Midnight Rose Read Online Free Page B

while. But, regardless, he knew there was no way he would have ever forgotten one so lovely.
    There was also, he noticed, something startlingly different about her. He could tell by the sparkle in her eyes and the way she laughed so easily that she was enjoying herself. Yet the undercurrent of tension and desperation present in the other debutantes, as they sought to bewitch the beaux of their choice, was missing. It was as though she had not a care in the world.
    As Ryan continued to observe the raven-haired lovely, Keith appeared at his side. He’d been searching for Ryan, wanting to extol the qualities and charm he’d discovered in Miss Mary Susan Hightower. But Ryan seemed preoccupied. Keith followed his gaze, a frown creasing his forehead as he discovered the reason. He’d overheard Mary Susan and Carolyn Manning whispering furiously about the brazen appearance of Erin Sterling and her mother. With an exaggerated sigh, he airily declared, “Well, I guess I was wrong in thinking there’s no such thing as a ball for potential mistresses. Seems Erin Sterling is turning this into one.”
    Ryan looked at him then and sharply asked, “What do you mean? Who is she, anyway?”
    “Zachary Tremayne’s stepdaughter. That says it all, doesn’t it? She’s no debutante. She wasn’t even invited. She and her mother just barged in, hoping, no doubt, to find her a husband. But they’re wasting their time. The only thing the men are thinking about is a quick tumble in a hayloft. They know they’d be disinherited if they dared court such trash. Like I said, she’s turning this into a ball for those looking for a mistress, because that’s all she’s good for. Granted, she’s beautiful, and I wouldn’t mind—”
    “Trash?” Ryan echoed curiously, cutting him off. “Why on earth would anyone think of her as trash? What’s she done?”
    “Why…nothing that I know of.” Keith shrugged, unnerved by his question, then recovered to snap, “Come now, Ryan, you know what an unscrupulous bastard Tremayne is. America banned slave trading from Africa and the West Indies over ten years ago, but he’s still into it, and everybody knows it. They say he makes regular runs into the Carolinas to buy slaves illegally smuggled in, then sells them to plantation owners farther south. He’s making a fortune.
    “I’ve got nothing against owning slaves,” he airily continued. “Goodness knows, I’ve got my share, but I also got them honestly.”
    Ryan couldn’t resist a wry grin. “Maybe you’re angry because you paid more for them on the block than if you’d bought them privately from Tremayne.”
    Keith stiffened with indignity. “That’s not so.”
    Returning his gaze to Erin, Ryan probed, “Do you know her personally?”
    He shook his head. “I used to see her in church with her mother, but that was a long time ago. I think she went away somewhere. One thing is for sure, she’s made a lot of people angry tonight, and you can believe those drooling young men are going to catch hell from their parents for wasting time fawning over her instead of doing what they came here to do—look over this season’s crop of debutantes.”
    “Well, from what I’ve seen, she’s not only gorgeous. She has the ability to make them enjoy themselves. There’s none of the stuffy demureness and artificial charm the others ooze with. I’d say she seems to be the most appealing woman here.”
    “But class is what it’s all about, my friend, and you’d be wise to keep your observations at a distance. Victoria Youngblood would sooner invite that strumpet you had in your bed last night to tea, than walk on the same side of the street with a member of Tremayne’s family. Now I think I’d better get back to Mary Susan. The dancing is starting.”
    He went back inside, but Ryan stayed where he was, even more fascinated than before. If Erin Sterling had indeed dared to show up without being invited, then there had to be a good reason. And,