t have been allowed to become such a fascinating conversationalist were you born into such supposedly exalted ranks.” He’d meant the complement, too. When was the last time he’dmeanta complement?
She looked at him with wide eyes until a slow, genuine smile crawled over her face, accompanied by a rather becoming blush on her full cheeks. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
He almost smiled back, a flush of masculine pride at putting the expression on her face thrumming though him. What the hell was wrong with him?
He heard Barrow snicker, and the man covered the action with a cough as Sebastian whipped a steely gaze in his direction. “Well, then.” His friend gestured to a mildly crowded Vignt-et-un table. “Might I suggest this game for our greenhorn here.”
“Oh, yes. I think I know this one,” she replied, anticipation written all over her face as she scanned the activity at the table.
“Most noblewomen do,” Barrow replied. “It is one of the more popular games at Ton parties.”
Indeed, most of the men and women gathered around the table were obviously of the aristocratic stock. He recognized some acquaintances and gave the few men he knew a bland wave as they peered at the three of them in undisguised confusion. The masked women amongst them stared at Miss Highbridge in near abject horror, some beginning to whisper furiously to each other.
“It appears I am making quite the stir,” Miss Highbridge said playfully, though he could see her eyes glittering with nerves, as she likely realized what a ridiculous stunt she was pulling. He fought the urge to run a hand over his face. From the way she was clinging to him, half the Ton would think they were lovers come morning. While he could admit that he admired the girl’s pluck, this afternoon was going a tad too far for his tastes. God forbid his mother caught wind of the whole thing. He’d never hear the end of it for months on end
“Barrow,” he said lowly so as not to be overheard. “I think it’s high time the lady was escorted home.”
“But things were just getting interesting,” she protested with a pout.
“I’ll have to defer to Ashford on this matter,” Barrow said with a sigh. “He is your chaperone after all.” The man paused before shotting him a mischievous look. “I suppose you’ll have to see the girl home. She might get up to more mischief if you leave her alone in the carriage.”
That son of a bitch.
Miss Highbridge paused for a moment before a slow smile spread on her face. “Oh, yes, I certainly would get up to things.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Sebastian would have laughed in her face at such a silly gesture if he didn’t find it so inexplicably arousing. And now he was to be trapped in a carriage with her thanks to that traitorous friend of his. “Very well,” he replied with the most banal voice he could muster. “But have someone bring the coach around the back, Barrow.”
“Naturally,” the bastard replied and walked away, presumably to fetch a servant.
“Thank you,” Miss Highbridge said genuinely. “I am fascinating by this place, but you are right that I am biting off more than I can chew.”
A sentiment that apparently did not extend to him, as she looked his person up and down with a blush before staring down at the carpet, likely trying to work out her plan of seduction. He said nothing, choosing to let her stew in her uncertainties, and meandered them to the back of the establishment at a slow enough pace so as not to draw a terrible amount of attention. Hopefully, the patrons would merely believe there was only a light flirtation going on rather than a full-blown affair, so long as they weren’t seen leaving together and he was careful in the coming weeks.
Miss Highbridge seemed to regain her pluck once they reached the back door and exited into the alley where her coach was waiting. She peered down each direction with a furrowed brow. “I wonder where Mr. Barrow went. I was hoping to thank him for showing me such generous hospitality.”
“Likely wandered off to handle some problem or another.”
A very nervous footman opened the carriage door, and Sebastian shuffled Miss Highbridge inside. “Hurry up before someone sees us.”
“As you command, Your Grace,” she replied with a roll of her eyes before plopping onto one of the benches.
He followed suit and slammed the door shut, only relaxing into the squabs once the carriage kicked into motion and had made its way down the road. “I’m glad that is over with.”
“I was having a splendid time, thank you very much.” She looked at him from under hooded eyelashes, biting her lip.
