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She chuckled daintily and looked him over. “What’s your name?”
Montgomery held her gaze for a long moment, all hopes of anonymity dashed. But he wouldn’t lose his cool. “It’s quite a feat,” he said coolly. “To know every person.”
“I make it my business,” she replied, matching his tone. “As a lawyer.”
Ah, so she was Nadine. Willow mentioned she owned a law firm, but the other partners didn’t seem to exist.
“Well, I’ve only been here for a spell,” he said. “You could say I’m new.”
“Hmmm. Then welcome to Mysthaven. And if you need any legal advice, ask around for Nadine.”
“And if you need another martini, you can ask around for Mountie.”
Just then, Montgomery caught Willow’s eye, and as Nadine slinked into the crowd, he gave a reassuring nod to indicate it was okay.
All through the night Willow was the consummate hostess, encouraging her guests to dance and eat the seemingly endless trays of bite-sized food.
What amused Montgomery the most was seeing Dale dressed to the nines in an historically accurate tuxedo, dancing the waltz with a young woman he assumed was his new girlfriend. The couple took to the dance floor with the ease of seasoned dancers, and flowed into perfectly timed steps—Dale with his carriage straight, and arms squarely boxed.
“I wonder if there is a gentleman present who will ask me to dance,” said Willow, having come up alongside him during a lull in cocktail orders.
“I believe there is a certain gentleman who would want nothing more than to dance with you,” Montgomery replied. “If he could afford the distraction.”
“Our four women of interest are mingling by the dance floor. We’d have a better chance of eavesdropping over there.”
“Somehow I doubt they’d openly discuss their evil plans in a crowded room.”
“This party is their chance to roam around my bookshop and leave little hexes all over or snoop around the place. If they try anything, I’ll be able to sense the magic pouring out of them before they can say abracadabra. Besides, Esme cast a rebounding charm on all the drapery. Whatever magic they try to do in here will bounce right back to them.”
“Ah. So the drapery isn’t just for the aesthetic.”
“That too.” She smiled up at him, and in that moment, he couldn’t be bothered with drapery or witches or being half-dead. He only wanted to take this beautiful woman in his arms.
“In that case,” he said with a slight bow. “May I have this dance, Miss Ravensong?”
“You may, Mr. Harland.”
He offered to take her hand, and when she slipped her fingers into his waiting palm, a current bolted through his body.
He’d only danced a handful of times, and even so, one would think he’d be rusty after such a long time. But Willow put him at ease, and as he slid his arm around her back, he felt a lightness envelop them, and they fell into the steps easily.
“I’ve been wanting to say,” Willow said softly as they grew closer to one another, “thank you for washing my dishes. And mopping the floor. And cleaning up the Bloody Mary mix that one night.”
“You don’t need to thank me for doing something I did on my own accord. I hadn’t thought how it would scare you. I was selfish and wasn’t used to sharing the space with someone.”
“I want you to know I’m not a complete slob. I was overtired that week. And truth be told, the way I was brought up, Esme taught us to clean up our messes with a swoosh of the wrist. Except I would usually make a bigger mess. So Bliss and Ivy did all the housework. That’s one of the reasons why I left home. I wanted to prove I could do something without help.”
“People need people,” said Montgomery. “Being alone isn’t as fun as I make it seem.”
“I promise to be a better roommate from now on,” she continued. “No more messes, and I’ll get better at doing th—”
He shushed her by gently pressing his lips over hers. It was just a touch, and lasted a half a second at that. But it was the most glorious sensation Montgomery had ever felt. He felt it by the tingle in his lips to the prickling on his skin, down to his toes.
“I don’t want to talk about housework, Miss Ravensong. I’m trying to dance with the most beautiful woman in the room.”
She blinked up at him with a dazed expression. “Maybe I should keep talking so you can shut me up like that again.”
“Keep talking, and I fear I might throw you over my shoulder and shut you up another way.”
