The Husband Hunt (Madison Sisters 3)

Lisa nodded and began to work the soap into a lather, a small smile playing about her lips. She hadn't missed Robert's reaction to her on entering the breakfast room that morning. The man's eyes had practically been on fire as they'd scraped over her. Until that moment she truly had given up on him, but after that reaction . . . well, it just seemed to her that perhaps he wasn't as immune as he pretended. So, she was redoubling her efforts, only she was changing tactics. By the time she was done with making herself over, there would be no way the man would be able to see her as anything like a child again.

Lisa wasn't naive enough to think that would be enough to move him to claim her though. She was going to take a page out of that story about Lady Silvia and Lord James and use other men to drive Robert wild with jealousy. If that didn't work . . . well, she would give up on him then. But she would try this first. Which probably meant she was an idiot. She should really give up on the man, if for pride's sake only. After all he'd been pretty insulting with that comment about being loose and he wasn't exactly being nice to her at the moment. However, it was the first time he'd ever been anything close to rude to her and she had known him her whole life. She was willing to put it down to his present confusion. At least she hoped it was.

"Right, so I'll get some men on this right away. Have them question everyone they can find at the docks here in London and then move further out to the coastal towns. We'll figure out where she sailed from and where the ship was headed to and then go after her. "

"Good, good," Robert muttered, nodding at Mr. Smithe, the Bow Street runner he'd arranged to meet with today. He was supposed to be the best in the business and his price reflected that, but Robert felt it was worth it if it meant sorting this mess out and letting him get back to his own townhouse and his nice peaceful life. A life where Lisa Madison wasn't prancing around in low-cut gowns while flirting with every man who walked through the damned door of Radnor.

His eyes shifted to the office door as a burst of laughter came muffled from the hall. Another suitor arriving, he supposed with irritation. Five had already gotten here before Mr. Smithe arrived for his appointment. But they just kept coming . . . and none of them appeared to want to leave despite the arrival of the next. "Keep me posted," Robert growled, forcing his attention back to Smithe. "And try to track Mrs. Morgan down as quickly as you can. "

"Of course. " Mr. Smithe nodded his graying brown head and then tilted his head and asked, "Do you need a couple of men stationed here to help keep an eye on the gel until we sort this out?"

Robert sighed at the suggestion. It was what he would have liked, but with Christiana with child . . . "No," he said finally. "That's taken care of. Just find Morgan and sort out who the suitor is. "

"Right. " Smithe nodded and stood. "It's a bad business this. Keep an eye on the gel. "

"I plan to," Robert assured him, moving around Richard's desk to walk the man to the door. "She will not be left on her own until this business is sorted. "

"Good. I'll set things in motion then," Smithe said as they walked out into the hall.

Robert merely nodded, his gaze seeking the parlor door where Lisa and her callers were all having tea. It had gone quiet after that earlier burst of laughter, and he wondered with a frown what they we

re doing in there, but he turned his attention back to Smithe, murmuring a few more instructions as he led him to the door and saw him out.

He closed the door behind the man a moment later with a little sigh and took a minute to rub his face wearily. He didn't really want to go back into the parlor. Watching the other men compliment and court Lisa while she beamed smiles and fawned over them all was just . . . well, it was annoying as hell. Nauseating even. However, he was here to keep an eye on her and keep her safe, so he had no choice.

Straightening his shoulders, Robert forced a pleasant expression to his face and headed for the parlor. The expression froze, however, when he pushed the door open and found the room empty. For one moment, he simply stood there, and then he turned from the door with a bellow for Handers.

The butler appeared at once, pushing out of the kitchen door and heading up the hall toward him at the highest speed a good butler ever dared use, a dignified walk. Growling impatiently, Robert strode to meet him, asking, "Where are they?"

"If you are referring to Miss Lisa and her guests, I believe they have gone to the park so that Lord Findlay and Lord Pembroke could prove who had the faster phaeton," the man answered calmly. Robert stared at him silently for a moment with disbelief, and then whirled on his heel and headed for the front door. His mind wasn't silent however. It was having a good old rant. Here he was giving up his bed for a guest room in the Radnor townhouse to look after her, and what did she do? She rushed off to the park with a gaggle of lords, any one of whom could be the mysterious suitor who had planned to kidnap and have his way with her.

