The Mad Lord's Daughter by Jane Goodger Page B

he glanced up to see what was so completely appealing that she didn’t seem to be able to tear her eyes away from it. Yes, it was rather pretty, but his eyes moved down to watch her. She was beautiful tonight, with her chin uptilted, her eyes sparkling with excitement. In the box next to them, he could see young Lord Waddington craning his neck to get a better look at her. Waddington was a fool and likely already half besotted with Melissa. From the look on his silly face, John had no doubt of that fact. He stepped between the awkward young man and Melissa and frowned his disapproval. The young man had the good grace to blush and move hastily back, and John sighed. This business of introducing Melissa to society was going to be rife with danger. She had the kind of face and form that would attract all sorts of men—from the perfectly respectable, to the perfectfools, like Waddington there. He wished his father would simply arrange something for the girl and be done with it. The only problem he could think of was he couldn’t think of a single person who would suit. He’d made a list earlier, when he’d first met the girl, and had come up with all sorts of prospects. But now, as he considered the vast majority of the men he’d thought appropriate, he rejected them out of hand.
    He had to get to know her better, he realized. She wasn’t the shy, introverted girl he’d first thought her, a biddable female who was naïve as well as innocent. No, she was braver than half the men he knew. He watched her now, her lively eyes taking in a world she couldn’t have even imagined a few weeks ago. Everything was glorious and new to her, he realized. She’d never been to a ball. She’d never danced with a man other than her own father.
    She’d never been kissed.
    John tore his eyes away from her delicious little mouth, not liking where his thoughts had veered off to of their own volition. He shouldn’t be thinking about anything except finding a suitable husband for her. He certainly shouldn’t be thinking about her mouth or any other parts. On that thought, his eyes drifted slightly downward, and his mouth went slightly dry as his gaze rested on her rounded breasts, straining against her gown as she leaned forward to watch others arriving in their boxes.
    “Don’t fall,” he said, sounding irritable. She simply smiled at him.
    “You don’t need to hover over me, you know. I’m perfectly fine,” she said, but moved back a bit to mollify him. He grumbled beneath his breath and sat down just as Lord Braddock and Miss Stanhope stepped into the box.
    “Oh, look, my brother is here with my niece,” Miss Stanhope said, her face lighting up. She was one of those women who looked rather plain until she smiled. Her smile really did create a remarkable transformation, and John followed her gaze to a booth that was nearly across from them.
    “Your niece is the new Duchess of Kingston?” he asked, his interest piqued. He knew none of the details, but there had been a bit of a scandal involving the duchess and her husband. Something about the new duke’s being the rightful heir after years of being abandoned by the old duke.
    “Your niece married a duke?” Melissa said, her voice giving away her awe that she was sitting next to someone who was related to such an important member of the ton.
    “Yes, indeed,” Miss Stanhope said. “A true love match.”
    Melissa immediately glanced at John with a knowing look.
    “And how long have they been married, Miss Stanhope?” John inquired politely.
    “Oh, they are very much newlyweds. It’s only been weeks.”
    John allowed a smug smile to cross his features before turning his attention to his father. “Melissa wants a love match, Father. Do you have any possibilities? I was thinking of Lord Waddington. He’s in the box next to us and already looks quite smitten.”
    “Lord Waddington?” Melissa asked with sudden, and exaggerated interest. “Someone has fallen in love with