“Just about,” Noah answered. Studying his brother’s reflection in the mirror before him, he was impressed by the fine figure of a man Matt presented. Though his evening dress was not as starkly plain as his own, Matt had chosen well. Playing down the fancy embellishments so popular with others, he had opted for a simple gold-thread design on his dark blue vest, down the front of his matching coat, and about the deep cuffs. The results were striking on the younger man. Matthew was no fop, and Noah was pleased.

“Well done, Matt. You look quite the man-about-town.”

Matt was pleased by his brother’s compliment. He had always admired Noah’s taste in clothes and had tried to emulate his style to a certain degree. “Thanks.”

“No need to thank me. It’s quite the truth,” Noah assured him. “Has the carriage arrived yet?”

“Yes, it pulled up just a minute ago.”

“Let’s be on our way then,” he encouraged, and they started below.

“Tell me about the Demorests,” Matt urged a short time later as the conveyance they’d hired made its way through the winding streets of Boston toward the Demorest home. “You’ve said very little about them, save that Edward Demorest is the agent you’re dealing with here in the colonies.”

“There’s little else to tell.” Noah, immersed in thoughts of his upcoming confrontation with CC, wanted to avoid his brother’s probing questions.

“I’m rather looking forward to making some acquaintances tonight,” he went on. “My interest in the colonies has grown, and I want to learn more about their way of life.”

“Don’t get too enamored with the way things are here,” Noah warned.

“I know, I know,” Matt sighed. “We’re returning to England in the spring, but still, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t find out all I can while I have the opportunity. Who knows? Maybe someday in the future I’ll return on my own.”

Noah could see no reason for his continued interest, but he let it go. If Matt’s interest in the colonies kept him occupied and out of his way while he took care of business, he was all for it.

“Does Demorest have a family?”

“One daughter,” came Noah’s curt reply as a vision of CC dressed in her boy’s garb danced before him.

“Oh? What’s she like?”

The question was a simple one, but Noah found himself groping for an appropriate answer. How could he describe a chit who one moment had been spouting off about her dislike of English aristocracy and the next had been the picture of decorum? Or how could he explain her involvement in political intrigue and dressing as a boy? CC Demorest was a hotheaded, stubborn, and opinionated female; all the things a woman should not be, in his judgment. Yet the memory of her kiss and the smooth ivory silk of her skin sent a rush of excitement through him. Yes, Noah vowed silently as he fought to subdue his desire, there definitely was unfinished business between them.

“She’s pretty,” he finally answered abstractly, gaining Matt’s immediate attention.

“Really? Then why haven’t you mentioned her before?”

“Why should I have?” Noah snapped, much to Matt’s confusion.

“No reason. It’s just unusual for you to ignore a good-looking woman,” he quipped, his remark earning him a strained glance from his brother.

“As you should know, women are the last thing I’m concerned about right now,” he replied harshly.

Matthew fell silent as he pondered Noah’s complete change of personality. Just a few short months before, he had been a rake and a roué of considerable repute on the London social scene. With the beauteous Andrea Broadmoor at his side, he had been the envy of many, but now everything was different. Again Matt wondered, as he turned to gaze out the carriage window at the passing city, if his brother’s more lighthearted side was lost to him forever.

Eve Woodham arched a finely plucked pale brow in approval of her own appearance as she studied herself in the mirror above her dressing table.

“You’ve outdone yourself this time, Peggy,” the lovely widow told her maid. “This style is perfect, and the bird…Well, it’s just a stroke of genius.” Eve turned and twisted before the glass, admiring the new-fashion hairstyle Peggy had created.

“Thank you, ma’am.” The servant, unused to compliments from her exacting mistress, smiled brightly, thankful that she’d pleased her. She had had her doubts about attempting the new arrangement, but knowing that the ball this evening at the Demorests was an important one to Eve, she’d taken the risk. Piling Eve’s blond hair high over an oval wire frame, she’d powdered it and then artfully added the nesting bird to create what she hoped would be a trendsetting style for her fashion-conscious mistress. The results, she had to admit even to herself, were stunning. There was no doubt in her mind that Eve would be the most lovely woman at the ball.

“Hurry now and get my gown. I want to make an entrance tonight, but I don’t want to be too late.” Eve stood and moved to the center of the room. She slipped out of her dressing gown and let it fall unheeded to the floor, knowing that the maid would pick it up later.

With Peggy’s help, Eve donned her hoops and then slipped into her new gown, an open-robe style of pale blue, ivory-shot silk. The low-cut bodice was most revealing, and Eve’s slight smile was scheming as her maid approached her with the dainty fichu that was used to modestly cover that exposed delicate flesh.

“No,” Eve stated flatly when Peggy would have adjusted the material over her cleavage.

“No, ma’am?” The maid’s eyes were wide in wonder.

“I think not tonight, Peggy.”

“But, Miss Eve…”

Eve’s blue eyes flashed in crystal coldness as she spoke of her plan. “Tonight Lord Noah Kincade will be in attendance, and I fully intend to attract his attention.”

“Lord Kincade?”

“He’s just arrived from England. I haven’t met him yet, but I’ve heard that a handsomer man has never walked the face of the Earth,” she confided, an edge of unswaying determination in her voice.

“Ooh! How exciting! No wonder you’ve been in such a tizzy getting ready for tonight.”

Eve’s smile was hard. “Mark my words, Peggy, I’m going to do whatever it takes to win him.”

After coming out of mourning for her elderly first husband two years before, Eve had been sought after by most of the bachelors of Boston. Gorgeous, intelligent, and extremely sensual, she made a practice of keeping men dangling. She had experienced one bad marriage, her dead husband having been very tight with his money and very jealous of her, and she was determined to select her second husband with more care.

Since being widowed and left with a comfortable fortune, Eve had discovered that she liked being in control of her own destiny. As she waited for the right man to come along, she had made the best of her widowhood, using it as both a device to attract suitors and a defense against too ardent ones. When she’d heard the talk about Lord Kincade, she’d become convinced that he was the right man. The colonies bored her, and having always longed to live in England, Eve was setting her cap for Lord Noah Kincade. Rumor had it he was tall, handsome, and very rich. She did not intend to fail.

“But what of Lord Radcliffe, ma’am?”

“Geoffrey?” Eve scoffed with an indifferent laugh. “He’s a plaything to me, Peggy. He has no money of his own. He’s the earl’s youngest son and has been banished here by his father for his excesses.”

“But he’s certainly a good-looker.”

“It’s nice that a man is handsome, but it’s not essential to my future happiness.”

“I don’t understand.” The maid was truly puzzled. Eve and Lord Geoffrey had been lovers for some time now, and Peggy had always expected them to marry.

“Geoffrey’s pockets are lined only out of his father’s need to keep him away from home. He’s totally dependent on his relatives for his income, and I might add they are not overly fond of him.”