A Dangerous Man
formality laughable, if it did
not cause her so much pain.
    "Your Grace," Lady Montague murmured, giving the slightest nod of her regal chin in Leah's general direction while
moving so close to Richard that her skirts flowed around his
ankles.
    Geoffrey appeared at Leah's side. "Might I have the honor
of dancing with my most beautiful new sister?"
    "It would be my pleasure," Leah said quickly, the swift heat
running through her veins vying with a sudden desire to rip
Lady Margaret Montague's luscious red hair out of her head.
    Who was this woman with her clinging hands and her palpable animosity? A sudden suspicion brought a chill to Leah's
skin, a churning low in her belly. Everything had happened
so swiftly. Without warning or time to get to know one another.
    Was Richard in love with this woman? Would he have wed
her had Leah's father not interfered with his treachery?
    Leah pressed her hand to her stomach to ease the ache
building beneath her ribs. Somehow she managed to keep the
smile on her lips as Geoffrey led her away. She would not suc cumb to her shattered emotions in front of these people, all
waiting with barely restrained glee for her to blunder and fall.

    "Do not worry about her," Geoffrey said, as if reading her
mind. "She is nothing to Richard."
    Leah did not believe it. Were it true, Geoffrey would not
have felt compelled to remark upon it. She watched Richard as
he conversed with Margaret on the side of the ballroom. Lady
Montague was tall, slender, and coolly self-possessed. She belonged in this world, and from the way she was clinging to
Richard, she obviously thought that he belonged with her.
    The sudden stinging in her eyes warned Leah she needed
to make her escape. "Would you mind very much if we did
not dance?" she said, dragging her gaze away from Richard,
only to find Geoffrey watching her, his brown eyes soft with
concern.
    "Are you unwell? You do look a trifle peaked"
    "Not at all." She forced a bright smile. "I simply feel the
need for a breath of air. Truly. That is all."
    "These events can be tediously overwhelming," he said as
he steered her toward the French windows, through which she
could see a terrace lit by brightly colored lanterns. "But never
fear. You will get used to it. Shall I fetch you a lemonade?"
    Leah nodded. She searched for a glimpse of Richard through
the blur of unfamiliar faces. Her smile never faltered, but a
heavy ache settled in her chest as she found him, still conversing with Lady Montague. She would not have to worry about
getting used to these tedious events.
    After tonight, she would not be here.
    With practiced ease, Richard assumed a casual indifference
to his stance that belied the rage seething inside him. He
waited for Geoffrey to lead Leah far enough away so as not
to overhear this conversation. He might not have wanted to marry Leah, but that no longer signified. She was his wife,
and he'd be damned if he let anyone treat her with disrespect.

    He had not even seen the danger approaching. One moment
he was drowning in clear green eyes sprinkled with gold dust,
lost in the fantasy of sweeping Leah into his arms and dragging
her to bed. The next, Lady Margaret Montague was sliding her
fan along his arm. Were Margaret any one of the other guests,
Richard might even have felt grateful for the interruption,
which allowed reason and sanity to restore his mind, if not
his body.
    Before disappearing into the crowd, Leah cast one last
glance at the woman edging closer to Richard's side. Her expressive eyes narrowed slightly, her brows drawn together, not
in anger, but more a puzzled bewilderment.
    "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded of Margaret,
keeping his voice low, his features calm and controlled.
    The lovely widow lowered her chin toward her shoulder.
She titled her lips in the merest hint of a smile, a pose meant
to allure and intrigue him. "Dance with me, darling."
    "Do not toy with me, Margaret" Richard

Similar Books

Prince of Time

Sarah Woodbury

Ghost Moon

John Wilson

Home for the Holidays

Steven R. Schirripa

Tempting Grace

Anne Rainey

The Never Never Sisters

L. Alison Heller

Tall Poppies

Janet Woods