A Gentleman Says I Do
Page 27
“Stop barking, and be still, you silly little devil,” Brent mumbled, holding the dog back.
The young lady stopped a respectful distance from him and regarded him warily. He could barely make out her features, but there was no mistaking her deep blue eyes, full, tempting lips, and alabaster skin so smooth it looked ethereal in the slowly brightening sky.
She took a confident step toward him, a hint of a smile pulling at her mouth. “For such a big man, I would think you’d be confident enough to know how to handle such a darling little dog.”
Brent raised a brow. “If by darling dog you mean this spawn from the gates of hell, then pray tell me, how do you suggest I get her to be quiet?”
The corners of her beautiful lips lifted even more. “You quiet animals the same way you calm people, by speaking softly to them.”
He realized he had somehow managed to amuse her. That didn’t sit well with Brent.
“Not this one,” he said, moving the leash from one hand to the other while he continued to assess the lady.
Her smile widened, and his irritation grew.
His voice was a little more than testy when he said, “Don’t try to tell me her shrill barking isn’t piercing to your ears, too?”
She seemed to consider what he’d said before walking even closer. He watched her with deep interest. She was tall; the top of her head reached his chin. Her frame was hidden beneath her heavy cloak, but he had no doubt she was slender and not boyish in her figure. Her gaze stayed boldly on his face, and for some reason, that show of confidence sent heat pulsing through his body.
“Can’t you see your dog isn’t disturbing me or Brutus?”
Brutus?
Her dog was named Brutus?
Oh, hell.
Brent glanced over at her dog. The mastiff looked to be about the size of a small bear and stood completely still and obedient by the woman’s side, acting as if he couldn’t be less interested in the little terror screeching like a banshee at an exorcism. To make matters worse, here he was, well over six feet, holding a small, fancy dog on a leash, while one of the loveliest ladies he’d seen since coming to London was with a dog who looked capable of ending a man’s life with one bite.
Prissy, who obviously had more courage than brains, was still frantically straining to get at the larger dog. Brutus, who could easily swallow Prissy whole, remained calm and undisturbed as a windless night by his mistress’s side. It was no wonder Brent had made her smile.
The young lady removed her hood, exposing long golden blonde hair. Brent swallowed slowly. He had an immediate urge to reach over and gently glide his hand down the silken length of her tumbled locks. He watched in awe as she lifted her hair from beneath her cape, spreading it gloriously over her shoulders.
She had to know how alluring that was. And especially so to a man who hadn’t been with a woman in far too long.
A delicious quiver started in his loins.
There was just enough of a breeze to flutter a stray tendril across her lovely cheek. She quickly brushed it behind her ear.
His breath quickened as she knelt in front of him. She pulled off one short black glove and let Prissy sniff her hand while she spoke softly to her. The dog stopped barking instantly and allowed the lady to pet her head and gently stroke her back as if they were long-lost friends reunited.
Oh, yes. Brent would be silenced and soothed, too, if she were stroking his head and talking so lovingly to him.
“See, a whisper is always better than a shout.”
“I didn’t shout at her,” he felt compelled to argue in self-defense, but wished he hadn’t the moment the words left his mouth.
“No, you didn’t. But you were speaking gruffly, and that is just as upsetting to an animal.”
Upsetting? This time Brent held his tongue and remained silent.
“Male or female?” she asked without looking up at Brent.
“Female,” he responded, his throat suddenly dry.
“What’s her name?”
He didn’t want to tell her, but as his mother was so fond of saying, in for a penny, in for a pound.
“Prissy,” he said with as much masculine bravado as he could muster, and then couldn’t keep himself from adding, “She’s my mother’s dog.”
The woman looked up at him and smiled so sweetly he almost felt hypnotized by her.
“Prissy,” she repeated. “That’s a lovely name for such a brave dog. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Pomeranian this small.”
Brent started to tell her that was because the father was of questionable breeding but silently cleared his throat instead, and then said, “And I’ve seen some big mastiffs before but, without question, Brutus wins the ribbon.”
She stared up at him again and laughed softly. The sound wrapped around him like a promise on a spring morning, while her captivating charm sent heat rushing through his body with the warmth of a blazing fire on a bitter cold night. The way she was looking at him played havoc with his lower body. He couldn’t help but wonder what this alluring woman was doing in the park so early and so obviously alone.
“My precious Brut simply didn’t know when to stop growing.” She reached behind her and patted her dog’s big head. Brutus gave her a woof of approval. “But he’s as harmless as a kitten, most of the time.”
Her speech and the expensive fabric and tailoring of her cape spoke of wealth, but no lady of quality would be in the park at any time without a chaperone or companion. She looked a little young to be a well-set courtesan, but then he supposed they were all young once. And she certainly seemed too confident for an innocent maiden. Could it be she was some lucky gentleman’s well-paid mistress? She wore no crested rings on her fingers that he could see, so he doubted she was married, but whatever her case may be, ferocious dog or no, she was living much too dangerously for a lady.
“Pardon my question, miss or madame, but is there anything wrong?”
She rose, straightened her shoulders, and looked directly at him once again. Her expression remained confident as she pulled on her glove.
He sensed a measure of hesitancy in her voice when she calmly said, “I’m not sure I know what you mean.”
He didn’t believe for a moment she didn’t know what he was referring to, but he decided not to call her on it. He simply raised a questioning eyebrow again and said, “Perhaps something unusual has happened this morning, and that is why you are in the park without benefit of a proper chaperone or guardian.”
