Swept Away by Phoebe Conn Read Free Book Online Page A

himself a lucky man to have had so much, but after having met Eden, he now knew just how greatly he had been cheated.
    Amazingly, that bitter thought brought a slow smile to his lips. Fate might have dealt him a poor hand, but he knew in life, just as in a game of chance, the winner was not always the man with the best cards. On the contrary, it was often the man who relied on his wits rather than luck, and made the most of whatever cards he held.
    Alex wanted Eden, and badly. Now that he knew her affection for him also ran deep, why shouldn’t they spend what time he had left together? It was a daring thought, and perhaps a selfish one, but the choice, after all, would be Eden’s. His mind made up, he rose and began to undress. He would call on Eden just as he had promised Raven he would, but rather than bidding her a tearful farewell, he would offer her all the love that filled his heart. Knowing his beautiful rebel was a woman of spirit and courage, he was confident what her answer to his proposal would be.
     
     
    Lydia Lawton also waited until she reached the privacy of her own room before she confronted Eden with what she considered not only her shocking lack of discretion, but an unforgivable breach of trust as well. Her voice was low and controlled, for she had no wish to start her servants gossiping about her niece.
    “When Lord Clairbourne has been so generous with his time and attention, how dare you repay him by sneaking off with his nephew? And how could you have done that to Stephanie? Raven has been seeing her, not you. Did you think a few moments alone with him would be all you’d need to take him away from her? Is this how you wish to repay us for the kindness we’ve shown you? I can’t believe Sarah didn’t raise you to show better judgment, to say nothing of higher morals, than we’ve seen from you tonight. You have betrayed us all, and I demand to know why this very instant.”
    When her aunt had finished her scathing rebuke, Eden looked up, the sorrow of her expression still a reflection of her conversation with Raven, rather than a result of Lydia’s string of undeserved insults. “My parents raised me to be a lady, and I am one. Raven was my partner when the music ended. I was too warm and wished to go outside. There was nothing more to it than that. It was entirely innocent.”
    “There was far more to it,” Lydia contradicted. “I saw you two standing close, discussing something of obvious importance. Don’t insult my intelligence by claiming you were talking about the weather.”
    As she searched her mind for a reasonable reply, Eden toyed nervously with the fan she still held in her lap. Were she to confess the truth, her aunt would be even more outraged than she was already, so she dared not do that. She would not lie about what she and Raven had been discussing either.
    “While I’m half English, many of your customs are foreign to me. If I embarrassed you this evening, I’m truly sorry. I’ll apologize to Alex the next time I see him as well.”
    “I doubt you’ll ever see him again,” Lydia snapped angrily.
    “Not see him, but why?”
    Lydia shook her head, amazed Eden did not understand. “No man is pleased to find a woman he admires prefers another man to him. When the other man is his own nephew, well, the shock had to be a most painful one.”
    “Stop it!” Eden leapt to her feet, no longer able to stoically tolerate her aunt’s innuendoes when they now included Alex. “I did not lure Raven out into the gardens intending to seduce him! We were merely standing on the terrace enjoying the coolness of the night air. There is absolutely no reason for Alex to feel hurt by anything that happened tonight and I’m positive Raven will tell him so. I won’t listen to another of your malicious lies. I’m going to bed.”
    Stephanie had been listening at the door, and when Eden stormed by her, she had to lurch out of the way. She was torn then, not knowing whether to follow