The Lady Plays Her Ace (The Langley Sisters) (7 page)

"Smile, Thea. No one will bite you here, and if they do I shall deal with them."

Thea forced a smile onto her face at Luke’s words and followed her friend into a room filled with elegantly dressed people. Her eyes found him instantly, as he stood a head taller than most. As if sensing her, Oliver Dillinger turned and gave her a steady look, then with a slight tilt of his head in acknowledgment he turned away once more.

"There. You see, all is well now you have seen each other," Bella whispered in her ear. "Now you may relax and enjoy the evening."

Relax!
Thea’s stomach was clenched so tight she feared she might faint if she didn’t draw in a deep breath soon. Dear God, how could she react this way to him, as if her body was filled with a thousand butterflies all fluttering around inside her?

"Yes, I feel much better now," she lied, and wondered if it was too soon to find a corner and hide in it for the remainder of the evening.

CHAPTER FOUR

Ace had been about to take a mouthful of his drink when Lady Althea Ryder walked into the room with Luke and Bella. Lowering it, he met her eyes, then gave her a brief nod before looking away. His heart was suddenly thumping inside his chest. Where before he had been calm, enjoying the evening for the company and the conversation, now he was tense. Knowing she was here, the woman who he had held and kissed, the woman who had taken up residence inside his head and refused to leave was unsettling.

He'd dreamt about her last night—erotic, sensual visions had woven through his head which had left him aroused and angry with himself. She was out of his reach. He knew this, yet he could not stop thinking about her.

"I think it would be in both your and Fletcher’s interests to look into that consortium further, Ace, before joining it. I’m not sure that Lord Carrington is all he purports to be."

Ace tried to focus on Mr. Vaughan’s words but his mind was still on Lady Althea. One look was all he’d had—no more than a few seconds, maybe six—and he knew she wore pale gray, the color of her eyes, and around her shoulders was a rose silk shawl. A few curls framed her face, and like he, she'd looked nervous.

"I think the Evans venture would be a more profitable investment for you, Ace."

"Yes, I had thought about that. Thank you, Jeffrey, and am already looking into it." Ace answered, pleased he'd managed to follow the conversation.

"Ace, how are you?" Luke had reached his side.

"Luke, Bella." He shook his friend's hand, kissed Bella on the cheek and then bowed to Lady Althea. "My Lady." He found a polite smile for her.

"Mr. Dillinger." She offered him a curtsy that was stilted and unlike the graceful displays he had seen her execute before.

"Are you in town for long, Lady Althea?" Mr. Vaughan questioned her.

"Yes, Sir. My brother has business before the rest of our family arrives, and then we return to our home in Two Oaks for Christmas."

As Ace was standing beside her, he could feel her tension. The hand at her side was twitching the skirts of her dress.

"You will be shopping then, I’m sure," Mr. Vaughan added. "My wife is doing just that before we leave to join our family. Apparently, London is the only place that has the things she needs…lots of things," he added, which made everyone laugh.

"Are you still visiting your factory the day after tomorrow, Ace?" Luke questioned him.

"I am," he nodded. "There are a few matters I need to oversee; do you still wish to accompany me?"

"Now Thea is here to keep Bella company, I will. Thanks," Luke said.

"You own a factory, Mr. Dillinger?"

"I do, Lady Althea, a few of them," he added.

"What is in your factories, if I may ask?"

Ace knew that in polite society, women did not converse on such topics, but here with these people, wives often joined such conversations. However, he wasn't sure if Lady Althea should be doing so.

"People and machinery, my lady."

"Doing what?" she persisted.

"Ace owns mills and factories that do many and varied things, Thea," Bella said, joining the conversation. "The factory they are to visit makes glass."

"Isn’t that made from sand and broken glass?" Lady Althea looked up at him again for confirmation.

"There are a few more components, but yes, those two are used in making glass," Ace said, surprised she knew about such things.

"How interesting, perhaps I could—"

"No!" Luke said quickly.

"Have a sample of your glass as a gift for my sister in law," Lady Althea added smoothly. "As she has quite a fondness for the stuff. She has a vast collection, as you know, Luke."

"You weren’t going to say that," Luke accused her.

She gave him such a wide-eyed, innocent look that Ace laughed.

"Why, whatever else would I have said?"

Luke shook his head. "I know you, Althea Langley. You were going to ask to visit Ace's factory."

"It would be interesting," she said, turning her gaze on Ace.

"I think not," Ace said, going cold at the thought of her near some of the machinery in his factories. "There are many hazards, my lady, and it would not be safe."

She didn't look happy with his words, but said nothing further as they were called to take their seats for the meal.

Luke took Bella on his arm, which left Ace to lead Lady Althea in, as Mr. Vaughan had gone to collect his wife.

"My lady." He held out his arm and after a brief hesitation, she rested her hand on it. He had noticed most women placed the tips of their fingers, but not her. She placed her whole hand.

"How do you know about what goes into the making of glass, Lady Althea?" Ace asked as they followed the others out of the room.

"I am as well-read as my brothers."

"I had not thought the making of glass would be something that interested you."

"You didn’t add that because I’m of noble birth I should, therefore, read poetry and French prose, Mr. Dillinger."

"Putting words in my mouth again, my lady?"

"You judge people because of their title, Mr. Dillinger. Try and deny it."

She looked away from him, her eyes on the walls as they walked. Her hair was pinned into tiny curls and a few small ribbons the color of her shawl were sprinkled throughout. His eyes were drawn to the pale skin of her neck, what would it feel like to press his lips there, to taste the soft skin?