Had she gone mad? Because the Lisa Madison he knew and had grown up being chased about by would never be this stupid and reckless. Did she want to be kidnapped and ravished? Was she so devastated by his seeing her as only a little sister that she would risk herself this way? He would wring her beautiful little neck when he found her.

"Bravo!" Lisa yelled, jumping up and clapping her hands as the phaeton she rode in left the open path and was first to the agreedupon finishing line. They had won the race. Well, Charles had, she acknowledged with a laugh. She had just been lucky enough to ride along for the race, Lisa supposed, and turned to grin down at the man at the reins.

Findlay chuckled at her enthusiasm, but switched the reins to one hand and raised his other to catch her arm and steady her. "While I am happy you are happy, Miss Madison, you should really sit down. I would not want you to catapult out of the carriage when we slow down. "

"Call me Lisa," she said on a laugh, dropping back to sit beside him. She then hugged him excitedly. "You showed Pembroke, Lord Findlay. Beat him by at least three carriage lengths. Well done, my lord!"

"Call me Charles," he murmured by her ear, his arm slipping around her waist to prolong what she'd intended to be a quick congratulatory hug.

Lisa hesitated, very aware that they were now on a much more secluded path leading through the woods. She eased back and smiled up at him crookedly. "Charles, then. But we should turn back. The others will wonder where we have got to. "

She glanced over his shoulder then, wondering where Pembroke's carriage was. He had been three lengths behind them when Charles had raced the phaeton into the trees, the end point for this race. But his phaeton was nowhere to be seen now. Actually, there was no one on the path. They were quite alone, she realized as he began to slow the phaeton.

"I will turn around at the first opportunity," Charles assured her, removing his arm as she eased from his embrace to sit beside him more properly. "There is a small turnaround ahead on the right that we can use. "

Lisa nodded, trying not to look nervous. Surely Findlay wasn't the suitor. He was far too handsome and refined to need to kidnap young women. Besides, even if he was, he wouldn't be foolish enough to simply ride off with her now. Everyone would know he had taken her. Bet, Lord Pembroke, Lord Tibald and two other gentlemen all knew where she was, or at least who she was with.

"Here we are," Charles murmured, distracting her from her thoughts and she glanced around to see that he was turning them into a small roundabout in a clearing.

"Oh, it's lovely," Lisa cried, her gaze sliding over the small field of purple flowers bordering the roundabout.

"Yes, it is," he agreed, slowing to a halt halfway around. "What kind of flowers do you think they are?" she asked leaning to the side to get a better look.

"I have no idea. I'm afraid I have little to no knowledge of flowers," he said apologetically shifting behind her to look as well. He was close enough his breath brushed her cheek as he added, "But they are lovely. They match your gown. Would you like some?"

Lisa glanced down to the lavender gown she'd changed into after her bath and smiled as she said with surprise, "They are the same color, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are," he said simply, and then asked, "Shall I pick some for you as a remembrance of our win?"

She grinned at the suggestion and nodded. "Yes, please. That would be lovely. I shall put them in a vase in my room and think of you every time I look at them. "

"Then you must have them," Charles said firmly, and set aside the reins to disembark. When Lisa stood up to follow, he waved her back. "You wait there. It's a bit muddy and you'll ruin your shoes. I won't be a minute. "

Lisa sank back in the phaeton with a little sigh of pleasure. Really, this was very nice. It was a rare sunny day and she had enjoyed the race. She'd also enjoyed having men vying for her attention all afternoon, and watching Robert's irritation with it all until his appointment with the runner had intervened. At least she suspected that's who the man had been. She'd caught a glimpse of Handers leading a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair to the office and then Robert had disappeared in there with him. It wasn't long after that the men had begun to argue good-naturedly about who had the fastest phaeton and horse, and . . . well, some little devil in her had made her suggest a race to settle the matter. Everyone had been eager to agree and off they'd gone.

