Secrets of the Highwayman by Sara Mackenzie Read Free Book Online Page A

glass. She wanted to cover her eyes with her hands and hide, like a child.
    The guests could see Nathaniel, just as his sister had seen him, and he bowed his way elegantly through the crowd gathered around the space that had been clearedfor the dancers. Melanie eyed him curiously, taking in his dark blue jacket, white waistcoat, and tight beige trousers. Several women, who—in Melanie’s opinion—should have known better, giggled and fluttered their lashes, saying things like, “Oh, Mr. Raven, you are looking much better, I was so sorry to hear of your injuries,” and, “Oh, Mr. Raven, I hope you will call upon us soon, I do so want to hear all about your adventures in Spain,” and, “Oh, Mr. Raven, Major Pengorren has been telling us how brave you were.”
    “Mr. Raven, Mr. Raven, Mr. Raven,” Melanie muttered, as she trailed in his wake, growing increasingly irritated. No one looked at her; no one saw her. She was like a shadow. She didn’t realize she was dragging her feet until a sharp tug on her hand brought her up hard against his back.
    “Oomph!” her breath huffed out.
    Despite his lean elegance, he was all hard muscle.
    “Do you mind?” she hissed, pulling away, and becoming entangled in a some swaths of ribbons by the windows.
    He frowned at her and laid one long finger carefully against her lips. “You must listen,” he told her, staring intently into her eyes. His voice deep and smooth, like warm, melted chocolate.
    Melanie didn’t trust him or the way he drew that finger away, turning it into a caress.
    But there wasn’t time to take him up on it.
    The dancers had stopped dancing. Everyone was looking toward the dais, where a man and a womanstood at the front of the small orchestra. The man was tall and fair and very handsome. Melanie blinked. More than just handsome—he was the handsomest man she had ever seen—and instinctively she understood that this was the man the curly-haired servant girl had been speaking of earlier.
    It was strange, but the longer Melanie stared at him, the more his presence affected her. Almost as if she were being dazzled by the sight of him—dazzled in a way that was unnerving and definitely unwelcome.
    She shivered. “Who is that ?”
    “Major Hew Pengorren,” Nathaniel Raven spoke quietly at her side. He didn’t need to ask whom she meant.
    Her client’s ancestor, the progenitor of the Pengorren line, and Nathaniel’s commanding officer. The blond god was wearing a red uniform jacket and white trousers, with a dress sword strapped to his side. Irresistibly, her eyes were drawn back to his face, the golden beauty of it. She felt a little light-headed, starstruck in a way she’d never felt before, not even in her teenage years, when she and Suzie had gone to rock concerts and screamed themselves hoarse.
    “It was bliss,” Suzie used to say, eyes closed, lying on her bed with a silly grin on her face.
    This wasn’t bliss. This wasn’t a nice feeling at all. There was something horrible and squirmy about Major Pengorren.
    With a supreme effort, she reached up and rubbed her eyes, and almost immediately the feeling was gone. If she couldn’t see him, then she was okay.
    Again Nathaniel’s voice murmured in her ear, and she tried to pay attention, glad of the distraction. “Pengorren tells everyone I am a hero and plays down his own actions, but everyone knows it is he who is the real hero. He’s a gallant and brave officer, and he is at Ravenswood because I invited him. Miss Jones, he is my friend.”
    There was emotion in his voice, but what was it? Something out of place. Something that jarred in the context of the words he had spoken. She didn’t have time to figure it out, because Major Pengorren began to speak, and Melanie made the mistake of looking at him.
    Again the bedazzlement swept over her, but now that she was aware of it, she was able to hold back a little, observe her feelings more coolly and scientifically. She glanced at the faces of