Read Online A Dangerous Man by Janmarie Anello - Free Book Online

the energy to hate him for
thrusting her into this awkward situation. No, she hated him
for kissing her once again, for making her want him ... need
him ... love him ... when he felt none of these things.
    A lovely woman dressed in peach gossamer silk glided
across the room to greet them. Her honey blond hair gleamed
in the candlelight. Delicate ringlets framed her perfect oval
face.
    As she moved, she motioned with her hands and the music
resumed, breaking the silence that had fallen over the crowd.
The ladies, at least, tried to hide their covert gazes and whispers behind their fans. The men simply gaped without care,
their voices blending in with the din from the orchestra.
    "St. Austin, you wretched beast," the woman said as she
stood before Richard. Her skin seemed aglow with the same
peach-colored hue of her sensuously flowing gown. Her smile
never wavered, but there was an expression about her eyes
Leah found disconcerting. "Why did you not you tell me you
were bringing home a wife this evening? Are you not even
going to have the good grace to introduce us?"
    The woman did not pause long enough for Richard to reply
before turning to Leah. "Oh, never mind him. We need not
stand on formality and convention, as we are sisters, you and
1. I am Rachel, Duchess of St. Austin. Oh, dear" She gave a
delicate laugh. "Now you are the Duchess of St. Austin,
which makes me the dowager duchess. I always think of
much older ladies when I hear that word. I never imagined it
applied to me. I fear this will take some getting used to"

    For a terrible moment, Leah did not know what to say.
    Good heavens, she did not even know how to style her own
name, so much had changed.
    "I am Leah," she finally said, choosing not to attach a surname or a title. She ignored the rumble emanating from the
man beside her that sounded decidedly like a low-pitched
growl or a burst of strangled laughter.
    "Welcome to the family, dear" Rachel clasped Leah's
hands in hers. She gave her fingers a firm squeeze, then released her just as swiftly. "It shall be so wonderful having a
sister in the house .. ." She continued to speak, but Leah
heard not a word.
    She was weary, her legs were starting to shake, and the heat
of the candles and the crowd rushing to meet them spreading a feverish flush over her skin. Certainly it had nothing to
do with the "wretched beast" of a man hovering much too
close by her side.
    Despite her best efforts to remain aloof, coldly detached,
her eyes sought him out again and again. He returned her
gaze with his dark stare, his expression telling her nothing of
what he was thinking or of his emotions. He was so proudly
elegant, so beautifully noble, and she was a plain country
miss. She did not belong in this world. She would never fit in.
Oh, she did not doubt her own self-worth, she was confident
in her abilities, but she knew nothing about moving through
this level of society.
    She had tried to warn him, but he had refused to listen.
    To fulfill some unknown obligation to her father, he had
married her. His honor was intact. Now she had to find a way
to set him free. But what could she do?
    A distant memory started to tease her.
    Snatches of conversations overheard as a child.
    She chewed on her lips as she tried to remember, the
bottom of her belly aching. Her eyes stung, but she blinked
back her tears. Once she had accepted that she must marry him, she had started to dream of their future together. A future
filled with children, happiness, and love. Especially love.

    Though she had tried to deny it, even to herself, she had
dared to hope that eventually he would come to love her. She
was such a dreamer, a weakness that had plagued her all of
her life.
    "Your Grace?" Richard said, his tone surprisingly gentle,
perhaps even teasing, as he bowed before her. "Would you do
me the honor of granting me this dance?"
    Without waiting for a reply, the arrogant man slipped his
hand around her