The Seduction of an Earl by Linda Rae Sande

moment. “Does it bother you if he does?” he asked carefully. He took two glasses of champagne from a passing footman’s tray and offered her one.
    Hannah grinned as she wrapped her fingers about the stem. “No,” she replied with a quick shake of head. “I am rather happy for him, in fact,” she said, realizing she meant it. Her father had missed her mother, his bouts of melancholy less often these days but still evident when he spent too much time alone.
    Touching his champagne glass against the rim of Hannah’s, Henry cocked an eyebrow. “To your father’s happiness then?” he offered, wondering how Hannah would react.
    She responded with a brilliant smile. “Yes!” she said before taking a sip. The bubbles danced on her tongue and continued dancing down her throat, leaving her feeling a bit giddy.
    Smiling broadly, Henry took a sip of his and let the liquid stay on his tongue as long as he could. Champagne was not something kept in the cellars at Gisborn Hall. There hadn’t been much to celebrate at the estate in many years, but perhaps with Hannah as his countess, there would be a reason to stock it. “Tell me, Lady Hannah. As the lady of Devonville House, have you had to host an entertainment such as this?” he wondered, the hand holding his champagne waving in a small arc to indicate the ball.
    Hannah shook her head. “I assisted my mother with her last ball, of course, so I know the requirements of hosting such a production, but my responsibilities to my father have been to play hostess for his dinner parties.”
    Henry seemed to think about that for a moment, his brow furrowing. “Does he host them often?”
    Smiling so her dimple appeared in her right cheek, Hannah nodded. “Every week,” she replied. She took another sip of her champagne, wondering why Gisborn would ask such a question. Was he interviewing her to determine if she had the necessary skills to be a countess? “How many do you host as an earl?” she asked before finishing off the champagne and allowing a footman to take the glass from her.
    The question caught Henry off guard. He glanced to the side quickly, his attention briefly captured by a familiar woman who had just kissed the cheek of the man who was escorting her. She hadn’t even tried to hide the kiss! And now she was angling her head against his shoulder as they made their way toward a couple near the center of the ballroom floor. “I admit, I have not had the opportunity to do so,” he answered with a shrug.
    Hannah turned to glance where the earl’s attention had been diverted a moment ago. She smiled when she recognized Elizabeth and George. “Did Lady Bostwick do something scandalous?” she asked with a teasing grin, her voice seductively quiet.
    Surprised by the question, Henry blinked. “I have not been introduced to a woman of that name,” he countered, his eyes moving back to the center of the room. Hannah’s question had him suddenly wondering if he was too staid for the ball. Was it common practice for ladies to kiss their escorts out in the open? If so, when had the rules of society changed to allow such a display of affection?
    “She is the former Lady Elizabeth Carlington. Of Lady E and Associates’ Finding Work for the Wounded. What did she do?” Hannah asked as she placed her hand on his arm and turned toward the couple, making it clear the two of them would be heading in the couple’s direction.
    Henry started walking, slowly at first. “She kissed him. She didn’t even try to hide it,” he whispered, trying not to act too scandalized.
    Hannah leaned toward him, her mouth inches from his ear. “Lady Bostwick and her husband are quite in love with one another. Prior to their union, she was a prim and proper young lady, with nary a hint of scandal associated with her. Then, she and George married,” she said with a sigh, one that did not sound as if she found fault with the union. “Ever since, Elizabeth has been quite obvious about her