Of course, Lisa knew Robert would be furious, but then that was half the fun. She'd decided that his anger with her last night had been mostly jealousy. The man might claim that he had only big brotherly feelings for her, but he had never in his life said anything unkind to her before last night. Even as a child. So, she had some hope that his anger at the ball had been because of jealousy. If it was and there was a chance for them still, fine. If not . . . well . . . there were half a dozen handsome, seemingly nice men paying her a great deal of attention right now. She felt good. She felt like she had choices for a change. And it was nice.

"Here you are. "

Lisa turned to see Findlay approaching with a bouquet of the beautiful purple flowers in hand. Smiling, she leaned over the side to accept them and then paused to glance at him with surprise when he didn't release them at once. His expression was solemn, his eyes on her mouth, and she wasn't terribly surprised when he moved closer and raised his face toward hers. He was going to kiss her.

The thought went through her head, chased by the sound of a rhythmic pounding she recognized as hoofbeats. Charles's lips had just brushed against hers when the sound exploded into the clearing. Both of them immediately drew apart and turned to see who had arrived.

It was a very harried and irate-looking Robert on horseback and Lisa didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She was really becoming quite curious to enjoy her first kiss, but Robert did seem to keep interrupting Charles's attempts to give it to her. On the other hand, she might just want that first kiss to be with Robert anyway. She just wasn't sure yet.

"Lisa, you - I cannot believe - this is - " Apparently at a loss for words, Robert drew himself up short, and just glared at her. Lisa bit her lip to keep from laughing at his sour look. Glancing to Charles, she said apologetically, "Perhaps it's time we returned to the others. "

"Home," Robert growled. "The townhouse. "

"Oh, but - "

"It's growing late and you'll want to prepare for the Hammonds

' ball," he said firmly.

"Ah, yes, the Hammonds' ball," Charles murmured, drawing her gaze to him again. "Don't forget you promised to save me a waltz, and a quadrille. "

Lisa relaxed and smiled. "Yes, of course. "

He smiled in return, pressed the flowers into her hand and then moved silently around the carriage to get back in. Lisa glanced over her shoulder as the phaeton moved forward again. Robert was directly behind them, his back straight, expression grim, and eyes burning.

"Langley appears to be quite concerned with your well-being. "

Lisa glanced to Charles at that comment and grimaced slightly. "He's just protective. We grew up together and he thinks of me as a little sister. "

"Little sister?" Findlay asked, glancing her way and allowing his eyes to slide over her in her newly de-ruffled lavender gown. "I find that hard to believe. "

"Thank you," she said on a laugh.

Charles smiled slightly, but added, "Still, he seems . . . his interest appears almost overdone for just a family friend," he ended delicately.

Lisa glanced away. She would have to point out to Robert that he would give people ideas with his behavior were he not careful. Aloud she said, "Oh well, my brother-in-law, Lord Radnor, asked Robert to help keep an eye on me while I am in town. I fear they worry that having grown up in the country I may not be aware of all the dangers and pitfalls of the city. "

"Hmm," Charles murmured, and then glanced to her, his eyes dropping to her decolletage and back. "Then I shall be happy to help keep an eye on you too. "

"My lord, I suspect you are one of the possible pitfalls," Lisa said with a laugh, and he offered a sad moue.

"Oh, now you wound me, Miss Madison. I have been a complete gentleman. "

"So far," she agreed with amusement.

"So far," he allowed. "And I promise I shall remain so in your presence . . . for the most part at least," he added wryly and then explained, "Eventually, I will manage that kiss I have been trying to claim. "

Lisa merely smiled faintly, wondering if it would be too forward to admit she was looking forward to it. Her first kiss. She had always planned and hoped that Robert would be her first kiss.

However, it looked as if that wasn't going to happen. That being the case, she supposed she would just have to suffer and accept a kiss from the very handsome Lord Findlay instead. It didn't seem like much of a trial at that point. While her interest was primarily in Robert, he wasn't behaving very nicely, while Lord Findlay was being an absolute dear. Complimenting her, dancing with her, picking her flowers . . . And at least he wanted to kiss her. Which made a nice change from Robert's constant claims that he thought of her as nothing more than a sister.