Before Liars Loved (Before Series, Book 3)

Ladies

"Lord F, how do you get a girl to like you?"

Leo glanced up to see Langdon stroll into the Aston Manor library, plopping himself into a leather armchair. Leo sighed, setting down the papers he'd been reviewing for the upcoming parliamentary sessions.

"Langdon, you're too young to concern yourself with ladies."

"Am not," Langdon retorted, folding his arms across his front. "I'm nearly twelve." Pushing his chest out with some kind of childish pride, Langdon gave a defiant smirk. "And Miss Mary smiles at me whenever I see her at church, mind you."

Leo couldn't help but chuckle. "And how old is this Miss Mary?"

"Well, she's nearing fourteen herself. She wears the prettiest ribbons."

He raised a brow at the youngster. "Going for the older girls, are you?"

Langdon gave a dramatic sigh. "The heart wants what it wants, Lord F."

Shaking his head with a smile, Leo agreed. "It sure does, kid."

Christ, didn't Leo know that to be true. The past few days since Scarlett had walked away had been a disastrous demonstration of his heart slowly killing him for not attaining what it had wanted. He still wasn't sure what to believe about everything that had happened. Scarlett had yelled at him to forget her and stop thinking about it, but he couldn't.

She was naive if she thought Leo had any control over his thoughts when they came to her.

At least Langdon always managed to lighten Leo's heart. He always had.

Langdon's father was a friendly, Irish-born man who owned the apothecary near the Aston family estate in Cornwall. About three years ago, Langdon and his father had called upon the Aston estate to offer some remedies for a chest cold that Lady Aston had come down with. During the visit, Maverick had wandered into the receiving room, and Langdon's face had lit up, immediately going over to say hello to the other boy.

Leo had never seen anyone respond to Maverick with so little judgment before. Langdon hadn't cared that Mav looked or spoke differently; he'd just been happy to have another boy around to play with.

That summer, the two boys had grown close, chasing each other around on the rocky shores of southern England. Langdon's cheeky Irish accent had echoed through the hallways of the estate, bringing some liveliness to their family. When it had been time to return to London for the season, Lady Aston announced Langdon was welcome to visit whenever and for however long.

Ever since then, Langdon's father would come to London every month or so to replenish his stock. He'd drop his son off to stay at the Aston residence for weeks at a time; Langdon would live here until the next time his father made the journey to London.

Langdon's parents never minded. While at Aston Manor, Langdon received the finest tutoring, not to mention anything else the boy should want.

"So," Langdon said, drawing the word out. He leaned forward expectantly, propping his elbows on the armrests of the chair. "What should I do?"

"God, Langdon, you're asking the wrong man at the wrong time."

"I always thought you was popular with the ladies, Lord F." Langdon cocked his head to the side in open contemplation.

"You were," Leo corrected.

"What?" Langdon tilted his head to the other side.

"I always thought you were popular with the ladies," Leo repeated.

"Why, I always thought I was too!" Langdon exclaimed, but his sly smile told Leo that he knew precisely what Leo had been trying to say. "But I still don't know what to say to Miss Mary."