One Night with Prince Charming (Aristocratic Grooms #2)(34)
Author: Anna DePalo

Hawk shrugged and punted. “I’m sure whatever you decide will be fine.”

His mother looked nonplussed.

“What about placing the Crown Prince of Belagia on Princess Adelaide’s left?” Pia suggested.

His mother brightened. “Splendid idea.”

Hawk shot Pia a grateful look.

She looked superb in a navy polka-dot dress and heels. The dress accentuated her bust without being over the top, so that she looked demure but professional.

Whether Pia knew it or not, Hawk reflected, she’d chosen exactly an outfit of which his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Hawkshire, would approve.

As the wedding conversation resumed, Hawk started idly plotting ways to be alone again with Pia.

Could he invent a phone call that required her immediate attention and called her away? Or perhaps he could feign a pressing need for her to consult on his attire for the wedding day? He stifled a grin.

Yesterday they had gone horseback riding and he’d shown her the various natural and architectural wonders on his estate. He couldn’t remember when he’d enjoyed playing tour guide more, though he had an understandable bit of pride in his ancestral estate and childhood home.

His mother glanced up and caught his eye, and Hawk returned her look blandly.

He wondered whether his mother suspected that there was more than a business relationship between him and Lucy’s wedding planner, and decided to leave her to speculate. He and Pia had separate bedrooms, and they’d been discreet about their late-night rendezvous, even though Silderly Park was so large that it was unlikely they’d have attracted the attention of anyone while slipping in and out of each other’s rooms.

The truth was, he was still trying to sort out his feelings and next steps as far as Pia was concerned. How could he articulate them for someone else when he himself didn’t understand them?

He’d started out trying to make amends, true, but matters had gotten more complicated from there. He bore a large share of the responsibility for his current circumstances—mostly because he couldn’t seem to help himself as far as Pia was concerned. He must have been absent that day in grade school when they taught everyone about keeping their hands to themselves.

He was Pia’s first and only lover.

It was astounding. It was wonderful.

It also made him freeze, not knowing what to do.

For years, his code of conduct with respect to women was never to get too involved. It was the reason why he’d never been or wanted to be a woman’s first lover—until Pia.

And while he still wasn’t sure about many things, he did know that he didn’t want to see Pia hurt again.

The butler entered, followed by a familiar-looking brunette.

Hawk watched as his mother brightened, and as recognition set in, he was struck with an impending sense of doom, even before the butler spoke.

“Miss Michelene Ward-Fombley has arrived.”

Eleven

Pia looked up as an attractive brunette walked into the room, and immediately and inexplicably sensed that something was wrong.

The Dowager Duchess of Hawkshire, however, rose gracefully from her seat on the settee, a smile wreathing her face. “Michelene, darling, how lovely of you to join us here.”

Michelene stepped forward, and the two women exchanged air kisses.

Pia glanced around the room, noticing that Lucy had a worried expression while Hawk was still as a rock by the mantel.

Following Lucy’s lead, Pia rose from her seat as introductions were made.

“…and this is Miss Pia Lumley, who has been ever so helpful as Lucy’s wedding coordinator,” the duchess said with a smile.

Pia shook hands with Michelene, whom she pegged as a cool self-possessed blueblood. Though the other woman had said only a few words, Pia could tell that Michelene spoke Queen’s English with a distinctive upper-class inflection.

Michelene looked over at the mantel.

“Hawk,” Michelene murmured, her voice low and sultry. Hawk? Not Your Grace? Pia frowned. Exactly what was the status of the relationship between Michelene and Hawk?

Pia knew that never in a million years—not even in the shower—could she imitate Michelene’s smoky tone. She even stuttered during sex—for which she was self-conscious, though Hawk claimed to like it.

“Michelene,” Hawk acknowledged, remaining at his spot by the mantel. “How nice to see you. I wasn’t made aware that you were coming today.”

Pia watched as Hawk threw his mother a meaningful look, which the dowager duchess returned with one—Pia could swear—of the cat who ate the canary. Score one for the dowager, it seemed.

“Did I not mention that Michelene was arriving early for Lucy’s engagement party tomorrow?” the duchess said, raising her brows. “Oh, dear.”

Michelene gave a little laugh. “I hope it’s no inconvenience.”

“Not at all. You are more than welcome here,” Hawk said smoothly, his eyes traveling from Michelene to his mother. “Silderly Park is large enough, of course, to accommodate the occasional unexpected guest.”

Whoever Michelene was, Pia thought, it was clear that she was close to the Carsdales.

Was she, in fact, a former lover of Hawk’s? Pia tamped down the well of jealousy.

“We were just finishing up our discussion of the wedding,” the duchess said as she sat back down. “Won’t you join us, Michelene?”

Pia and Lucy followed the duchess’s lead in retaking their seats.

“Thank you,” Michelene said as she sat down as well. “I believe I would find listening to be vastly informative.” She smiled toward the side of the room where Hawk was standing. “There was a time when I imagined I’d enjoy becoming a wedding planner myself. Unfortunately, life had other plans, and I remained in the fashion business.”

Pia shifted uncomfortably. She wondered whether Hawk and Michelene had not only been lovers, but had come close to a walk down the aisle. Or perhaps Michelene had hoped for a marriage proposal that had never materialized, and Hawk had ended the relationship instead?

Pia mentally braked. She knew she was letting her imagination run away with her. She had no proof that Hawk and Michelene had even dated, let alone come close to marriage. And she was making an assumption that Hawk had ended any relationship between the two.

“Wh-what type of fashion?” Pia blurted, disconcerted by her thoughts.

A second later, she clamped her mouth shut. She was embarrassed by the sudden and unexpected appearance of her stutter. She must be more rattled than she realized.