Read Online An Unlikely Alliance by Rachel van Dyken - Free Book Online Page A

heavier, knowing
for certain he would fall victim to sleep soon. Finally his
breathing deepened and he slumped against the tree.
    That was when Evelyn finally realized how
tired she was as well. "Might as well close my eyes a bit," she
said out loud as she glanced at her daddy's picnic. They weren't
going anywhere soon. It couldn't hurt to take a little catnap. She
was a light sleeper. What was the worst that could happen?
    Evelyn slept so hard, she didn't even dream.
A loud crash woke her from her sleep. Panicking, she looked around
and noticed the servants taking down the tent. And then she heard
laughter.
    "'Don't worry, Royce! I'll stand guard!'"
Royce's voice mocked from behind. "You stood guard, all right. Just
how long did you wait after I fell asleep before you decided to
take your little nap, hmm?"
    Evelyn felt her face flush. "It wasn't on
purpose! And you looked so peaceful, and they were just sitting
there! You weren't even supposed to fall asleep, Mr. 'I don't need
sleep, I am a man.'"
    Royce shook his head. "We lost them, and now
we have no idea where they went!"
    "Course we do." Evelyn pushed off the grass.
"They're going to the ball tonight, and so are we." She held out
her hand to Royce and waited. He grasped it and didn't let go the
entire way to the house.
    Evelyn didn't want to read too much into
their prolonged contact, but then again, she was already falling
head over heels for the man against her better judgment. They had
shared kisses but never held hands. It almost seemed more personal
to her, more intimate.
    Royce picked a daisy and handed it to her,
causing another familiar blush to creep up her cheeks. "I will be
back around half past eight tonight, my sweet. Does that suit you?"
He opened the back door and ushered her inside. As she passed him,
she could feel the heat radiating from his body. All she wanted in
that moment was to fall backward into his arms.
    "That should be just fine, although the ball
isn't until nine. Why so early?"
    Royce grinned wolfishly as his lips became
dangerously close to hers. "That is for me to know and you to find
out. I'll see myself out. Good afternoon, love." With that, he
tipped his hat and marched out the door like a man on a
mission.
    Foolishly, Evelyn couldn't help but wonder
if that certain mission had something to do with her.
     
    ****
     
    He was going to marry her. The silly grin he
had been wearing for days was still cheerfully plastered all over
his face for the world to see. For the first time in his life,
Royce didn't care. He had found the one woman who set his passions
aflame and who wasn't afraid to give her opinion or order him
about.
    It was marvelous.
    And she was going to be his.
    Unfortunately, planning ahead had never been
one of his strong suits. He knew he had limited time to purchase a
ring and even more limited time to talk with Mr. De Jarlias. The
sooner the better.
    Rushing to the shops, he stopped when the
ramifications of his actions hit him square in the chest. He was to
be married. A wife! And it would be soon!
    A sickening feeling erupted in his stomach,
almost making him stop to relieve it of its contents. He had to
tell Evelyn of his past. Granted, she probably had heard enough
gossip from others to develop her own ideas; then again, she hadn't
known about his two mistresses. The two mistresses whom he had seen
at the same time on the same night not so long ago.
    How could he have been so foolish and
selfish? It was hardly an excuse, but he had been walking around in
an emotional haze for the past year since his father's death. No
sin of the flesh had helped him. He had always hoped it would. An
idiotic idea. To think he could fill the one gaping hole in his
heart that only love could heal.
    Royce swallowed the knot of guilt for what
he had to tell Evelyn and took a step toward the house he used to
frequent the most. It was time to say goodbye to the women of his
past and move on with the one holding his heart—his