Letter From a Rake: Destiny Romance Read Online Free Page B

Letter From a Rake: Destiny Romance
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wonder when you two miscreants would finally arrive,’ Lucy said, letting out a huff of displeasure. ‘Where have you been?’
    The two men exchanged a knowing grin.
    ‘See, I told you she would be cross with us,’ David replied and nodded to his brother.
    ‘I don’t know why. We are only late because Mama asked us to call in at home and pay our respects to Great Aunt Maude. You can hardly blame us for that, Lu,’ Alex replied, never moving his gaze from Millie.
    Millie blinked hard and with great effort tore her eyes away from his magnetic stare. She looked at Lucy, who gave Millie a pained look of embarrassment in return. Millie’s heart went out to her.
    ‘Sorry,’ Lucy muttered as her hands fell to her sides. ‘How is Aunt Maude? Mother has been so worried. She only came tonight because Maude finally agreed to the doctor visiting.’
    David reached out and pulled his sister into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, and hid her burning face in the front of his evening jacket.
    ‘It’s all right, Lucy, Maude is fine. The doctor was leaving as we arrived, and he said it was just exhaustion from the long trip south. A few days’ bed rest and she will be gadding about town before we know it.’
    He placed a gentle peck on his sister’s cheek, before his hand went slyly to her hair, which he began to ruffle in a well-practised move. Lucy flinched and struggled to break free of his embrace. She took a step back before reaching out and giving him a solid punch on the arm.
    ‘Oooh, you are a bad one, David Radley, and don’t think for one minute I won’t tell Mama it was you who fussed with my hair,’ she laughed, wagging her finger at him. David stood rubbing his arm.
    ‘Sharp right, Lucy; ever considered bare-knuckled boxing?’
    Millie stifled a laugh. With an older brother herself, she knew the price of a brotherly hug was always a well-timed ruffling of the hair. David Radley, it would appear, was another exponent of the art.
    Another spark of hope flared in Millie; warmth did exist in the cold heart of London society. She immediately liked David; he was just like her own brother Charles.
    Her gaze returned to the other Radley brother, Alex, who was slowly looking her up and down, taking stock. She gave him a smile and prayed that her social death would be a mercifully quick one.
    He gave a short bow and held out his hand.
    She had not anticipated that move. It took a moment for her to unclench her right hand and offer it to him. He captured her hand and held it firmly.
    She looked down and saw that her fingers had disappeared under his palm. She sucked in a shallow breath and bit her bottom lip. The sooner this was over the better.
    ‘Alex,’ he barely whispered. He bent and placed a kiss on her glove.
    She felt his hot breath through the glove’s fine cotton and a second shiver went down her spine.
    He lifted his head and stared once more into her eyes. If death had come at that moment, she would have welcomed it. For if Helen of Troy’s face had launched a thousand ships, Alex Radley’s eyes could have burned them all.
    They stood silently, staring at one another, until David cleared his throat in a none-too-subtle manner.
    Alex waved a hand in his brother’s general direction. ‘David,’ he muttered.
    Still held by the smoldering power of Alex’s gaze, Millie gave a small nod of her head.
    She heard a sudden indignant huff and Alex disappeared, then David and Lucy took his place.
    Millie snapped back to reality.
    She realised that, with one arm draped loosely around his sister’s waist, David had used his other hand to give his brother a hard shove to one side.
    Out the corner of her eye, Millie could see Alex standing nearby, staring daggers at David.
    Fortunately for David, Alex could not stare at two people at once, and so his silent punishment lasted only momentarily before Alex resumed his keen observation of Millie.
    She looked down at her hand, and was surprised to see it still on

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