"You're doing it again," Rhone announced, nudging Lyon 's arm to gain his attention.
"Doing what?"
"Frowning all the ladies out of the room."
"It's good to know I've still got the ability," Lyon drawled.
Rhone shook his head. "Well, are you going to frown all night?"
"Probably."
"Your lack of enthusiasm is appalling. I'm in a wonderful mood. The new season always stirs my blood. Your sister must also be eager for all the adventures," he added. "Lord, it's difficult to believe the little brat has finally grown up."
"Diana is excited," Lyon admitted. "She's old enough to start looking for a husband."
"Is she still… spontaneous? It's been over a year now since I last saw her."
Lyon smiled over Rhone 's inept description of his sister's conduct. "If you mean to ask me if she still charges into situations without showing the least amount of restraint, then yes, she's still spontaneous."
Rhone nodded. He looked around the room, then let out a sigh. "Just think of it. A fresh crop of beautiful ladies waiting to be sampled. In truth, I thought their mamas would have made them stay home, what with Jack and his band of robbers still on the prowl."
"I heard the thieves visited Wellingham last week," Lyon commented.
"Caused quite a stir," Rhone interjected with a true grin. "Lady Wellingham took to her bed after making the vow she wasn't going to get up until her emeralds were recovered. An odd reaction, to my way of thinking, when you consider how much thieving her husband does at the gambling tables. The man's a flagrant cheat."
"I understand Jack only robbed the Wellinghams. Is it true he left the guests alone?"
Rhone nodded. "Yes. The man obviously was in a hurry."
"Seems to me he's aching to get caught," Lyon said.
"I don't agree," Rhone answered. "Thus far, he's only stolen from those who I think needed a good set down. I actually admire the man."
When Lyon gave him a puzzling look, Rhone hastened to change the topic. "The ladies would approach us if you'd smile. Then you might begin to enjoy yourself."
"I think you've finally lost your mind. How can you pretend to enjoy this farce?"
"There are those who think you've lost your mind, Lyon. It's a fact you've been secluded from the ton too long."
"And it's a fact you've endured one too many seasons," Lyon answered. "Your mind has turned to mush."
"Nonsense. My mind turned to mush years ago when we drank sour gin in school together. I really do enjoy myself, though. You would, too, if you'd only remember this is all just a game."
"I don't play games," Lyon said. "And war is a better description for this scene."
Rhone laughed, loud enough to draw curious stares. "Tell me this, friend. Are we pitted against the ladies, then?"
"We are."
"And what is their quest? What do they hope to gain if they conquer us?"
"Marriage, of course."
"Ah," Rhone replied, dragging out the sound. "I suppose they use their bodies as their weapons. Is it their battle plan to make us so glazed with lust we'll offer anything?"
"It's all they have to offer," Lyon answered.
"Good Lord, you are as jaded as everyone says. I worry that your attitude will rub off on me."
Rhone shuddered as he spoke, but the effect was ruined by his grin.
"You don't appear to be too concerned," Lyon remarked dryly.
"These ladies are only after marriage, not our lives," Rhone said. "You don't have to play the game if you don't want to. Besides, I'm only an insignificant earl. You, on the other hand, must certainly marry again if the line is to continue forward."
"You know damn well I'm never going to marry again."
Lyon answered. His voice had turned as hard as the marble he was leaning against. "Drop this subject, Rhone. I've no sense of humor when it comes to the issue of marriage."
"You've no sense of humor at all," Rhone pronounced in such a cheerful tone of voice Lyon couldn't help but grin.
Rhone was about to continue his list of Lyon 's other faults when a rather attractive redheaded lady happened to catch his concentration. He gave her his full attention until he spotted Lyon 's little sister making her way over to them.
"Better get rid of your frown," Rhone advised. "Diana's coming over. Lord, she just elbowed the Countess Seringham."
Lyon sighed, then forced a smile.
When Diana came to an abrupt stop in front of her brother, her short-cropped brown curls continued to float around her cherublike face. Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement. "Oh, Lyon, I'm so happy to see you smiling. Why, I do believe you're enjoying yourself."