Brent was certain she blushed, and then she intrigued him even more by lowering her lashes for a moment, as if she wanted to shield something from him.
But what?
About the Author
Amelia Grey grew up in a small town in the Florida Panhandle and has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for more than thirty-five years.
Amelia has won the Booksellers Best Award, Aspen Gold Award, and Award of Excellence writing as Amelia Grey. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she has won the RT Book Review Award for Love and Laughter, the Maggie Award, and the Affaire de Coeur Award for best historicals.
Her books have been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs and have sold to many countries in Europe, and in Russia, China, and most recently in Indonesia and Turkey.
Amelia’s Rogues’ Dynasty Trilogy—A Duke to Die For, A Marquis to Marry, and An Earl To Enchant—and A Gentleman Never Tells are available at your favorite local or online bookstore.
Amelia likes flowers, candlelight, sweet smiles, gentle laughter, and sunshine.
A Dash of Scandal
by Amelia Grey
Is she stealing… or just hiding in dark corners…
The Earl of Dunraven is obsessed with catching the thief who stole a priceless heirloom from him. When he keeps running into London newcomer Millicent Blair in places she shouldn’t be, his suspicions aren’t the only thing aroused…
But Millicent’s real secret is a far cry from what the earl thinks—and would
horrify him much more if he knew. Yet, every encounter increases the attraction between the powerful earl and the lovely, intelligent, and feisty Miss Blair…
Welcome to the sparkling Regency world of Amelia Grey, where the gossip is fresh and a new scandal is always brewing.
“This is the perfect recipe for a perfect Regency romance novel. A pinch of mystery, a slice of romance, a sliver of gossip, and a dash of scandal. What more could you ask for?”
—Royal Reviews
For more Amelia Grey, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
Never a Bride
by Amelia Grey
Her name is on everyone’s lips…
When he left for America six years ago, the handsome Viscount Camden Brackley never suspected that he would return home to England to find his lovely fiancée embroiled in the scandal of the decade. The woman he planned on making his wife has been kissing every man in London…except him!
But scandal doesn’t matter in search of the truth…
Engaged and then abandoned, Lady Mirabella Wittingham is determined to find the man who drove her cousin to suicide, even if it means ruining her reputation and disgracing herself in the process…
When her plans go awry, Mirabella has no choice but to turn to her long-lost fiancé for help. But can she trust the man who deserted her so many years ago, or is he destined to fail her yet again?
“Witty dialogue and clever schemes… Grey’s vivid characters will charm readers.”
—Booklist
For more Amelia Grey, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
An Earl to Enchant
by Amelia Grey
He’s determined not to be a hero…
Lord Morgandale is as notorious as he is dashing, and he’s determined no woman will tie him down. But from the moment Arianna Sweet appears on his doorstep, he cannot resist the lure of her fascinating personality, exotic wardrobe, and tempting green eyes…
Arianna never imagined the significance of her father’s research until after his untimely death. Now she is in possession of his groundbreaking discovery, one that someone would kill for. She can’t tell Lord Morgandale her secret, but she knows she needs his help, desperately…
Praise for Amelia Grey:
“Bewitching, beguiling, and unbelievably funny.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Witty dialogue and clever schemes…
Grey’s characters will charm readers.”
—Booklist
“A gripping plot, great love scenes, and well-drawn characters…impossible to put down.”
—The Romance Studio
For more Amelia Grey, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
A Marquis to Marry
by Amelia Grey
The Marquis of Raceworth is shocked to find a young and beautiful Duchess on his doorstep—especially when she accuses him of stealing her family’s priceless pearls! Susannah, Duchess of Brookfield, refuses to be intimidated by the Marquis’s commanding presence and chiseled good looks. And when the pearls disappear, Race and Susannah will
have to work together—and discover they can’t live apart…
“A captivating mix of discreet intrigue and potent passion.”
—Booklist
“A gripping plot, great love scenes, and well-drawn characters make this book impossible to put down.”
—The Romance Studio
For more Amelia Grey, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com
A Duke to Die For
by Amelia Grey
The rakish fifth Duke of Blakewell’s unexpected and shockingly lovely new ward has just arrived, claiming to carry a curse that has brought each of her previous guardians to an untimely end…
“A lusciously spicy romp.”
—Library Journal
“Deliciously sensual... storyteller extraordinaire
Amelia Grey grabs you by the heart, draws
you in, and does not let go.”
—Romance Junkies
“Intriguing danger, sharp humor, and plenty
of simmering sexual chemistry.”
—Booklist
For more Amelia Grey, visit:
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The Virtuoso
by Grace Burrowes
A genius with a terrible loss…
Gifted pianist Valentine Windham, youngest son of the Duke of Moreland, has little interest in his father’s obsession to see his sons married, and instead pours passion into his music. But when Val loses his music, he flees to the country, alone and tormented by wha t has been robbed from him.
A widow with a heartbreaking secret…
Grieving Ellen Markham has hidden herself away, looking for safety in solitude. Her curious new neighbor offers a kindred lonely soul whose desperation is matched only by his desire, but Ellen’s devastating secret could be the one thing that destroys them both.
Together they’ll find there’s no rescue from the past, but sometimes losing everything can help you find what you need most.
“Burrowes’s exceptional writing and originality catch the reader and keep the story moving.”
—Publishers Weekly
For more Grace Burrowes, visit:
www.sourcebooks.com