A Taste of Seduction Read Online Free PDF Page B

arse.

Chapter 2
    A hush settled over the room until Sebastian let out a bark of laughter. Then the ladies dissolved into fits of giggles.
    Hadley felt his face heat, and he would not look at Evangeline. What made it worse was that Helen raced to his aid, offering her hand. He picked himself up and bent to see the pile of broken wood and torn fabric at his feet.
    “Are you hurt?” Helen asked urgently.
    “Only my pride.” He smiled down at her concerned face. “The chair is only good for kindling now.”
    “No one cares about the chair as long as you are unhurt,” she replied.
    Christian came and patted him on the back. “Leave that mess. What on earth made you sit on such a dainty piece of furniture in the first place?”
    Hadley glanced over at the women, all laughing behind their hands, and had to admit he must look a fool. He would have laughed too, but having Evangeline present to see him fall was mortifying.
    Christian followed his stare and lowered his voice. “I must admit, the ladies can be an intimidating bunch. I swear, inviting Lady Evangeline was none of my doing. I tried to tell Serena it was a bad idea.”
    “Very bad idea,” Hadley replied.
    The rest of the men rose, along with the ladies, who were warmly greeting Evangeline and Isobel as if they were old friends. God damn it, this smelled of Marisa’s doing. She’d asked him about Evangeline a few weeks ago, and he hadn’t even known she’d been widowed or that she was in London. Nor had Marisa even met Evangeline at that stage. Now it looked as though they were close friends.
    Evangeline tended to have that effect on people.
Until she stabbed them in the back,
he thought darkly.
    Hadley made his way to Arend’s side. “You know Serena is going to expect me to escort Evangeline in to dinner.”
    “It’s looking like they have some plan in mind. Good luck, my friend.”
    Hadley grabbed Arend’s arm. “Let me escort Isobel in to dinner.”
    “No argument from me. Isobel sets my teeth on edge.”
    “Oh, and I suspect the ladies will try and seat me near to Evangeline, so you must ensure you are sitting beside her.”
    Arend glanced across at Serena and then looked at Hadley with pity. “How are we going to stop Serena telling us whom we must escort?”
    An arm slipped through Hadley’s. “If I may impose, I’d love you to escort me in to dinner, my lord. I’m sure Arend can handle two ladies.” Helen smiled up at him reassuringly. “I told my sister this was not a good idea. I knew you would not be pleased with Lady Evangeline in attendance.”
    Not pleased? Hell would have to freeze over twice before he wanted to spend any time in Evangeline’s company.
    “Thank you, Helen, for being the sensible young lady you are. I would be honored to escort you in to dinner.” Hadley placed his hand over hers where it rested on his arm.
    Dinner was called, and before Serena could direct partners, Helen announced that Hadley was escorting her in, and that Arend would be delighted to escort both Lady Evangeline and Lady Isobel.
    With that, Helen allowed him to lead her into the dining room. He took the seat on her left, at the end of the table, so that only Helen sat beside him. Christian would be at the head of the table, on his other side.
    It took all of a few minutes for Hadley to understand he’d made an enormously stupid mistake: Evangeline took the chair opposite his.
    At least if she had been sitting beside him he wouldn’t have had to look at her.
This must be what hell was like,
he fumed.
    “Good evening, my lord. After your, ah, accident with your tiny chair, I never got an opportunity to greet you.”
    Like a man lost in the desert under blazing sun, his tongue seemed to have swelled in his throat.
    A smile that would dazzle a blind man spread over her face at his lack of response. “Is this how you greet an old friend?”
    “We were never friends.” As soon as the bitter words left his mouth he cursed under his breath; he’d