She took advantage of the respite to snatch a savory and a glass of ratafia from a passing tray. Nibbled as she watched the crowd of parrot-bright ladies and dashing gentleman. They laughed, danced, drank, and in one or two instances sang. Boisterous. At times rowdy. But always good-natured.
Among this company . . . what had Gordon been implying? And why did she feel she’d been chastised like a child? She shook off her questions with a sigh and a sharp flick of her fan.
“Abandoned at your own festivities?” came a voice from behind her, thick and dark as treacle. Definitely not Great-Aunt Charity, who possessed a parade ground bellow.
No, Elisabeth knew that voice. That impudent tone.
She swung around to come up against an unyielding chest. Her glass of wine sloshed onto his coat, staining his shirt front dark red. He stepped back with a quick oath. And the moment burst like a bubble. The man from earlier. A stranger. Not him. Not at all. What was wrong with her that she jumped at shadows?
“Forgive me.” She blotted at him with her napkin.
“Here, allow me.” He eased it from her hand as she belatedly realized the unintended intimacy of her actions.
“I . . . oh, dear . . . you don’t think . . . oh, dear,” she babbled.
He dabbed at the spot before crushing the napkin and shoving it into his pocket. “No matter. At least it’s not blood this time.”
What on earth did he mean by that?
He lifted his head, his veiled gaze finally meeting hers dead-on. Eyes burning golden yellow as suns, the irises ringed in darkest black.
She crushed a hand to her mouth to stifle the sound choking up through her belly.
His lips twitched with suppressed amusement. As if this were in any way funny. Earth-shattering more like. “Hello, Lissa.”
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright page
Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Heir of Danger
One
Back Cover
Lord of Shadows Page 32
