The Danger in Tempting an Earl Read Online Free Page A

Katherine craved. It seemed like an eternity since she’d laughed with complete abandon.
    “Heaven forbid I should ever forget it,” Huntley said as he reached for his wife’s hand and raised it to his lips, placing a kiss upon her knuckles. Their eyes met, and for the briefest of moments, Katherine felt as if she and Lucien had been completely forgotten by the couple. They clearly loved each other, and something inside Katherine twisted.
    “Shall we take a turn about the room then?” Louise asked, her question directed at Katherine.
    “With pleasure,” Katherine said. Stepping away from Lucien and linking her arm with Louise’s, she glanced up at him and smiled in an attempt to push aside the awful sensation that gripped her. She’d never been envious of anyone else in her life. Discovering that she was helplessly jealous of her friend was humiliating. “Don’t forget to dance with Lady Deerford,” she said.
    Lucien looked to Huntley. “I don’t suppose you’d care to help me flee.”
    “And risk Lady Crossby’s fury?” Huntley asked. He stepped back as if considering the possibility of leaving Lucien to deal with the lady in question on his own. “My good man, when a lady sets her heart on something, whether it be a bonnet or a boon from a gentleman, she will have her way sooner or later, and since that is the case, you would only be a fool for prolonging the issue.”
    “Is that so?” Lucien asked, eyeing Katherine.
    There was something curious about the way in which he was looking at her—something that she was not at all familiar with. It unsettled her, and that in turn made her skin prickle and her stomach quiver in a most uncomfortable way.
    “I just adore the comparison you choose to draw between gentlemen and bonnets,” Louise said with a laugh directed at her husband as she drew Katherine away, removing them from Lucien’s and Huntley’s company. “My dear Katherine, you must tell me everything. I had no idea that you were planning to arrive here on Roxberry’s arm.” This last part was said in a low whisper so no one else would hear.
    “Truth be told, I didn’t know that he would be accompanying me this evening either. Not until a note arrived from him this afternoon, requesting the honor of offering me escort.” Katherine paused, hesitant of how much to share because of what the revelation might reveal about her problematic relationship with Lucien, but she eventually decided that if anyone deserved the truth, it was Louise. She’d become a dear friend during Lucien’s absence. “In fact, this is the first time I’m seeing him since his return.”
    “He didn’t call on you before?” Louise asked, sounding properly dismayed.
    Katherine shook her head, and they continued on in silence as they passed a few other ladies, nodding politely in greeting as they went. “You know what people will say about this, don’t you?” Louise continued when they were once again alone and with no chance of anyone overhearing them. “I mean, I hope that you are prepared, all things considered.”
    “I can’t imagine what you mean,” Katherine told her friend. They had reached a small alcove with a bench tucked away inside it, offering a bit of privacy from the rest of the guests. The ladies sat and immediately opened their fans.
    “Can’t you? Hmm . . . no, I suppose you wouldn’t have considered it, since you were away on your wedding trip at the time. But you see, the haste with which Roxberry departed England again following his return from the war has raised a multitude of questions that have since resulted in some very interesting theories,” Louise whispered. Hiding behind her fan, she leaned toward Katherine and added, “Theories that are likely to become more fascinating than the questions themselves, given that his first public appearance in what . . . four years or so . . . happens not only after you have been widowed but with you of all people on his arm.”
    “What