A Secret Affair by Valerie Bowman Page A

she should be and I question Sir Stuart’s devotion. Do it for me, won’t you? Don’t worry. I’ll present you with the perfect opportunity. You merely have to take it.” She smiled at him brightly. “Now, don’t tell Jordan we had this conversation. He’s not enamored of what he calls my ‘schemes’.”
    And with that, Annie patted Charlie on the shoulder and flew from the room.
    *   *   *
    “All right, everyone gather around.” Annie clapped her hands, and the occupants of the drawing room pulled their chairs in a wide circle. Charlie had just finished a most intriguing discussion with Viscount Medford. Apparently Medford had taken an interest in the story of the young dowager duchess of Markingham. Her grace was in the Tower of London accused of murdering her husband. Oliver Townsende, the next in line to the dukedom, had already taken over his cousin’s office, and the entire town was buzzing about the scandal.
    The two men had spoken privately but if Charlie didn’t miss his guess, Medford had just found the subject of his next scandalous pamphlet. The viscount owned a printing press that few knew about.
    At Annie’s words, all of the guests of the engagement party turned to face their hostess. Annie had a glass of wine in one hand, her third of the evening, if Charlie was counting correctly. He couldn’t be entirely certain, however, because the men had just joined the women after dinner. She may have had another glass in the interim.
    Charlie glanced over at Frances. He couldn’t stop glancing over at Frances, actually. She looked so pretty in her pink gown. Pink was her favorite color. He’d noted that about her. Her hair rested atop her head in a loose chignon, and the curls that framed her face made her almost ethereal. Her spectacles rested squarely on her pert little nose, and Charlie had the sudden urge to pull them from her face, rip the pins from her hair, and kiss her senseless.
    He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair, turning his attention back toward Annie who stood in front of the group, an impish grin on her face.
    “Now, you know I recently served as the sponsor for an event in honor of the Royal Society for the Humane Treatment of Animals.”
    A murmur of approval rippled through the group. Charlie narrowed his eyes on her. Where exactly was she headed with this? He glanced over at Sir Stuart who was sitting a bit too close to Frances for Charlie’s taste.
    “It was an auction,” Annie continued. “A bachelor auction.”
    “Annie,” came Lily Morgan’s warning voice from the crowd. “What are you up to?”
    Annie took another swallow of wine and grinned at her sister. “Just having a bit of fun.”
    Charlie watched Frances shift in her seat. She looked a bit uneasy.
    “As I was saying,” Annie continued. “It was a bachelor auction and it was an enormous success, thanks to many of you.” She nodded at Tim, Michael, and then Charlie.
    Charlie inclined his head toward her, his eyes still narrowed.
    “And I thought it might be a lark if we had another auction tonight. Just for fun!”
    A small gasp rippled across the room. Jordan raised his brows. Lily gave her sister a condemning glare. For a parlor game, this one was a bit beyond the pale. But most especially, Charlie didn’t like the look his future sister-in-law gave him when her eyes settled on him.
    “Another bachelor auction?” someone called.
    “No!” The smile on Annie’s face grew bigger. “This time I’m thinking we should allow the gentlemen to bid upon the ladies .”
    “Oh, what fun!” called two young unmarried ladies from the center of the room. “What shall the gentleman win exactly?”
    Much conjecture and giggling rippled through the group before Annie snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it! The high bidder wins the first dance with the lady at our wedding ball next week.”
    The suggestion was met with shouts of approval. “It’s settled then!” Annie said. “We shall have an