Meet Me at Midnight (Romance, Completed)

Chapter 6

If Mr. Midnight followed the book, if indeed he turned up at all, tonight's escapade would be in the stables. With the floor made from old stone slabs, I figured I'd be safe enough in heels, so I'd avoided Mother's wrath and gone with stilettos for the floral party.

With the flowers in place, the buffet set up, and the waiters hovering with trays, the ballroom looked magnificent if I said so myself. Now all we needed were the guests.

They began trickling in at seven, starting with the nouveau riche and those determined to curry favour with my parents. Anyone who was anyone would arrive later to make an entrance, Gregory included, it seemed.

Angelica strutted up beside me, making a rare appearance at a family do.

"Didn't you have a better offer?" I asked.

"Rumour has it the Viscount Northbury's attending tonight, and he's..." She made a fanning action with her hand. "Incendiary."

"I thought he'd got engaged?" Or was that another rumour from the tennis club?

"Until the wedding ring's on her finger, he's fair game."

"I'm not sure..."

"Look, I'll just test the waters. Besides, you've got Gregory to attend to your needs."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes briefly at the thought of Gregory in bed. He'd probably keep his socks on and bring his laptop. When I opened my eyes again, Angie had disappeared, replaced by Mother, who wore a black look on her face.

"Augusta, you ordered lilies!"

"Uh, yes?" They were pretty.

"Serena Cunningham is allergic to lilies. She sneezed all over the hallway, and I've had to take her through to the drawing room. Go and help her, for goodness' sake."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realise—"

"Just go."

How was I supposed to know about Serena's allergies? I only saw her a few times a year, and she'd never said anything but hello. Still, I took a deep breath and trudged off.

By the time I'd packed Serena into a taxi with a box of tissues and a thousand apologies, Gregory had arrived, looking admittedly handsome in a dark grey suit. He smiled when he saw me, and I took a glass of wine from a passing waiter as I headed towards him.

"Augusta, have you met Dr. Sorensen? He specialises in orthopaedics."

"Lovely." Whatever that was.

"Knees," Dr. Sorensen clarified, shaking my hand. "I fix knees."

While he spoke to Gregory about some new kind of artificial cartilage, my heart skipped a beat as I caught sight of a dark-haired newcomer. Tall and well-built, even from behind, and the way he moved exuded sex appeal. Surely that couldn't be...? He was about the same height as Midnight, and they both had muscles. Then a petite blonde slid under his arm, smiling, and Angie caught my eye from across the room.

"Viscount Northbury," she mouthed, just as he turned around.

Of course. I remembered now.

Okay, so he wasn't Midnight. I confess to being a little disappointed. I watched as Angie's eyes drifted to his right, where another rather tasty man had arrived. With a lighter build than the viscount, his twinkling eyes and sexy smile meant Angie made a beeline right for him.

A spasm of jealousy rocked through me at the sight—what if he was Midnight? I forced myself to take a deep breath and think through what I knew. Midnight was strong—he'd proved that in the effortless way he'd held me against the wall, and he sure had muscles. I'd felt most of them, from his taut butt to his six-pack to his hard biceps. And even in my heels, he'd dipped his head to kiss me, which put him... I glanced at Gregory... No, Midnight was taller, which put him at six-foot plus. Definitely more like the viscount than his friend. Okay, Angie could have the other dude.