by Nicole Locke
He met and held her gaze, his lips curving in a smile. ‘You seem to be greatly preoccupied with my looks. Do you like what you see?’
‘Why—I...’ She bit her lip, suddenly realising the imprudence of letting her tongue run away with her. This man was a stranger to her and there was no reason to share the intimate details of her life with him.
Appearing to enjoy the confusion his question caused her, chuckling softly, he brought a finger up to her face and followed the arc of her cheek, ever so gently, then brushed back a stray curl and tucked it behind her ear. Lucy shivered at his touch, but she did not draw away. She recognised the obvious admiration she read in his eyes and suddenly became aware of the boldness of his body, his maleness and the impropriety of being alone in his company.
Her heart beat hard in her chest and pounded in her ears and he moved closer, but then stopped. His mouth curled in one corner. He looked at her for a long time, his eyes studying her darkening, and she thought she knew what he was thinking. It alarmed her just a little, but she didn’t lower her eyes.
‘If you were not so young and innocent, Lucy Walsh, I would most definitely be tempted to kiss you to see if those lips are as soft and sweet as I imagine them to be—just something to remember in the coming days.’
‘Why, do you mean you would claim a kiss from me as pay back after all?’ she murmured cheekily.
‘My dear Miss Walsh,’ he said, looking at her face directly with a frank leer of approval that raked down over her body, ‘I am a seaman and if you were on my ship, and older and with more experience of the world at large, believe me when I tell you that you would pay me back, only I don’t think you would like the price.’
Shocked, Lucy drew herself up, a hot flush mantling her cheeks, but strangely she was not offended. ‘Sir, you are no gentleman.’
He grinned. ‘So you’ve finally figured that out. But worry not. I mean you no harm. Keep your innocence, Lucy Walsh. Hold on to it as long as you can. Your virtue is the most precious thing you have. Never forget that.’
Lucy stared at him, thinking it was a strange thing for him to say and wondered what had prompted it. Then he smiled, a slow, sensual, brilliant smile that made her feel as if she’d stared at the sun too long. ‘You are going far?’
‘I’ve been visiting a relative here in Surrey. I’m with a friend, Jacob Higgins, and we’re on our way back to London. Jacob couldn’t resist dropping in to see what the fair was all about and to partake of refreshment—the liquid kind. Speaking of which, I should go and look for him. Then I really should be going. I want to make it back before dark. Captain Christopher Wilding at your service.’ With a smile he inclined his head in the briefest of bows. ‘I bid you good day, Lucy Walsh. It’s been a pleasure talking to you.’ He turned from her and walked away.
Lucy’s eyes followed him as he strode across the grass with a casual grace, took hold of the bridle of a splendid chestnut stallion and swung himself on to its back with all the ease of a trained athlete. She noted how he rode his horse as if he were part of the animal. She still felt the undercurrents created by his presence and, as he disappeared into the trees, she was touched by an incredible sense of loss.
She had no idea what had possessed her to go off with him like she had, for she had been unable to stop herself. It was as if the innocent part of her had undergone an extraordinary transformation beneath the intense silver gaze and she had become a shameless wanton. When she thought of it and their conversation and he had said that, had she been older, a kiss would be the reward for saving her from a runaway horse, an acute embarrassment washed over her, along with an odd, breathless excitement that she was certain could not be anything but wicked.
She was sure he had been attracted to her in a special sort of way and there was no doubt he’d had an effect on her. He had made her feel she was no longer a child. She felt frustrated that he had gone before she could understand the meaning of this attraction between them.
Hearing someone call her name, she looked round to see Emma, who came to stand beside her.
‘Who was that man you were talking to?’ Emma asked, looking in the direction in which he had disappeared.
‘Christopher Wilding, apparently,’ she murmured a little dreamily, completely unaware that there was a sparkle in her eyes and a delicate pink flush on her cheeks that hadn’t been there before her meeting with the handsome sea captain. From the moment she had set eyes on him she had felt a strong sense of attraction to him, right from the moment she had looked into his silver-grey eyes when he had saved her from being trampled to death by the horse. ‘He came to my rescue when a horse threatened to run me down. He’s a sea captain.’
‘Then he must have been with the person I was talking to. He told me he was a sailor. He said his friend was a sea captain, a privateer—the owner of a vessel called Sea Nymph, which is docked in London—and quite famous for escaping at the most crucial moment from impossible situations.’
Lucy gave her an indulgent smile. ‘I think he might have been trying to impress you, Emma, with his story of derring-do.’
‘Perhaps you’re right, but he was nice—and see,’ Emma said, running towards a leather satchel on the ground, ‘your captain must have dropped this.’ She handed it to Lucy. ‘Do you think we should look inside?’
‘No. If he did indeed drop it—or it might have fallen from his horse—then we should try to find him.’ She looked around, hoping to catch sight of him, but he was nowhere to be seen. ‘He must have left with his friend.’
‘Perhaps there’s an address inside where he can be reached. Have a look, Lucy. There will be no harm done.’
Nervously Lucy unwrapped the package, but there was nothing inside to identify the stranger, just papers with an address in Hanover Square which she immediately put back without reading them.’
‘We’ll take them back with us. He knows I am at the academy so when he misses them, if they are important, he might very well go to there.’
Copyright © 2021 by Helen Dickson
Love Harlequin romance?
DISCOVER.
Be the first to find out about promotions, news and exclusive content!
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
Instagram.com/HarlequinBooks
Pinterest.com/HarlequinBooks
ReaderService.com
EXPLORE.
Sign up for the Harlequin e-newsletter and download a free book from any series at
TryHarlequin.com
CONNECT.
Join our Harlequin community to share your thoughts and connect with other romance readers!
Facebook.com/groups/HarlequinConnection
ISBN-13: 9781488071966
The Knight’s Runaway Maiden
Copyright © 2021 by Nicole Locke
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at [email protected].
Harlequin Enterprises ULC
22 Adelaide St. West, 40th Floor
Toronto, Ontario M5H 4E3, Canada
www.Harlequin.com
