0764213504 Read Online Free Page A

leave me.”
    Tucking her arm into the crook of his elbow, Brook let him lead her from the ramparts. Secrets could wait.

    An hour turned to two. Justin let the warm breeze soothe him, let the mixed scents of sweet and spice remind him of a childhood spent racing through these very streets. He had found trouble aplenty, adventure and happiness too. And Brook. He had found Brook on one of those unsupervised sprees. She had been but a sprite of a girl then, only five to his twelve, but the mischief in her eyes had intrigued him.
    Thate said it was strange that he had found such a steadfast friend in a girl seven years his junior. But it had never seemed so. At first she had simply amused him, and he had fancied her a sister to replace the one he’d barely known. Then it had been entertaining to teach her all the sport he shouldn’t have. And now . . . now they had thirteen years of shared history.
    The guards let him pass with no more than a nod, and the footman merely pointed him toward the prince’s private library. Once he reached the room, the sweet voice spilling out in an Italian aria brought him to a halt.
    Odd how much like Collette she sounded, though they shared no blood. Her maman had trained her well. He leaned into the doorway and saw Brook at the piano, accompanying herself as she sang, while Prince Albert lounged in his favorite chair. Her flaxen curls were twisted into some sort of chignon, an embellished band setting it off. As always, she wore the gold and pearl necklace Collette had said was her mother’s. Its twin strands of links and pearls met at the filigree in the center, from which two dangling pearls drew attention downward.
    Justin forced a swallow. She had grown into a young ladytoo beautiful for his peace of mind. The notion of courting her had begun to niggle in the last few months. But he knew well she didn’t look at him like he had begun to look at her. He would have to convince her. Win her. After she settled with her father at Whitby Park, after she had come to terms with being Baroness of Berkeley. After he was better grounded in his duties in Gloucestershire . . . then he would try to make her see that they could have so much more than friendship.
    When she finished the song with a flourish, Justin joined his applause to the prince’s. She stood with one of those heart-stopping smiles of hers aimed his way. “Justin!”
    As always, the greeting made him smile. Only his closest family ever used his given name in England, and they never attempted the proper French pronunciation. “ Bon soir, mon amie . Your Highness.”
    The prince smiled, but Justin scarcely had time to note it, given that Brook came his way with her hands extended. He took them in his and leaned down to exchange the customary cheek kissing. And grinned at the thought of how her English family might react to the French ritual. “You look lovely tonight, Brook.”
    An understatement, but it nevertheless brought a pretty blush to her ivory cheeks. “ Merci . It is the new dress.” She released his hands and did a pirouette worthy of the stage. “From Paris. Grand-père had it commissioned.”
    “I told her she would be the envy of all the ladies in England.” Prince Albert stood with an indulgent smile. Justin didn’t miss the sorrow around its edges.
    “Indeed.” Yet it wasn’t the gown that would set her apart—it was her spirit. No other lady he’d met in England laughed with such abandon, moved with such grace, put such passion into her every pursuit.
    He prayed that spirit, and the faith beneath it, would be enough to sustain her through the transition ahead.
    As if the same thought had possessed her, her smile dimmed, as did the diamond gleam in her emerald eyes. “You’ll join us for dinner, oui ?”
    “I would be delighted.” For now, he led her to the settee and took the cushion beside her. “Has it sunk in yet?”
    Her fingers toyed with the dual pearls dangling from her necklace. If