In his own defense, he had had genuine reasons for following her in here. He’d noticed, just as Jackson had, and no doubt how she had, that Lucas was getting a little more distracted by Meredith Bright than anyone was happy about.
It was time to bring this encounter to a close lest he do something idiotic, like kiss her again or, worse yet, ask her why she hadn’t been as affected by their first kiss as he had been.
“I think it’s fair to say that after years of enmity between our families, a truce is not something you would be agreeable to.”
Hugh, for one mad moment, wished for her to deny his words, to say she wanted nothing more than to end the feud. Perhaps to even begin a relationship which would be the exact opposite of a feud…
Her unladylike snort was all the answer he needed, however.
“So then, you wouldn’t be thrilled to learn of my older brother’s — er — sudden fascination with your sister?”
He watched as a frown creased her brow, her green eyes snapping.
“Fascination?” she scoffed. “Hardly. The great big oaf gave her the cut direct. And you can tell him from me,” She stepped forward, her finger prodding his chest, “that if he so much as looks at my sister again in a manner that she finds anything less than respectful, I shall—”
“You shall what?” Hugh interrupted, his temper flaring. “You shall screech at him like a common fishwife?”
Her jaw dropped open at his words and then snapped shut. Hugh could actually hear her teeth grinding together.
“How dare you?” she finally gasped, her outrage doing terribly distracting things to the low-cut bodice of her satin gown.
“I dare because your Ice Queen sister is no more innocent in this than my brother,” he snapped. “Which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you.”
He watched emotions dash across her expressive face while some internal battle or other raged. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then leveled her gaze at him.
“Alright. What is it?”
Hugh gritted his teeth at her imperious tone but made no comment.
They’d been at this to-ing and fro-ing long enough as it was.
“For some inexplicable reason, Lucas has taken a shine to your sister,” Hugh started. The hypocrisy of his words did not escape his notice. Lucas’s shine to Meredith couldn’t have been any less than his own to Louisa.
“Are you deaf?” she interrupted, raising his hackles yet again. “Did you not hear me when I said he’d been unpardonably rude to her?”
“I heard you,” he responded through clenched teeth. “But as shocking as it is, he hasn’t stopped bloody watching the chit all night, according to Jackson, and that presents a problem.”
“You have just admitted to staring at me all evening, Hugh. Why should Lucas and Meredith be cause for concern?”
Well, she had him there. Hugh steeled himself against the wave of pleasure at hearing his name on her lips. Her distractingly plump lips, one of which she was currently nibbling.
“Because,” he croaked. “Because I have the good sense not to do anything. Lucas, well I’m not so sure about Lucas.”
She looked mightily affronted at his words. But really, did the little shrew really think he would be pleased about this inexplicable desire he had for her?
“Pity, then, that you didn’t possess the same good sense three years ago when you accosted me in your mother’s garden,” she answered with a frown he tried not to find adorable.
The reminder of their kiss, of his reaction to her, the memory of her soft, supple body pressed so firmly against his own, was enough to make Hugh want to run from the danger of her.
“Louisa.” He tried for his most reasonable tone. “Do you want your sister wedded to my brother?”
Her rather insulting gasp of horror was answer enough.
“So I thought. Now, unless you want us all to be one big happy family, you’re going to have to help me do something about it.”
He watched as yet again as myriad emotions raced across her face.
It really was a lovely face.
She didn’t deserve it, the little harpy.
“Fine,” she eventually bit out, bringing his thoughts back to the problem at hand. “I shall help you.”
CHAPTER THREE
LOUISA ROSE EXHAUSTED FROM a distinct lack of sleep the night before.
Why had she allowed Hugh Mayford to bother her so, when she had promised herself that it wouldn’t happen?
He was an arrogant cad but he was so handsome. She had known, even flirted with plenty of handsome men. Well, some. Well, one. But he hadn’t compared to Hugh, unfortunately. Worse still, he didn’t seem to possess whatever magical powers Hugh did that drew her in.
Until he’d kissed her that fateful day, Louisa had carried a healthy dose of dislike for the man, just like the one she carried for his awful brothers.
But that kiss had changed more than she liked to admit, even to herself.