A Risk Worth Taking by Laura Landon

gaze with Anne’s and nodded in greeting. “If I had known you had such pleasant company, I would have come earlier.”
    “Good afternoon, Mr. Blackmoor. Would you care to sit?” She moved her skirt to make room for him.
    “Yes. Unfortunately, I am not as strong as I thought. I have been…ill.”
    “Yes. Lord Covington told me you were stricken with an ailment after we arrived. Traveling can sometimes do that. I hope you are much improved.”
    “Yes. I’m much better now.” He sank down on the stone bench and breathed a shaky sigh. “Have you settled in adequately?”
    “Yes.” She tried to ignore how his nearness warmed her flesh through all the layers of her clothing, but failed. “Lord and Lady Covington have been most generous. They have been the perfect hosts. Yesterday I met the earl’s three sons. They were all perfect gentlemen.”
    “I am looking forward to seeing them.” He smiled. “Let’s see. Simon should be nearly six months old now, right?”
    “He will be a year in six weeks’ time,” Adam answered.
    “I see.”
    Anne wanted to take Griff’s hand in hers and hold it like she’d done before. She wanted to comfort him and tell him he would be all right, that in a few days he would be better and would learn all the events that had happened while he was not sober. But she couldn’t. She’d learned from her father that tomorrow might be exactly like last week, and the day after like all the others before them, and he would never be sober again.
    “Patience and I will be taking Lady Anne to an outdoor tea this afternoon, hosted by the Duchess of Wallingsford. It should be quite the affair. Lady Anne will find it quite interesting.”
    “Are you looking forward to it?” Griff asked, his gaze riveted on hers.
    A warm rush swirled through her body. She wished he would not look at her like that. Having him so near did strange things to her.
If only I hadn’t touched him. Held him.
    “That is the reason I came to London.”
    “There is no rush,” he reminded her. “You came to find a man who would suit you. Not to marry the first man to offer for you.”
    She lowered her gaze. “I am quite aware of what I must do. My requirements are not that difficult.”
    Mr. Blackmoor frowned. “Adam, perhaps you could make a list of the nobility in attendance and we can peruse it when you return. That way we can eliminate anyone unsuitable and save Lady Anne a great deal of wasted effort.”
    Lord Covington smiled. “You make it sound like we’re hiring someone to fill a post, Griff. Perhaps we should let Lady Anne decide if anyone she meets intrigues her. Or better yet, perhaps we should let her enjoy her first London gathering without added pressure.”
    Blackmoor’s shoulders stiffened and he dragged his hand over his jaw. “I only thought we might save Lady Anne from making a huge mistake if we warn her in advance of any suitor she should not consider.”
    She felt the heat rush to her cheeks. “I know your concern. You take your promise to Freddie very seriously.”
    “Yes, and that is why—”
    “You don’t need to concern yourself,” she interrupted, “that I will make any rash decisions. No one is likely to offer for me today, and if they do, I promise I’ll refuse them.” She rose from the bench. “Now, if you gentlemenwill excuse me. I think it’s time to get ready for Lady Wallingsford’s tea.”
    She followed the garden path back to the terrace that opened off the drawing room. Her face burned with embarrassment. Discussing her purpose for being here was more humiliating than anything she’d ever done. Especially with a man whose nearness caused her heart to race.
    Picking out a husband should be no different than picking out an already-made gown from the seamstress’s rack. But she knew that if she did not like the husband she picked out, she could not return him like she could a gown.
    She didn’t doubt that choosing a husband would be an easy task. She had few