The Accidental Courtesan by Cheryl Ann Smith Read Free Book Online

didn’t need more whispers.
    Though much of the Ton thought him an uncouth American, he was issued an invitation to every soiree because of his proper pedigree and wealth. Normally he avoided these large parties with all the marriageable ladies in attendance and hunting for husbands. Tonight he was on a mission, so he suffered for lust.
    He’d been stalking the halls and rooms on the first and second floors for over an hour and had found no sign of his lovely visitor. The chance she’d be a guest was slim, yet he’d had to try. The time he’d wasted away from the shipyard on this futile hunt raised his frustration. His body had been in a state of partial arousal since he’d pulled the courtesan-thief down onto his bed. It irked him that he couldn’t seduce and forget her.
    With his jaw clenched, and the cloying heat driving him toward the terrace doors, Gavin declared the night a waste of time. If he ducked out into the garden, he could be off without drawing his cousin Charles’s attention.
    Since Gavin’s arrival in London, his cousin had worked hard to find him a bride. Charles had even had the gall to have his bookkeeper, Jones, give a matchmaker a sketch and his personal information, in hopes the woman could find him a bride. A former courtesan bride. Charles even came out tonight, a rare occurrence, in hopes of having Gavin engaged before the clock struck midnight.
    No amount of protesting could keep Charles from his course.
    If not for a fire at the hotel where he’d been staying, Gavin wouldn’t have been forced to stay with Charles. Close quarters gave his cousin ample opportunity to press his case. Gavin needed to find a town house of his own. And soon.
    The only positive of living with Charles was meeting the mystery woman. But she wasn’t in the crush, and his cousin was busy lining up potential wives for introductions.
    Fleeing the party was Gavin’s best option, before his cousin arranged a wedding of inconvenience. Misery loved misery, and Charles desired all the men around him to be just as miserable as he was in his marriage.
    Gavin nodded to an acquaintance and took the most direct route toward the doors. Several young women cast him covert glances that he chose to ignore. He had almost made it to freedom when someone finally threw open the doors and a light breeze filtered across his warm face.
    But it wasn’t the air that drew his attention and caused his body to turn stiff and focused. It was the light scent of lemon and cinnamon that brought him upright in his tracks.

Chapter Four

    I nstant awareness zipped through his body like a fox sensing a hare hiding under a nearby bush. His gaze moved from face to face as he searched for his seductive visitor in the swirl of party guests. She was here! He knew it as well as he knew his own name. Never once before had he smelled that combination of scents in the sea of lilac and lavender most women favored.
    He might not clearly remember her face, but her scent was permanently etched in his mind. He’d not rest until he found her, even if he had to sniff dozens of necks. A slow grin spread over Gavin’s face. What a stir that would cause among the esteemed guests. He suspected he’d spend the rest of the evening fending off dueling challenges from irate husbands and fathers.
    Gavin moved slowly through the crowd, his head turning this way and that. Nothing could distract him from his mission.
    He was following her fleeting scent, as difficult as looking for a hairpin in a field of hay. But the little courtesan-thief was near. She’d not get away this time.
    It was nearly a half hour before he spotted a woman in pale cream, her flaxen hair upswept to show the perfect curve of her graceful neck. Her eyes shone as she turned slightly and smiled at some witticism spoken by her companion. Gavin’s eyes locked onto the side of her face.
    There was something familiar in her fine features. With