Twice the Temptation by Suzanne Enoch Page A

know quite well what Mama wants for me.”
    Surreptitiously Doretta crossed her fingers and turned a circle. Evangeline pretended not to notice—protection against even an imagined curse couldn’t hurt.
    The grandfather clock on the landing showed five minutes of eight as they descended the stairs. She wondered again why, precisely, Lord Rawley still wanted to provide her an escort tonight. As she recalled, the last thing she’d said to him had been “go away,” or something very close to that.
    If he meant to take the opportunity to tease her again for having a plan to secure her future, she would box his ears. Or she would bring up again the fact that they’d met because he’d been drunk and had fallen on her. If anyone deserved to be laughed at, it was him.
    As she reached the foyer, someone rapped at the front door. Her heart skittered—which annoyed her. Yes, his kiss had been the devil’s inspiration for thinking up sin, but he had nothing else in his favor at all.
    Clifford pulled open the door. “Good evening, my lord,” he said, bowing as he backed out of the doorway.
    â€œGood evening,” Connoll’s low drawl returned, and then the man himself stepped into the foyer.
    â€œGood—” Evangeline’s jaw dropped as she looked at him.
    â€œI assume you’re speechless in admiration,” he said, brushing at the powder-blue sleeve of his coat. “It is what you requested.”
    â€œBut…but you said no,” she stammered. With light gray pants tucked into polished Hessian boots and a blue-thread paisley pattern on his cream-colored waistcoat, he looked like a dandy—a muscular, slightly dangerous one, but in those colors he couldn’t be anythingelse. The colors did have the effect of making his eyes look the deep blue of the top of the sky at noon; in fact, she could barely tear her gaze from his long enough to take in the rest of him.
    â€œI’ve decided that doing as you request is more pleasant than arguing,” he said easily.
    Her mother stepped out of the sitting room. “My,” she said after a moment. “The two of you look very well together.”
    â€œIt was Evangeline’s idea,” Connoll replied. “She asked me to wear a coat that complemented her gown.” He smiled. “May I say, my lady,” he continued, “that necklace is exquisite.”
    The viscountess lowered her lashes, one hand fluttering up to touch the diamond. “Thank you, Lord Rawley. It’s a family piece.” After a glance about the small foyer, she gestured at the butler. “Go fetch Lord Munroe,” she instructed, “and tell him that if he isn’t prompt, we will leave without him.”
    Evangeline wiped the surprised, suspicious scowl off her face to look at Connoll. Rather than making a cynical comment about how much mother and daughter now resembled one another, however, he was looking at his reflection in the hall mirror. As she watched, he fluffed up one side of his cravat. As blue eyes caught hers in the mirror’s reflection, his smile deepened.
    â€œWhat?” she whispered, strolling up behind him.
    â€œYou look lovely,” he returned. “I’m glad to be a planet orbiting in the light of your sun.”
    â€œMm-hm.”
    Before she could comment further on that nonsense, her father appeared, hurrying down the stairs with Clifford on his heels. “My apologies, my love,” he said. “I was reading, and lost track of the time.”
    The viscountess gave him a dismissive look and turned for the entry. With the butler still halfway up the stairs, Connoll moved in to open the front door for her. As much as he’d meant to surprise Gilly tonight with his wardrobe and his cooperation, she’d surprised him, as well. He’d only gotten a glimpse of the diamond necklace the other night, but he recognized it—and he recognized that it was the