A Lady's Guide to Kiss A Rake: Misadventures of the heart Read Online Free Page A

A Lady's Guide to Kiss A Rake: Misadventures of the heart
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whether she’d caught his interest or not. How embarrassing it would be if she could not manage to catch the attention of a renowned libertine.
     
    “I find it damned disturbing how the three of you seem to excel at causing trouble,” Wes drawled as he came up behind Belle.
    “It keeps us young,” Belle returned.
    He chuckled, his eyes darting to his wife. “True,” he acknowledged. “So long as you do not embroil Madeleine in any of your mad schemes, I will play along.”
    “You have never complained before.”
    “You have never included my wife before.”
    “You never had a wife before,” Belle shot back.
    “Again, true, but I would rather not have Maddy run about London in the dead of night saving lost souls.”
    Belle nodded in understanding, noting how her friend’s attention turned to Craven.
    “You’ve outdone yourself this time, Lady Belle,” Wes noted. “But Craven is not a man to be taken lightly and not a man to be toyed with.”
    “Well then, it’s a good thing she only means to entice a kiss.”
    Surprise lit his brow. “You believe Craven would stop at one kiss?”
    Belle frowned. “Jo can manage Craven.”
    “Have you thought of how St. Aldwyn would react to this new adventure of hers?”
    “What does St. Aldwyn have to do with anything?” A curious note had rolled off Wes’s voice, but nothing that spoke of an ulterior motive, Belle decided.
    His brow almost reached his hairline when he spoke, “Even you cannot be so obtuse.” He nodded in the direction of St. Aldwyn. “He hardly ever takes his eyes off Josephine. As soon as he learns of her supposed interest in Craven, I imagine the hold on his tight restraints will snap.”
    The corners of Belle’s eyes crinkled. How interesting. When Belle and Evelyn had first joined Jo’s projects, Evelyn’s now husband, the Earl of Grey, along with Evelyn’s brother, Westfield, and their good friend St. Aldwyn had become suspicious. Each of the men then decided to spy on one of the women. Westfield had started to appear wherever Belle set out for, whereas St. Aldwyn had trailed Jo. But she never thought anything of it because, like Craven, St. Aldwyn happened to be notorious rake with no intention of settling down. Maybe he’d be interested after all?
    “Whatever you are plotting, it is a bad idea.”
    “Nonsense Wes,” Belle said, a smile enveloping her face. “My ideas are always brilliant.”
    “That my dear, is debatable. I happen to know you well enough to know that once your mind latches onto something, it’s almost impossible for you to let go. Trouble usually follows soon after.”
    Belle ignored him. “I cannot believe I did not see it before now.”
    “Perhaps a good reason exists for that,” Wes commented, his arms folding over his chest.
    “Do you believe he saw the exchange between Jo and Craven?” Belle asked, examining the man in question.
    “It’s hard to tell what he observed, he’s frowning in her direction, but I do not think he witnessed her blatant regard of the Earl.”
    “How can you possibly know that?”
    “For one thing, his face hasn’t turned purple.”
    A low chuckle flowed from between her lips. Wes had a point. If what he said held any truth, St. Aldwyn would have charged to Jo’s side by now if he thought she had designs on Craven. Good, it would be better for him not to suspect anything lest they wanted a hornet on their tail.
    However, Belle wasn’t worried. None of the men desired to end up in the parson’s trap, which left her friend to find her adventure. Jo’s dedicated pursuit to save the world left her somewhat solemn at times.
     
    Damien, the fifth Marquis of St. Aldwyn, scowled in the direction of Lady Josephine for no apparent reason other than the fact that he was acutely aware of her presence.
    That irritated him.
    He would much rather be enjoying some widow’s charms than pining after Lady Josephine. Not that he ever pined. Pining would suggest he was a love-sick fool.
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