She didn't wait for her brother to reply to her observation but turned to curtsy in front of Rhone. "It's so good to see you again," she said, sounding quite breathless.
Rhone inclined his head in greeting.
"Isn't it remarkable I was able to plead Lyon into coming this evening? He really doesn't like parties very much, Rhone."
"He doesn't?" Rhone asked, sounding so disbelieving Lyon actually laughed.
"Don't jest with her," Lyon said. "Are you enjoying yourself, Diana?" he asked his sister.
"Oh, yes," Diana answered. "Mama will be pleased. I do hope she's still awake when we get home so I can tell her all about tonight. I've just learned Princess Christina will be making an appearance, too. I confess I'm most curious to meet her. Why, I've heard the most wonderful stories about her."
"Who is Princess Christina?" Lyon asked.
It was Rhone who hastened to answer his question. "You've been secluded too long, Lyon, or you surely would have heard of her. Though I haven't actually met the lady, I've been told she's very beautiful. There's an air of mystery surrounding her, too. Her father was ruler of some little principality near Austria 's border. He was unseated during a rather nasty revolution," Rhone continued. "Lady Christina, if we use the title she gained from her mother, has traveled all over the world. Brummel met her and was immediately infatuated. He was the first to call her Princess. The woman neither accepted nor rejected that title."
"What happened to her mother?" Diana asked.
She looked quite spellbound by the story about the princess. Rhone smiled at her eagerness. "A tragedy, I'm told. The mother was weakheaded, and she-"
"What do you mean by weakheaded?" Diana interrupted to ask.
"Insane," Rhone explained. "When the mother learned she was going to have a child, she ran off. Until three months ago, everyone believed both mother and babe were dead."
"What happened to Princess Christina's father?" Diana asked.
"He left England shortly after his wife disappeared. No one has heard of him since. Probably dead by now," Rhone ended with a shrug.
"Oh, the poor Princess," Diana whispered. "Does she have anyone to call family now, or is she all alone?"
"For God's sake, Diana, you don't even know the woman and you look ready to weep for her," Lyon said.
"Well, it is such a sad story," Diana said, defending herself. She turned back to Rhone and added, "I remember how unbearable it was for all of us when James died. Mother still hasn't recovered. She stays hidden in her room pretending all sorts of ills, when it's truly grief that keeps her there."
Rhone took one look at Lyon 's cold expression and immediately hastened to turn the topic around. "Yes, well, we all miss James," he lied, his tone brisk. "I'm anxious to meet Princess Christina, too, Diana. No one has been able to glean a scrap of information about her past. That does make for a mystery to be solved, now doesn't it?"
When Rhone gave Diana a wink, she blushed. Lyon 's sister was still such an innocent. She was fetching enough, too, now that Rhone paused to really take a good look at her. Diana had filled out nicely since he'd last seen her. That realization actually irritated Rhone, though for the life of him he couldn't understand why. "Brat," he suddenly blurted out, "you do look pretty tonight." Rhone grimaced over the roughness he'd heard in his own voice.
Diana didn't seem to notice. She smiled over his compliment, affected another curtsy, and said, "Thank you, Rhone. It is kind of you to notice."
Rhone frowned at Lyon. "Her gown is cut entirely too low. What could you have been thinking of to allow her in public this way? You'd better keep a close eye on her."
"If I keep my eye on you, Diana will be safe enough," Lyon answered.
"All the same, I really think…" The sentence trailed off, for Rhone had just glanced toward the entrance of the salon. He let out a low whistle. Diana quickly turned around to see what held Rhone so enthralled.
"Princess Christina." Diana whispered the obvious, her voice filled with awe.
Lyon was the last to react. When he saw the vision standing across the room, he literally jerked away from the mantel. His body instinctively assumed a battle stance, his muscles tensed, ready.
He was slow to regain control. He realized his hands were actually fisted at his sides and his legs were braced apart for a fight, and he forced himself to relax. The abrupt movement made his knee start throbbing again. Lyon couldn't do anything about the pain now, or the furious pounding in his chest.