Bride Enchanted by Edith Layton Read Free Book Online

wide ballooning sleeves; a sash round his waist with a golden sword tucked into it, dark breeches and high, loosely fitted buccaneer boots. He wore an eye mask and a magnificent hat with a drooping feather. He swept off his fantastical hat and bowed from the waist as he looked at Eve. “The music’s beginning again,” he said. “May I have this dance, little Ella of the Cinders?”
    She looked at Aubrey. Then she grinned. Dropping a housemaid’s ducking curtsey, she placed her hand on the pirate’s proffered arm, and with a backward look at Aubrey said pertly, in a countrified accent, “Aye, thankee, kind sir.”
    â€œSo, Miss Sit-by-the-Cinders,” the pirate said, as he led her into a country dance, “will you give me a hint?”
    â€œA hint about what, sir?” she asked as the dance took them apart.
    â€œNow, surely you know that the game is to give your partners a hint, and the one that guesses right gets a kiss at midnight?” he told her when the dance brought them together again.
    â€œI didn’t,” she said. “But,” she added, “I’m that glad to play the game. Because you’ll never guess. Does it work the other way too?” she asked cheekily, as the music whirled her down the line away from him. She took the opportunity to steal a glance at Aubrey, at the side of the dance floor. He was watching and not smiling. She was.
    When she returned to the pirate, he put one hand on his heart. “Aye, the game is the same for both of us. My hint then is that you’ll never find me board a ship, but on shipboard I stay.”
    She laughed. “Very good! Then mine is that you’ve seen me before, but you’ve never seen me at all.”
    â€œHow could I have been such a blind man?”
    â€œBut who would notice a kitchen maid, m’lor?”
    â€œI should have,” he said, taking her hand as they ducked their heads and stepped together through the end of the aisle the other dancers made, as each couple did in turn.
    Eve was dizzy from the dancing, merry from the jest, and tickled that she’d possibly annoyed Aubrey. At least she’d showed him that he wasn’t the first or last male in the world that wanted to dance with her, even in her rags. Which is why she didn’t notice that after the pirate had whirled her down the line, he spun her away from the dance. They paused near an opened door, wherea fresh night breeze tantalized them by cooling their faces.
    â€œCome,” the pirate said, tugging on her hand. “Let’s go outdoors and breathe.”
    She wanted to, but giddy as she still was, Eve remembered this was a masked man who could be any man and it was decidedly not a good idea to go out into the dark with a strange man in London, or anywhere.
    She forced a laugh and tried to pull back. “Thankee, sir, but no. I know me place. And that is in here, in plain sight, be it hot or not.”
    He tightened his grip on her hand and tugged harder, so hard that she was moved slightly off balance. “Come, lass,” he said. “It’s only a back garden. What can happen there?”
    â€œAnything. Everything. Pray loose my lady, sir,” Aubrey said, as he appeared in the opened doorway. He put one gloved and jeweled hand at his waist. “You carry a sword. I carry a scimitar. My weapon isn’t too good for parry and thrust, but it can reap heads. So it might be awkward when I win, but I’m sure anyone would say it was a fair fight if we duel.”
    Aubrey’s voice was soft but the pirate immediately dropped Eve’s hand. He stepped back as though struck. “My mistake,” he said, recovered enough to make a shaky bow. “I didn’t know themaid was really spoken for. A thousand pardons. Good evening.” He backed off, and away, and disappeared into the throng of partygoers.
    Aubrey stood looking down at Eve. He held out a hand to her. “It