Read Online Vexed by a Viscount by Erin Knightley - Free Book Online

not bruised-footed.
    The white light of the moon illuminated the grounds quite handily, bright enough to cast shadows even. She would have known her way through the garden blindfolded, but there was a certain security to being able to see. After the murky water debacle, she preferred to know what was around her. Nothing was going to jump out and scare her now—
    “Good evening.”
    Prudence gave a short shriek as her hands flew to her throat. Mercy! Almost at once she recognized that the soft, low voice belonged to the viscount, not that her still-racing heartbeat acknowledged it. “For heaven’s sake, Ash—you scared the daylights out of me,” she gasped, lightheaded from the sudden surge of fear that had careened through her.
    Though she could barely see him, she knew exactly where he was: sitting on the bench beneath the old oak tree. He was just an inky spot against the shadows, little more than a figment of her imagination.
    Her heart still clamored in her chest, making her feel as though she’d just run a footrace. She didn’t know if she wanted to strangle him for scaring her or embrace him for not being a highwayman. Or worse: her father.
    “My apologies,” he said, coming to his feet. “I did try to speak softly so as not to startle you.” Beneath the shadowed branches of the tree, his features were too dark to be read, but the humor in his voice was readily apparent.
    “It wasn’t how you spoke, so much as the fact that you are here at all. Thank goodness one can’t die from fright. If it were possible, I’m certain I would have expired on the spot.”
    As he emerged from the shadows into the watery light of the moon, she could easily see the white flash of his teeth as he grinned at her. He was simply dressed in a plain dark coat and waistcoat, with pale breeches and his favorite boots. His shirt and cravat were bluish white in the moonlight, while his hair appeared almost black.
    “I have faith that you are made of sterner stuff than that. After all, you did swim in a lake I never would have stepped foot in, sans the protection of clothing, even.”
    “Something I am trying very hard to forget,” she said, only half teasing.
    “Well then, perhaps we need to give you something new to remember.” He paused at the gate and crossed his arms. “A certain moonlight dance, perchance?”
    His meaning hit her all at once. He wasn’t here simply to support her; he was here to dance with her. The familiar flutter in her middle whenever he was near multiplied, and she bit her lip against the sensation.
    They’d never actually danced together before. At past events, they’d shared a few cordial words here, a polite comment there, but he hadn’t been present on the rare occasions she attended the country dances, and the events at his home that she’d attended had never included the activity.
    And she would have remembered. If nothing else, she would have been all thumbs in the face of his inherent grace. She swallowed now, willing her heart to calm and her legs to work properly tonight.
    “I didn’t mean a couples dance when I created my list,” she said by way of meager protest. She simply couldn’t deny that the idea of dancing with him was wholly appealing. So appealing, in fact, that she made no move to open the gate, wanting to keep the barrier between them intact.
    “Then it’s a good thing the list is open to improvement. Now then, as you might expect, I am well versed in all forms of dance. But given the circumstances, it’s clear that only a waltz will do.”
    A waltz? Longing slipped through her like a warm breeze. Swallowing, she shook her head. “You must be joking. My mother would never let me participate in such a thing!”
    He rolled his eyes, his smile never leaving his face. “How very provincial. I assure you, even the most fastidious young ladies and the most overbearing mamas approve of waltzing in London. In fact, it is quite expected. Fortunately for you, I am an