Lewis saw Lady Allen-Hill still wore her evening dress, though her thick hair had been released from some of its more tortuous braids, which had earlier been tucked and pinned so that they hung down the back of her neck. Her mahogany curls now fell down her left arm, cradling the outside of one magnificent breast. He inhaled sharply, searching for a peek of nipple as his gaze outlined her feminine curves. “You left dinner rather suddenly.” She nodded. “My dinner companions were not congenial.” Lust had him blinking, trying to remember who she’d been seated with. “They came down from Liverpool especially to see you.” “I can only manage one at a time.” She smiled, but the expression did not reach her eyes. His trousers felt uncomfortably tight and he wondered if his voice was higher than usual when he spoke again. “Is your father hoping you will choose one of them?” “I cannot imagine they would be here otherwise, but the countess may have plans for them. She is far more marriage-minded at this time than I am.”
