Robert returned his attention to his plate and raised his toast for a bite, but lifted his head sharply at Richard’s greeting . . . and nearly choked on his toast at the sight of Lisa. She was wearing a pale pink gown that suited her coloring beautifully. In fact, at first glance he’d almost been tricked into thinking she wasn’t wearing a gown at all, it matched her skin so well. It was also extremely low cut, revealing a good deal of cleavage he just wasn’t used to seeing on her. The gown was also plainer than he was used to her wearing, without the usual ruffles, and she had also left her hair down in a mass of tousled, loose curls that fell around her shoulders and trailed down her back. It was the hair that had him nearly choking; it reminded him of how she’d looked yesterday when he’d found her at Mrs. Morgan’s, and his body responded much as it had then, snapping to attention.

“Good morning, Richard. I hope you slept well,” Lisa said pleasantly as she moved to the sideboard to collect a plate and begin piling food on it.

“Very well, thank you,” Richard said easily. “And you?”

“Yes, thank you,” Lisa said cheerfully, her concentration on the food she was selecting from the offerings. “But then I was nicely worn out after the ball. Slept like a dream.”

“Yes. I’m surprised you’re up so early after the late night we had,” Richard commented.

“Well, I didn’t plan to be,” Lisa said with a laugh, turning to head to the table. “But Bet came in and woke me early. She had found out Robert was here and was under the mistaken impression that I would want to breakfast with him. I didn’t,” she added with amusement, “But once I was awake, I couldn’t get back to sleep, so . . .” She shrugged and settled in the seat on Richard’s left, directly across from Robert.

“Ah,” Richard murmured and Robert was aware he was glancing at him to see how he was taking this news, but Robert simply continued to stare at Lisa. She hadn’t even glanced his way to acknowledge him since entering, and continued to ignore him now. It left him free to ogle her in her new incarnation, or at least one he’d never seen before. Until yesterday, he’d never seen her with her hair down. She’d always worn it in pigtails, then a ponytail and then in those fussy, upswept dos the women all graduated to for the balls. He liked her better this way. She looked soft and luscious, like she’d just rolled out of bed.

“So what are your plans for the day?” Richard asked after several moments of silence had passed.