Excerpt of The Earl's Wager by Rebecca Thomas

Georgia’s gaze lingered on him innocently, and yet Will was certain there was more to what she was saying. And perhaps she wasn’t quite as innocent as Marsdale would have him believe. “Perhaps you can tutor me in the ways I might capture his attention?”

She circled him, never removing her gaze from him. What exactly was she asking? “I’m not quite sure what you mean, Miss Duvall, but rest assured I’m here to help. I found the perfect match for my sister, and I’ll do the same for you.”

“Yes, I understand, my lord. So I’m wondering how to pique his interest. Can you answer that question, or should I ask Oliver?”

He swallowed and narrowed his gaze. “No, no need to ask Oliver. You could talk to the gentleman about the weather, or ask after his health, or maybe you can ask if he...” Will wasn’t sure what to say. Maybe he wasn’t up to the task of procuring a match for someone other than his sister, after all, because the way she looked at him seemed to spell trouble. “If he has hounds, perhaps?”

She blinked several times, eyeing him oddly.

Everything about her said she was an innocent maid, but she was American. Maybe women were different there, and he just wasn’t used to their behavior. Most women—no not most, no women—who were young and unmarried ever held his gaze so long with such keen challenge punctuating a seemingly guileless question.

Stopping directly in front of him, she peered up at him, standing inappropriately close. “I’m to ask him if he has hounds?”

“Yes, you could,” he blurted, then cleared his throat. He took a step back, but he didn’t want her to know she confused him, so he rounded the corner of the table instead.

“I was thinking more along the lines of flirting.” Her delicate brow arched. “How do I flirt with him—that is how I want to capture his attention.”

He gulped. “That wasn’t what I had in mind. I don’t think it’s what Oliver had in mind either. Maybe we should sit down?” He gestured toward the damask-covered sofa and matching wingback chair. Even if she didn’t need to sit down, he did.