At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh Read Free Book Online Page B

them, indeed, were still standing on the sidelines, nary a partner in sight though the dancing was about to resume. He should probably concentrate his attention upon them.

    It was one devil of a way to choose a bride! Pick the most bored-looking wallflower and offer to brighten her life. Offer her marriage with a man who had abandoned his last bride almost literally at the altar in order to run off with her married sister-in-law and live in sin with her for almost five years. A man who had no wish whatsoever to marry but was being forced into it by the threat of penury. A man who no longer believed in romantic love and had never practiced fidelity. A man with an illegitimate child he refused to hide away in some dark corner of the country.

    He had fixed his narrowed gaze upon a mousy-haired young girl who, if his eyes did not deceive him from this distance, had a flat chest and a bad case of facial spots, and who was beginning to notice his scrutiny and look decidedly frightened by it, when he was distracted.

    A missile almost bowled him off his feet—something hurled his way in order to expel him after all, perhaps?

    He clamped his hands about the two arms of the missile in order to save himself from landing flat on his back—what a spectacular reentry into society that would be!—and realized that it was a human missile.

    A female human, to be exact.

    Veryfemale.

    She was all generously sized breasts and delicious curves and subtly fragrant dark hair. And when she tipped back her head to apologize, she revealed a face that did the body full justice, by thunder. She had wide eyes and a porcelain complexion and features that had been arranged on her face for maximum effect. She was loveliness personified from head to toe.

    He held her against him longer than was necessary—and far longer than was wise in such a public setting, when his sudden appearance was already provoking attention. But she would surely fall over if he released her too soon, he reasoned.

    She had long legs—he could feel them against his own.

    She was beautiful and voluptuous—and pressed by some happy chance to his body. Could any warmblooded male ask for more?
    Privacy and nakedness and a soft bed, perhaps?

    The only negative thing that could be said about her—on the spur of the moment anyway—was that she was not young. She was probably his own age, give or take a couple of years. That was not at all young for a woman. She was undoubtedly married, then. She must have been snaffled up off the marriage mart ten or twelve years ago. She probably had half a dozen children. A pity that. But fate was ever a joker. He must not expect his search to be this easily or happily concluded.

    There was no ring on the left hand that was splayed over his chest, though, he noticed.

    All of which thoughts and observations flashed through his head in a matter of moments.

    “Excuse me,” she said, flushing and looking even more beautiful, if that were possible.

    She was pushing at his chest. Trying to get away.

    There was no harm in being hopeful, was there?

    “Why?” he asked her. “What is your hurry? Why not stay and dance with me? And then marry me and live happily ever after with me?”

    He felt her body grow still and watched the arrested look on her face.
    Then her eyebrows arched above her eyes—and even they were lovely.
    It was no wonder some poets wrote poems to their ladies’ eyebrows.

    “Does it have to be in that order?” she asked him.

    Ah. An intriguing answer indeed. An answer in the form of a question.

    Duncanpursed his lips.

    She had bowled him over after all—and rendered him temporarily speechless.

    4

    MARGARET almost laughed, though more with hysteria than with amusement.

    Whathad he said?

    And what had she answered?

    Gracious heaven, he was a total stranger, and not a very reputable-looking one at that. Was anyone observing them? Whatever would they think ?

    His hands had loosened their hold on her arms