Read Online Captivated by a Lady's Charm (Lords of Honor Book 2) by Christi Caldwell - Free Book Online

in her belly. In a world where she, in her dull skirts, blended with the sea of other white-wearing ladies, he’d somehow found her interesting. “Thank you.” Her gaze landed on her mother. Who stood beside her brother. Who stood beside Juliet. All three wore matching frowns. Prudence quickly yanked her attention upward and tripped over the marquess’ feet.
    Lord St. Cyr tightened his grip upon her waist and a small gasp escaped her at the intimacy of that movement. Oh, dear. Her brother would sever the man’s hands from her person if he was still watching. “Nor do I require your thanks for my assistance that day.” The young marquess lowered his lips closer to her ear. “You were plenty thankful.”
    She wrinkled her brow. “Was I?” Her details of their first meeting involved breathless sighs and a fast-beating heart and the hope of seeing him again.
    “Indeed,” he said slightly inclining his head.
    The music drew to a slow, regretful stop and she mourned the end of this most magical of sets. They stood there a moment while couples filed from the dance floor, so that only they two remained. “I should go,” Prudence said, catching her lower lip between her teeth.
    Did she imagine his lingering gaze upon her mouth? “Yes, yes you should.” He made no immediate move to leave.
    Alas, the swift advancing figure of a scowling Sin from beyond the marquess’ shoulder propelled Prudence into reluctant movement. She dropped a curtsy and paused, wanting to ask if she’d see him again. But even that was a question too impolite for her. “Good evening,” she whispered instead. With her brother nearly upon them, she did what she’d always done when her brother was in one of his tempers after her shows of difficulty—she spun on her heel and made to storm off.
    “Prudence.” The marquess’ shockingly intimate use of her Christian name, uttered in that deep, husky baritone, brought her spinning back around, angry brother be damned. “It was your eyes.”
    She angled her head.
    “You asked what I remembered of you that day. It was the blue of your eyes.” And with his words rousing another fluttering in her belly, he took his leave.
    Couples made their way to the rapidly filling dance floor, jerking her to the moment.
    No scandals. No elopements or rushed… What was that whole other part her mother was forever stating? Staring after the broad retreating back of the tall, powerful Lord St. Cyr, Prudence was hard-pressed to remember a single thing, including her name. Which unfortunately accounted for her belated remembrance of Sin. Oh, blast.
    “Dance with me,” her brother bit out as he came to a stop before her.
    She swallowed a groan. “Must I?”
    His answer was to take her by the arm and steer her into the proper row for the quadrille. “You love to dance.”
    “Not with my brother,” she complained. She loved to waltz in the powerful arms of Lord St. Cyr. As though he’d followed the scandalous path her thoughts had traversed, Sin dipped his dark brows menacingly.
    Prudence braced for the impending lecture on rogues and emotions and scandal, which was really quite silly coming from a one time, long time, rogue. Fortunately, the steps of the dance separated them and she gave silent thanks. From the opposite side of the circle of dancers, he caught her gaze; the frown on his lips proving he sensed that relief. She stumbled and crashed into the couple just crossing opposite her and her partner. The result was catastrophic…if a welcome, unintended distraction.
    A young lady knocked into her dance partner and crashed upon the floor and, with that stumbling move, took down her slight and slender dance partner.
    From across the rather humiliating jumble of limbs created by her faulty step, Prudence looked across the ballroom. Her mother had a hand to her forehead and shook it back and forth.
    Long accustomed to endless scrapes at his sisters’ hands, Sin, quickly took Prudence by the arm and neatly