Care and Feeding of Pirates by Jennifer Ashley Read Free Book Online

lint from his lapel,
smooth the coat on his shoulders, touch the strand of hair that was
just going gray.
    It annoyed her that she wanted to do this
with Christopher but she had never, ever pictured herself doing
such things for Mr. Templeton. To hide this sudden realization, she
lifted her Grecian draperies and prepared to sweep past them all
and into the ballroom.
    "No," Diana said. Her sister-in-law's fingers
were like vines that wrapped a trellis, light and thin, but strong
enough to crush. "We finish this."
    "Ladies," Grayson said. He had a half grin on
his face and that blasted twinkle in his blue eyes.
    Diana smiled at him and held out her hand.
Grayson bowed over it. He bent over Honoria's hand as well, giving
her a wink with the impudent grin.
    Honoria scarcely noticed. Christopher's
presence filled her vision, and all her senses burned at the
nearness of him.
    Mr. Henderson bowed to the two ladies,
leaving their hands alone. Mr. Templeton greeted them both with
delight and pressed a light kiss to the backs of Honoria's fingers.
He made some jesting reference to his costume, but Honoria did not
hear a word.
    Christopher's gaze was fixed on her, his eyes
holding a mixture of humor and impatience.
    She wondered what the devil had been the four
gentlemen's conversation before she'd arrived. The very idea that
Christopher and Mr. Templeton had met at all gave her palpitations.
What on earth had they discussed? Had Christopher said, "Good
evening, I'm Honoria's husband. I believe you are engaged to
her?"
    No, from the look of things, Christopher had
kept silent, at least to Mr. Templeton. What Grayson and Mr.
Henderson knew, she couldn't tell.
    "Mrs. Ardmore," Grayson was saying to Diana.
"May I present Christopher Raine? Raine, Diana Ardmore. She married
my good friend, James."
    Good friend, my foot, Honoria thought
distractedly. The enmity between Grayson and James had been
legendary.
    Christopher took Diana's hand and lifted it
to his lips. Neither his look nor Diana's steady gaze betrayed that
they'd already met.
    "And Honoria Ardmore, James's sister."
    Christopher turned to Honoria. His hand,
ungloved, closed over hers.
    The look he gave her was possessive. He was
obviously not going to step aside and let her engagement to Mr.
Templeton stand. The fireworks would begin soon, it was just a
matter of time.
    "We've met," Christopher said dryly.
    "Ah, yes," Mr. Templeton said. "So you told
me last night."
    Last night? Honoria glared at
Christopher and snatched her hand from his grasp. "Mr. Raine and I
are acquainted, yes."
    "More than acquainted," Christopher said.
    Honoria's heart beat swiftly and lights spun
before her eyes. He could not announce it here, could he? Not now.
She was not ready. She gave Christopher a hard look, wishing she
could send her thoughts straight into his brain.
    Christopher continued, "I am an old friend of
her brother's."
    Honoria's panic shifted to anger. Was this
what he would do all night--begin the startling announcement and
then back off at the last moment? Light the fuse, then stamp it out
before it reached the bomb? From the amused glint in his eyes,
yes.
    She wished Mr. Templeton wore a real cutlass
rather than a papier mache one. She'd borrow it, back Christopher
into a corner, and demand to know what he thought he was doing.
    Christopher was calm, that was one thing. But
it was the calm of the eye of a hurricane. The winds could shift at
any moment and bear down on her with devastating force.
    Grayson said to Diana, "Alexandra is asking
for you, Mrs. Ardmore. She's in the ballroom. The dancing is about
to commence."
    Diana made some polite answer that Honoria
missed, removed her fingers from Honoria's arm, and glided
away.
    Honoria felt suddenly bereft. Diana's grip
had propped her up--she would fall any second now.
    "Excellent." Mr. Templeton offered his arm to
Honoria. "I claim the honor of the first dance, Miss Ardmore. But I
am generous. I will give each of you fellows a