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Pleasure, however, required no apology.
George had always appreciated that about Aphrodite. He exchanged greetings with familiar faces while searching for several particular friends. He had hoped Sebastian might be here tonight, though the likelihood seemed remote. Sebastian, Earl of Raine, had become disgustingly unreliable since marrying last year.
George almost smiled.
Once, he could depend upon Raine for an evening of cards, chess, brandy, or whatever amusement presented itself. Now the man was madly in love with his wife and apparently preferred remaining at home with her to nearly every diversion London offered.
Madly in love.
George snorted beneath his breath.
That was an affliction he hoped never to contract. As far as he could determine, love differed little from an addiction to gambling or opium. All three persuaded otherwise intelligent men to surrender reason in pursuit of another intoxicating taste, and somehow convinced them that losing their good sense was worth celebrating. Thomas, Viscount Caldwell, once a man of reasonable self-command, had challenged another gentleman to a bloody duel in the name of love.
A duel.
George shook his head. Give a man enough brandy, and he might lose an evening. Give him a gaming table, and he might lose a fortune. Apparently, give him love, and he might cheerfully invite another man to put a ball through his chest.
Utter madness.
George much preferred pleasure without delusion. He continued toward the grand ballroom, hoping to discover whether any of his friends had escaped the domestic habits seemingly infecting them one by one. Before he reached it, however, a woman glided deliberately into his path. An elegant mask concealed her face, but George recognized Lady Victoria Bramwell almost immediately.
Now this was unexpected.
George’s interest sharpened. He had never encountered the viscountess at Aphrodite before, though he had spent the past fortnight engaged in a leisurely campaign of seduction. Victoria was a beautiful young widow whose experience and freedom allowed her to appreciate his attentions without mistaking them for an offer of marriage.
He had been careful never to ask her to dance at the respectable balls where they met, lest society interpret his interest as courtship. Instead, he had flirted shamelessly, murmuring provocations that brought a lovely flush to her cheeks and occasionally drawing her onto secluded terraces where their conversations could become considerably less respectable.
Victoria had understood his intentions perfectly and responded with an alluring confidence, matching his provocations without coyness or false modesty. She knew the power of her beauty and retreated only when she chose, a game George had thoroughly enjoyed.
“Well,” he murmured. “This is a delightful surprise.”
Her lips curved beneath the edge of her mask. “Is it?”
“Very much so. I had begun to suspect you enjoyed making me work for my pleasures.”
A light laugh escaped her as she stepped closer to him. “Perhaps I do.”
“Cruel woman.”
Her smile deepened. “You do not appear particularly wounded, my lord.”
“I suffer with admirable dignity,” he said drolly.
She laughed softly, peering coyly over her unfurled fan. It was a familiar flirtation George had expected to enjoy, yet he found himself strangely indifferent. Earlier, however, bantering with the woman who had trespassed into his home had stirred an interest he could scarcely explain. Miss Maubry’s dark chocolate-brown eyes rose unbidden in his thoughts, along with the intriguing gleam he had glimpsed in them when she seemed unable to decide whether he amused or appalled her.
Why the devil is she still in my head?
Victoria’s brows drew together in a frown. “You seem distracted.”
George raked his fingers through his hair, firmly pushing away thoughts of Miss Maubry. She had no business occupying his thoughts beyond what he chose to allow, and he certainly had no intention of permitting her to intrude upon his evening.
“I am present now,” he said mildly.
“You might have offered me some sweet flattery instead of confirming that I had failed to hold your attention.”
Mild amusement stirred inside him. “I do not care for dishonesty in my friendships, and whatever distracted me for a moment had nothing to do with you.”
Her gaze searched his face for several moments before a rather sultry smile curved her mouth. “Is that what we are? Friends?”
