A Kiss With Scandal (Scandals & Secrets 4) by Janelle Daniels Read Free Book Online Page A

as she would be.
    His sacrifice would mean something.
    “How will you stop them? You said yourself, they’re going to find me. You can’t be by my side every second.”
    He grasped her hand, pulling her to stand beside him. As things stood, she was correct. He couldn’t be by her side every moment. But he could change that. “Listen to me very carefully. We will go back into the ballroom separately, but I will always have my eyes on you. Once we’re back inside, we will dance a set together, then promptly start another.”
    She gasped. “But everyone will think—”
    “Exactly.”
    She edged away. “You forget. They’ll think your intentions are serious. That you’re close to proposing. Especially after you cut my dance with Lord Bartholomew short.”
    “And what better excuse would justify you and your family leaving tomorrow for a country party at my estate?”
    Her brows furrowed as she stomped on moss-covered tiles. A notch formed on her forehead that he had an overwhelming urge to kiss away.
    “Are you sure it will be safe there? For me and my family?”
    Her worry for her family’s safety warmed his heart. “It’s more secure than here. Any outsiders will stick out, and I’ll have guards there to watch you all at every moment. This will work.”
    She bit her lip. “And then what? What will happen when it’s over? There could be a scandal.”
    He shook his head firmly. “There will be no scandal. We will track down who they are while you’re at my estate. Once it’s over, we’ll return to London, and quietly leak that we didn’t suit. We will appear friendly, amicable, and the talk will die down within a week.”
    His gut twinged at how cut and dried their relationship sounded, but he pushed the feeling away. He had a job to do.
    “My mother will just love this.”
    He snorted. Just about any mama with an unmarried daughter would kick her heels at an opportunity like this. “And that is exactly why this will work. She’ll want this so much she won’t care about etiquette. She won’t care about the hassle of packing for a fortnight in the country with little warning. Nothing else will matter except that a viscount has shown a strong interest in you and that you’re interested as well.”
    A small smile curved her lips. “Oh? I’m to be interested?”
    “Practically falling in my arms.”
    She stepped toward him. A hint of trust lit her eyes, warming his heart. “Well, I guess we should get started.”
    He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, his muscles flexing under her touch. Her delicate, tapered fingers made him feel strong, sturdy.
    Protective.
    As they moved through the darkened hallways toward the center of the party, the scent of freshly churned earth faded as melted wax took over. He dusted her shoulders, ridding her gown of lingering dirt, and whispered, “Go ahead, now. I’ll follow you.”
    She hesitated. “You’ll be right behind me?”
    His gut clenched. “The whole time.”
    She nodded once before slipping ahead. He watched her slim form glide down the hall. Each step she took, she girded armor only he was able to see. Her chin rose a notch, her posture straightened. The ton wasn’t forgiving, and Charlotte was ready for battle.
    Charlotte. Her name echoed through his mind as he stepped to follow her. It fit her. Delicate, feminine. It had the same ethereal quality she possessed from the blond curls on her head to her trim waist and long legs. She had grace women envied and men lusted after. It was in every man’s eyes as they looked at her, taking in the swells of her curves.
    Scorching possessiveness gripped him.
    His jaw clenched as his step faltered. Where had that come from?
    He was always so cool, calm, and collected when it came to his assignments. And that’s what Charlotte was. An assignment .
    When had he started thinking of her as Charlotte and not Lady Charlotte? When had she gotten under his skin, or more importantly, how?
    How had he gone from