Lord Findlay blinked in surprise at her words and Lisa supposed most women wouldn’t have made the admission. They would have played coy and probably teased and flirted while acting like they weren’t attracted to him. Such games just seemed silly to her. The man saw right through it anyway if he had half a brain. So, why bother?

“My word, you are the most refreshingly honest female I have met in a good long while,” Lord Findlay breathed finally, his arms tightening around her a little more and drawing her almost scandalously close.

“Hmmm,” Lisa murmured, noting the way his eyes had darkened. She grinned and eased back from him a bit, making their embrace more proper. “And beautiful, smart and witty according to all the men I have danced with tonight.”

“Definitely all of that,” he agreed without hesitation. “Your eyes sparkle with intelligence and mischief and your lips . . . they put a man in mind of kissing you.”

“Really?” she asked with interest. “Does that mean you want to kiss me, my lord?”

“Definitely,” Findlay assured her, all teasing gone and Lisa allowed a burst of laughter to slip from her lips. She felt so . . . well, powerful, she supposed. All these compliments from so many different men after years of nothing from the one she had been interested in . . . Well, it was heady, made her feel good, made her feel lovely and wanted and . . . She liked it. A lot.

“I fear our dance is over,” Lord Findlay said with regret, bringing her to a halt as the music ended.

“How sad,” she said, her lips curving into a happy smile.

“Yes. It is,” he assured her, shifting her to his side and tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow to lead her off the floor. His head dipped to hers as he asked, “When is our quadrille? I would not wish to miss my chance to fetch you a refreshment or escort you out onto the terrace.”

“Now,” Lisa said, flashing him a smile as the next dance began.

“Then I am a fortunate man, indeed,” Lord Findlay said with a grin. “I shall leave you to ask your sisters if they wish to join us on the terrace while I fetch you that drink.”

“And you say Mrs. Morgan was gone when you returned to the brothel?” Richard asked grimly, pacing his library.

Robert nodded solemnly. He’d just finished explaining the adventure he’d had to rescue Lisa, ending with how he’d returned to Morgan’s directly after stopping to collect and drop off Bet. Only he’d arrived at the brothel to find the woman had packed in a rush and fled.