Revenge Wears Rubies by Renee Bernard Read Free Book Online Page A

premonitions that he’d withdrawn from the party confident that he’d be able to recognize her the instant he spotted her below. John had described her in vague poetic terms, but Galen imagined that she would be passably pretty, in a cunning and calculated way. He’d guessed that she would be quite the social butterfly, seeking out the loftier or livelier elements in the room to further her ambitions. He’d pictured a dozen different variations of Miss Moreland, the heartless siren, and then just when he’d decided on the most likely candidate, wearing yellow organza below in the salon, she’d startled him into nearly breaking her neck.
    Not that he’d known it was her. Not at that moment.
    It seemed that John’s fair love possessed a wicked wit and was more prone to hiding in the ferns than elbowing her way to center stage. Even so . . . Mr. Herbert Trumble’s amusing lack of social graces spoke volumes to Galen about Miss Moreland’s character and apparent willingness to cheerfully marry a mud troll for his money.
    Hell, it would serve the girl a delightful measure of justice to be married off to that colorless pigeon! The thought warmed him for a fleeting moment, but then the dull chill of his strategy returned in full force. Leaving her to the long, dusty grind of a loveless marriage didn’t suit Galen’s plans.
    And now that he’d seen the lovely Miss Haley Moreland, he was truly looking forward to the game. Not that his own pleasure was a consideration, but as he’d stood before her in the salon and observed the delicious change in her coloring at every compliment, Galen wasn’t oblivious to the curl of anticipation that had unfurled inside of him. Granted, she was a tall beauty with a sleek, ripe figure that defied a man to keep his sinful thoughts to himself despite an army of chaperones (much less one elderly aunt’s watchful eyes). And Miss Moreland did possess the requisite porcelain skin and classic patrician features that seemed all the fashion these days. But unlike the golden curls that so many women sought to copy, her hair was a defiantly stunning mahogany brown. Heavy silk curls hung down between her shoulder blades and back from her face to frame eyes the color of the sea, and Galen guessed that few men could withstand their storms. And there again she strayed from the fashion plates—no sleepy-lidded doe eyes staring out with innocent indifference. Wide eyes with a beguiling spark of wit met the world, and Galen wondered how a soul could be so malicious and still look out at the world with such a clear appeal.
    But what truly warmed his blood were the signs that Miss Moreland might be, in fact, a unique creature in their midst. She hadn’t fluttered or fawned, and unlike any woman he had known, she had spoken the truth before censoring herself or considering her audience. She’d been so refreshingly direct that he couldn’t help but wonder how far the trait might extend. Would she be as direct in her desires? Would she be so natural when faced with raw passion? This seduction would be sweet and slow, by his choice, not by necessity.
    She’d been like two different women, in the gallery and then in the crowd below. At first, a mischievous sprite far out of bounds but apparently unafraid of the dark—or him. And then on the main floor of the salon, she’d been all polite graces, a regal beauty determined to keep her calm despite all his attempts to unsettle her. But it was the sprite he suspected John had loved, and it was that fearless side of her he needed to draw out if he was going to win her over and achieve his aim.
    For if there had been a small tendril of mercy, a faint hint of regret inside of him, he’d let it die at the sight of her in that glorious red dress. She was a bloodred ruby brought to life with an allure and a power all her own. She was a vision of fire and beauty, but like a gem, cold to the touch and heartless. She was a siren with dark secrets of her own, and