The Danger in Tempting an Earl Read Online Free Page B

exactly are you saying, Louise?” Katherine asked, not liking the implication of her friend’s words in the least.
    “Surely you must be aware of some of the notions that have flittered through every drawing room these past few years?” When Katherine numbly shook her head, Louise gave her a sympathetic look. “Well, if I may cut straight to the point, there are those who think him irrevocably in love with you. In fact, I daresay that this is the general consensus.”
    It was as if Katherine’s entire world skidded to a screeching halt. Lucien in love with her? Preposterous! Her heart thumped madly in her chest at the very thought of such a crack-brained notion while she gaped back at her friend. “But that’s ridiculous,” she eventually managed. “Lucien and I have always been close friends. It’s only fitting that he would escort me this evening.”
    Louise shrugged. “What can I say? I suppose there are always those who would like to turn the simplest thing into a complicated Banbury tale. Although . . .”
    The word trailed off into obscurity. With a sigh of resignation, Katherine accepted Louise’s bait and asked the question her friend so obviously intended for her to ask. “Although what?”
    “Well, if Roxberry is indeed in love with you, he couldn’t have arrived at a better time, considering that you are just now out of mourning and free to contemplate another gentleman in your life.”
    “Good heavens, but this is madness!” Katherine would rather eat poison than consider attaching herself to another gentleman, so the idea that this might be the consensus of the entire ton was horrifying. “They’re wrong, Louise. I’ve known Roxberry my entire life, and I’m telling you that he has never considered me as anything more than a friend.”
    Louise nodded. “Perhaps you’re right,” she said, patting Katherine’s arm as if to placate her. “After all, you do know him better than anyone else, so if you are certain in your assessment, then I have no choice but to trust your judgment.”
    “Thank you,” Katherine managed. She felt as if she’d just run a three-legged race.
    “However . . . ,” her friend added.
    Oh dear God, there was more.
    “From what I have heard, many believe that he quit England after the war because his heart had been so thoroughly broken by his unrequited love for you that he found it impossible to remain in your presence . . . let alone the same country. They say that this is the true reason why he left.” Louise wafted her fan back and forth with increased vigor.
    Katherine gritted her teeth and did her best to calm her quaking nerves. “And why exactly am I only hearing of this now, my dear friend ?”
    Louise’s hand stilled, and she turned her head to look directly at Katherine. “First of all, it was such common knowledge that I thought you were aware—why, even the society columns made a mention of it for a while. And second of all, I must confess I found it a bit of an awkward subject to broach when you were married to Crossby . . . more so once you were widowed.”
    Dear God .
    “They’re wrong,” Katherine repeated, desperate now to convince the world that it had made a serious error in judgment. “Lucien left because of the pain his brother’s death caused him and because he argued with his father, who was apparently quite determined to see his youngest son married in order to secure the line of succession. Lucien felt trapped, so he fled.”
    “Or,” Louise offered, her eyes appearing unnaturally large all of a sudden, “he did want to marry but could no longer have the woman he desired and decided not to marry at all.”
    Uncertainty pressed upon her, but Katherine urged it away. No, it wasn’t possible. She dismissed the notion with an awkward laugh. “Honestly, Louise! Have you been reading gothic novels again?”
    Louise swatted her arm. “I’m being perfectly serious.”
    Katherine sighed. “Lucien and I were neighbors