As Luck Would Have It by Alissa Johnson

one. Will you attend the opera with me this Saturday?”
    “I…that’s a personal question.”
    “So it is,” Alex remarked, “but it stands.”
    She floundered for a moment, looking about the room as if help might be on the way. “Well, I…well, I suppose I might be agreeable, if…if you’ll answer a question for me.”
    “Ask away,” he invited, intrigued.
    She cleared her throat nervously. “The thing is…wellearlier, you said I…” She cleared her throat again. “Before, when we were…you mentioned…”
    “Out with it.”
    “Was I really in your lap?”
    Alex was still laughing when he collected his coat to leave. He was to meet Whit at White’s in a half hour. All things considered, it was turning out to be a much more enjoyable evening than he had anticipated.
    “Rockeforte!”
    Alex felt his muscles tense unpleasantly at the sound of Loudor’s voice, but he hid his displeasure with a nod. “Loudor.”
    “Didn’t expect to see you here. I wasn’t aware you were friends with the viscount.”
    Alex began putting his arms through his coat. “I am not, but I’ve been hearing intriguing things about the man recently. I thought perhaps an association might be overdue.”
    “Indeed! And what is your opinion now that you’ve had a chance to better your acquaintance?”
    Alex would have bet that the viscount had broken all Ten Commandments at least once, and probably indulged in the seven deadly sins on a regular basis.
    “I can understand why you count him as your friend.”
    “Excellent, excellent,” Loudor declared, as if bestowing congratulations. “And you’re quite right, of course. He is a man of rare abilities.”
    “Hmm,” was the best Alex could offer.
    “Speaking of rarities, what do you make of my fair cousin?”
    Alex followed Loudor’s gaze to rest on Sophie, standing at the far end of the room, and once more laughing with Mirabelle.
    “She is a charming girl.” That, at least, was not a lie.
    “She is, and not at all unpleasant to look at. Shame we’re so closely related, she’s the most refreshing views on marriage.”
    “Is that so?” Alex heard the edge to his voice, but apparently Loudor did not because the man was still babbling like an idiot.
    “Quite refreshing. Suppose it’s an effect of all those years in exotic countries, but she’s quite managed to escape becoming a prim and proper British miss. None of this silly marriage business for her, you know. Told me so herself. She wants only to enjoy herself while in London.”
    Good Lord, the man was encouraging him to have a dalliance with his cousin. Alex wasn’t deluded enough to deny he’d like nothing better, but anyone could see Sophie Everton was an innocent. Certainly, she was considerably more plainspoken than most gently bred women of his acquaintance and perhaps a little more liberal in her politics, but clearly she wasn’t in the habit of “enjoying herself.” Any reasonably intelligent man who spent more than a few minutes in her company would know she was untouched, and Alex made a point to never dally with virgins. There were rules about that sort of thing.
    Was Loudor going about telling every male in the room that Sophie was interested in a liaison? Alex felt an uncomfortable combination of jealousy, anger, and revulsion. There was nothing he would have liked better, in that moment, than to drag Loudor to an empty room and pummel him until he spilled the name of every rake, bounder, and libertine he had spoken with. Then pummel him again just on principle. Sadly, there were rules about that sort of thing too.
    Alex took a moment to leash his anger before turning his best rakish grin on Loudor. “Freshness is all well and good, but what I require in a woman is fidelity. I don’t share.”
    “Ah, I am in full agreement. Believe we understand each other, Rockeforte.”
    Alex pictured his hands around Loudor’s neck. He smiled at the image, and nodded.
    Loudor finished off his drink and