Barely a Bride (Free Fellows League 1)

Alyssa was stunned. “How could I ruin your reputation?”

“No one will inquire directly, Lady Innocence. Except, perhaps, your mother. Everyone else will gossip and speculate and offer your reputation up as fodder for the latest on-dit. And when they tire of gossiping and speculating about you, they’ll want to know what I did to cause your tears. Because I was, after all, the man you were with when you shed those phantom tears. Either way, both our reputations would suffer, and that’s something I would prefer to avoid.”

Alyssa was quiet for a moment. “Unless I let it be known that I was crying tears of happiness because you proposed.”

“That might work.” Griff pursed his lips, considering her suggestion. “But, my position as an officer and a gentleman precludes my speaking to you on

such a delicate subject until I’ve spoken to your father.”

Alyssa sighed. “I suppose it’s just as well,” she told him. “Because I rarely cry, and no one who knows me well would ever believe that a marriage proposal would cause me to shed tears of happiness.” She glanced up at him from beneath her lashes, and Griff was captivated by her expression. “Do I still look as if I’ve been kissed?”

“’Fraid so,” Griff murmured, very much aware that she was in danger of being kissed again. And soon.

“Then it will have to be an accident,” she replied.

“Pardon?”

“No matter,” Alyssa tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and gave him an impish grin. “Shall we?”

Griff checked to make certain the way was clear before preceding her out of the room. He hovered near the door of the first card room, waiting until she appeared, then escorted her back into the ballroom. “If anyone says anything, I’ll tell them you felt faint and that I escorted you to the retiring room and burnt a feather to help revive you because the crush was so thick we couldn’t get to your mother.”

“Don’t worry,” Alyssa whispered. “No one will say anything.”

Griff smiled. “That’s what you think. We reek of sulfur and burnt feathers.”

“In this crowd, everyone reeks of something.” She gave him a glorious smile. “I promise, your reputation is safe with me. I’ll take care of everything. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The teasing note in her voice should have alerted him; still, Griffin was unprepared for what came next. “Lady Alyssa?”

“Oops!” Alyssa slipped the silk cord of her fan off her wrist and let it fall to the floor. It bounced off the toe of Griffin’s buckle shoe, clattered against the polished marble, then skidded to a stop inches away.

Griffin automatically bent down to retrieve it. Alyssa did the same, timing it so that they bumped heads with enough force to bring tears to her eyes.

She saw stars and bit her bottom lip so hard it drew blood.

Griff gritted his teeth against the pain. “Your fan, milady.” He handed her her silk and ivory fan, then pulled a handkerchief from his waistcoat pocket and dabbed at the spot of blood on her bottom lip. “Nicely done, milady. You managed to bring tears to both our eyes and to disguise your swollen lips—all at the same time.”

Alyssa attempted a smile. “It was the best I could do in the midst of an audience and on such short notice. Besides, now I have reason to feel faint.”

“Wellesley couldn’t have done any better,” Griff replied, rubbing his forehead. There would be a knot there tomorrow. He could feel it swelling already. Griff sat back on his heels and was just about to offer Alyssa his hand, when a pair of purple satin slippers stepped into view.

“Lady Alyssa, Lord Abernathy… Are you all right?”

Alyssa looked up to find Lady Jersey, the most acid-tongued of Almack’s patronesses, standing over them.

Griff pushed himself to his feet and helped Alyssa to hers.

“I’m fine, Lady Jersey,” Alyssa answered. “I dropped my fan, and Lord Abernathy was kind enough to retrieve it for me.” She looked the Almack’s patroness in the eye, daring her to contradict.

Lady Jersey smiled thinly. “Of course he did, my dear. That’s to be expected. Lord Abernathy is, after all, a gentleman.” She batted her eyes at Griffin.

Griff cleared his throat.

Lady Jersey smiled at him once again. “Lord Abernathy, if you’ll forgive me for taking her away from you, I’ll see that Lady Alyssa is returned to her mother. I believe Lady Tressingham is looking for her.”

Griff gave Lady Jersey his most charming smile. “Thank you, Lady Jersey, but I believe it’s my duty and my pleasure to see that Lady Alyssa is returned safely to her mother. If you’ll excuse us.” He offered Alyssa his arm.

“Thank you,” Alyssa whispered as he guided her through the crowded ballroom toward her mother.