Patricia Rice by Dash of Enchantment Read Free Book Online Page A

few wisps spilled
about her face.
    At the dinner bell, Cassandra descended the stairs to join
her aunt in the salon. The titters and shocked stares as she entered warned all
was not well, but Cassandra held her chin high and surveyed the room in seeming
search for her aunt. In reality, she wished for a corner in which to hide.
    Her faux pas was
immediately apparent. Most of the guests assembled were considerably older than
herself, and one or two indiscreetly displayed as much of their bosoms as
Cassandra. But it was obvious even to her that such a display in this proper
household was the exception rather than the rule. In addition, the one or two
young ladies of her own age wore modest muslins primarily of white with
discreet dashes of color in their sashes or ribbons. None revealed more than a
hint of the valley between their breasts, and even this much was concealed
behind a properly draped shawl. Cassandra’s vibrant silk with its daring
decolletage was fit only for the wicked women of Duncan’s world. Why had she
never noticed that before?
    Cassandra had no time in which to berate herself for her
blindness. She could not run and hide. She was a Howard, and thereby of higher
rank than almost everyone in this room. She had to smile bravely and keep going
forward.
    She had no awareness of Merrick’s nearness until she heard
the deep rumble of his voice behind her and felt his large hand upon her elbow.
“The room is damp. Shall I send someone to fetch your shawl?” There was neither
mockery nor warmth in the question.
    Cassandra steeled herself from the condemnation in his eyes
and looked up into his lean face. To her surprise, she found no emotion there,
only a certain patience as he awaited her reply. She nodded in acknowledgment. “If
you would, please. I was in such a hurry, I forgot it.”
    Merrick summoned a nearby footman and sent him on the
errand.
    “I trust you are not within these illustrious halls without
a chaperone, my lady. Perhaps you would introduce me to whomever you are
searching for?”
    Cassandra mistrusted the velvet softness of his voice, but
she had vowed to be on her best behavior. She saw Catherine advancing upon
them, and she offered Wyatt a brilliant smile before he could be swept away. “If
you could find my Aunt Matilda in these cavernous spaces, I would be happy to
introduce you. Perhaps she is by the fire. She has a fear of cold.”
    They did not advance far before Catherine confronted them,
her icy gray eyes sweeping over Cassandra’s revealing costume with derision. “You
are making a spectacle of yourself, Wyatt.” She turned her glare back to Cassandra.
“You would do well to eat with your aunt in her room, Cassandra. The men here
tonight are gentlemen. You’ll not find them very entertaining.”
    Malicious mischief welled up, and Cassandra spoke before she
had time to think. “Cat, you have not changed. Do you still use handkerchiefs
to fill your bodice?”
    Before her nemesis could utter an outraged reply, Cassandra
made a proper curtsy to Merrick. She felt his gaze resting on her own natural
abundance, and she sent him a knowing gaze as she rose. “It is good seeing you
again, my lord. I wouldn’t wish to intrude upon a private conversation. Good
evening.”
    Merrick had half a mind to catch the brat’s arm and give her
the proper verbal thrashing she deserved, but with a guilty start he realized
it wasn’t just a verbal thrashing he had in mind. Lady Cassandra Howard had
grown into a proper armful, and he felt a surge of lust as he imagined any
number of other chastisements he could offer her.
    With a jolt, he realized that she hadn’t minded the way he
looked at her. Catherine would have very properly slapped his face, but he
suspected Lady Cassandra would only laugh and encourage him. The idea of
actually dipping his hands into the bold chit’s bodice so shocked him that he
scarcely heard a word of Catherine’s scold. It was time he married and found a
release