"And have you not formed opinions on people simply from past experiences, Lady Althea?" Why did he enjoy talking with her so much? Even when she was angry, he wanted to have her anger focused on him.

"We are not talking about me." She waved her hand about.

"That hardly seems fair. I am to have my personality scrutinized yet you are not? Surely that merely strengthens my belief?"

"My birth has nothing to do with the fact that we are discussing your small-minded beliefs, Mr. Dillinger, if that is what you are inferring." Her eyes were shooting sparks at him, but there was something else in their depths. Excitement, perhaps? Like he, was she enjoying their battle of wills.

He rubbed his chest as if to ease the pain she was inflicting. "Idiot, arrogant, and now small minded, my lady. You wield your tongue like a finely honed blade."

"Don’t try and flatter me, Mr. Dillinger."

His bark of laughter made Luke turn towards him with a raised brow. "Most people would think my words an insult, my lady.

"Yet I am not most people." She looked up at him. "And I should like to also point out, that your little story about you and the Earl’s daughter has tainted your view of people, Sir, especially women of noble birth ."

"I cannot apologize for viewing the world the way I do, my lady, but let me assure you that my opinions are not formed without many experiences."

"Where as mine are not?"

"Do you always leap to conclusions, Lady Althea?"

"Yes, especially when I know I'm right," she added.

"And you called me arrogant," Ace whispered as they entered the dining room. She'd heard him, he knew, because her lips twitched, but chose not to comment further. Lady Althea then took her seat and Ace found his, which was to her right. She turned immediately and started conversing with the man to her left. Sir Hugh Coulter, and he felt the ugly bite of jealousy.

He ate his beef ragout and attempted to converse with the shy lady to his right while Lady Althea giggled in reply to something Sir Hugh said. Ace thought that was possibly the first time he’d heard the sound. It was frivolous and light-hearted and he suddenly wanted her to giggle at something he’d said.
God, he was pathetic.

He was a bloody hard-headed businessman, not some mewling whelp hanging on a woman's skirts, Ace thought. He needed to get himself back under control, and stop lusting after someone he could never have.

He tried to ignore her and refused to listen to the conversation that was taking place, although he did hear snatches of names he had never heard of, people who were lord this and lady the other. This was the kind of man she should be with, a man from her sphere. Why, then, did it just irritate him that she was talking to Sir Hugh?

"I’m sorry." He said the words when the fourth course was placed before him.

She turned so quickly that her face was inches from his, and his eyes were drawn to her lips. The bottom was fuller than the top, and from experience, he knew they were soft.

"For what?"

"Calling you arrogant."

"Yet I called you that and more. Therefore surely it is me that should be apologizing, Mr. Dillinger?"

"Oh, now this should be good," Ace said, watching her face. It was alive, her eyes bright, lips tilted. "Please go ahead and apologize, my lady." Ace held his hand out towards her.

"I am not apologizing!" she said, indignant now. "It is you that tarred me with the same brush as the earl’s daughter and believe that all people of noble birth are spoilt and untrustworthy."

"Actually, I never said that, and I respect your brothers very much," he said, feeling his good humor return now she was talking to him.

"I'll rephrase that then to say it is your belief that all woman of noble birth are spoilt and untrustworthy?"

"I bet you were hell to grow up with," Ace found himself saying, and was pleased he did when she tried not to laugh.

"I had two elder brothers, Mr. Dillinger. I could not afford to be anything but hell."

Ace had a powerful need to take this woman in his arms and ravish her. He wanted to loosen the bodice of that pretty dress and lower it and her undergarments to the floor, then start at her toes and make his way upwards, stopping to kiss every inch of her on the way.

"I apologize for tarring you with the same brush as the earl’s daughter," he conceded. "And yes, I can be untrusting sometimes...actually, often."

She turned back to her meal, pushed some roast fowl onto her fork and placed it in her mouth. Ace watched as she chewed, then swallowed. The woman wasn’t that beautiful. He’d seen prettier, so why was he enthralled by her? The elegant line of her throat and small curve of her chin, it all intrigued him, and he shouldn’t be intrigued. It would get him nowhere to be so.

"I'm still waiting for your apology, my lady," he added. She did not answer immediately and he knew she was mulling over what she wanted to say.

"I forgive you for your snobbery, Mr. Dillinger."

"I am not a snob," Ace snorted. "A man born in the same bed as his eight siblings, to a coal miner, cannot be a snob."

She placed another mouthful of food in her mouth, and then wrapped him on the knuckles with her fork before returning it to her plate to load it with more food.

"It's called reverse snobbery, Mr. Dillinger, and may I say you have it in spades. Aces of spades," she said, then giggled softly at her attempt at humor.

"Very amusing, but I am not a snob, reverse or otherwise," he added.

"The fact that you feel the need to reiterate your humble beginnings constantly to strengthen any argument suggests to me you are."

Ace didn't like people challenging him, especially if they may have a point. However, he would never concede that to this woman. He had the feeling if he did, it would be the beginning of the end.

"You and your brothers debated a lot, didn't you, Lady Althea? And I would add to that they indulged you a great deal."

"I'm not spoilt, Mr. Dillinger, merely challenging."

Ace placed a fork full of food in his mouth and chewed slowly. She made him want to gnash his teeth and laugh at the same time. He'd never met a woman like her.

"Tell me your darkest day, Mr. Dillinger."

"I beg your pardon?" Ace swallowed, then looked at her to give himself time to adjust to the change in conversation. The woman had a sharp mind and he was more than able to keep pace with her conversational changes; however, this was not a subject he was keen to venture into. She didn’t repeat the question, simply looked at him, and he could feel her eyes burning into the side of his face as he was now looking forward while he picked up his wine glass.