B006DTZ3FY EBOK by Diane Farr Read Free Book Online

on its axis. Derek almost swore aloud from the shock of it. The lady looked exactly like Cynthia Fitzwilliam.
    Damnation! The lady was Cynthia Fitzwilliam!
    It was fortunate that he was on horseback. Max carried him calmly forward despite the sudden paralysis that seized him. But there was no time to compose himself, no time to recover from the reflexive rage coursing through him, before he pulled even with her and was forced, through common courtesy, to rein Max to a halt. He stared down at her, his jaw set. He could not bring himself to speak.
    Damn her. She was as lovely as ever. A little pale, and her jaw as firmly set as his, but apparently the witch who had troubled his dreams for three years still walked the earth in human form. He had often wondered whether his fevered imagination had embellished the memory. Apparently not. She was exactly as he remembered her, from the impossible blue of her eyes to the soft curve of her lower lip. Every plane of her face was familiar. The way she held her head. The set of her shoulders. The deceptive softness of her skin, which looked like porcelain but felt like…
    God help him.
    The pretty lips parted. She spoke, in a voice that shook only slightly. “Y ou do remember me. I wondered if you would. ”
    “Y es, ” he said hoarsely. “I remember you. ” Ten thousand times a day, I remember you. What the devil was she doing, dropped into the wilds of Lancashire like a meteor fallen from the sky?
    “T hank you for stopping, Mr. Whittaker. ”
    He hoped his smile didn ’ t look as bitter as it felt. “I never could resist a damsel in distress. ”
    Painful thoughts of their first meeting flashed almost visibly in the air between them, like swords crossing. He could almost hear the jarring clang of steel.
    Cynthia looked away. “I t is a noble quality. ” She was plainly trying to sound arch, but her voice was barely audible. She cleared her throat and looked back at him. “I would have greeted you with more dignity, but my mare has cast a shoe. ”
    “S o I see. ” Then the import of her words hit home. He frowned. “Y ou were expecting to meet me here? ”
    She nodded. “I thought it only fair to… to forewarn you. I thought it might be strange for you to walk in and find me at Oldham Park. ”
    An indescribable mix of emotions crashed over Derek like a wave. Chief among them were disbelief and horror, but rage, grief and chagrin were discernible as well. Cynthia at Oldham Park! Fate must have a cruel sense of humor, to deal him such a blow.
    His expression must have reflected some of what he felt, for after glancing at his face Cynthia dropped her gaze nervously to the ground. “I thought if you walked in and saw me — if you remembered me at all — you might say something, or — or do something that would betray our … our prior acquaintance. And I thought it would be better if … if you did not. So I rode out to meet you. I did not want my presence to take you by surprise. ”
    She peeked at his face once more. Whatever she saw there caused her to look away again. She turned to stroke her mare ’ s nose, as if unconsciously seeking comfort. “I meant it kindly, ” she said defensively.
    When he still said nothing, her cheeks began to turn pink. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I am stopping at Oldham Park as the guest of Lady Hannah Chase. Lord Grafton ’ s daughter, you know. My mother thought it would be prudent to accept her invitation, at least until the roads clear. When they do, I promise you, we will be off to London for the Season. Please believe me, Mr. Whittaker, I had no idea — that is, I knew that Lord and Lady Malcolm would be there, but I did not know that you… ” Her voice trailed off. She swallowed hard, then tried again. “W hen I learned that Lady Malcolm ’ s brother was expected to visit, I never dreamed it would be you. I did not know her maiden name, or anything about her. Even when she mentioned her ‘ brother Derek,