The Most to Lose by Laura Landon Page B

very pleasant and you had a wonderful time?”
    “Well, yes. What more would you like me to say?”
    “Did he ask to take you driving again? Did he say he would like to call on you? Did he say when?”
    Celie tried to keep her expression emotionless as her gaze met Amanda’s. The two of them were best friends, and Amanda could read her like an open book.
    Amanda’s gaze narrowed. The sky-blue gown she wore matched the color of her eyes to perfection. Combined with her creamy, smooth complexion and the perfect curves of her body, Amanda was an absolute beauty.
    Truth be told, Celie couldn’t figure out why Amanda didn’t have to fight off suitors, although losing her best friend to matrimony wouldn’t be easy to bear. Amanda was far prettier than half the females in society. Only the glasses she was forced to wear detracted from her otherwise perfectly delicate features.
    Perhaps she wasn’t wed already because she was as expert at discouraging suitors as Celie was. More than one suitable male had asked for Amanda’s hand, but she’d always declined their offers. Fortunately, Amanda’s brother hadn’t forced her to accept anyone—yet.
    Celie considered for a moment the possibility that Amanda was perhaps in love with someone already and fled that possibility in the back of her mind. That was a question she’d have to ask her friend when they were alone.
    “Well?” Amanda asked again. “Did he say anything that might indicate his feelings?”
    “No. He simply said…” Celie paused.
    “Said what?”
    Amanda leaned closer, anxious to have Celie tell her what Jonah had said.
    “Well, we both know Lord Haywood only asked me to accompany him at the fashionable hour to gain introductions to society’s most eligible females.”
    “No,” Amanda answered, pulling her hands away from Celie’s and dropping them into her lap with a heavy sigh. “We don’t know anything of the sort. At least, I don’t know anything of the sort. It’s you who’s come to that conclusion all on your own.”
    “Because it’s true,” Celie added.
    “Well, we could argue all day on that point, but right now, I’m more interested in what Lord Haywood said.”
    Celie’s cheeks warmed and she found herself embarrassed to admit to her best friend what he’d said. “Nothing that held any significance. It’s simply that, when I saw Lady Portwood and Felicity drive toward us, I told him to stop so I could introduce him to Felicity. Felicity will, after all, come with a huge dowry, and that is exactly what Lord Haywood needs.”
    “Did he stop?”
    “No, he only greeted them with a polite nod.”
    “What did he say, Celie? Hurry, tell me,” Amanda demanded with an excited giggle.
    “He asked why he should waste time talking to the marchioness and her daughter when…”
    “When what?”
    Celie found repeating Jonah’s compliment very embarrassing.
    “What? Hurry!”
    “He said something about stopping would be a waste of time when he already had the perfect companion sitting next to him.”
    Amanda clamped her hand over her mouth and muffled a squeal of delight. “Did he say if he would be here tonight?” Amanda scanned the room in search of him.
    “No, he won’t be here. Lord Haywood is aware of Hadleigh’s love for music. Haywood knows he’s sure to be here. It was one thing for them to ignore each other’s presence at Lady Plimpton’s ball, but another altogether to have to tolerate each other in such an intimate setting.”
    “Did your brother say anything after Lady Plimpton’s ball? Everyone saw you speaking to the earl on the terrace.”
    Celie shook her head. “I expected him to fly into a rage, but he didn’t mention it. Not even at breakfast the next morning.”
    Amanda’s eyes opened wide. “And he allowed you to accompany Haywood for a drive?”
    Celie smiled, knowing she had a Cheshire cat grin on her face. “I didn’t tell him I’d accepted Haywood’s invitation, and he wasn’t home when