The Unforgettable Hero by Valerie Bowman Read Free Book Online Page A

feeling better soon.”
    Her blush returned with a vengeance. “Oh, I’m terribly sorry. You must want me back on my way as soon as possible.”
    “No. No. You misunderstand me.” He smiled at her. “You’re welcome here as long as you like.”
    “And I hope you don’t mind, but I sneaked downstairs to the library last night and borrowed a book.” She nodded toward the bedside table where the works of Shakespeare sat.
    “You’re welcome to borrow whatever book you like. As long as you promise to stay away from carriages in the street,” he said.
    She laughed at that. “We know what we are, but know not what we may be,” she quoted.
    Adam smiled at her. Odd that she would choose that particular phrase when she didn’t remember her identity. But Lucy was right. This young lady was intelligent, soft-spoken, and well read. She could quote Shakespeare, for God’s sake. She must be a member of the ton. Another reason he needed to keep his distance from her. He was merely a mister. A poor relation to a duke. He smiled at her softly. “I think you should rest today, Lady Magnolia.”
    He turned toward the door.
    “Peter?” she asked tentatively.
    He turned back to her, his fingers on the handle again. “Yes?”
    “Do you think you might consider calling me Maggie? When it’s just us, I mean.”
    He nodded, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Yes, Maggie. I would.” He liked that. It was so much less formal than Lady Magnolia.
    Adam pulled open the door and made his way out. He shut the door and leaned back against it, expelling his breath. Lady Magnolia—Maggie—was actually quite nice. She seemed kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. She was also exceedingly beautiful. He grimaced. It was just like him. The one time he met a lady he actually had an affinity for and she was ailing and had no clue as to her own identity. That was the only reason she suffered his company, too. She believed him to be a duke. And not just a duke. Her betrothed. He shook his head. If her memory suddenly returned, she’d no doubt run screaming from him.
    He rolled his eyes. Yes. Taking her to a Society ball this evening was a brilliant idea.
    But something she’d said had sparked his memory if not her own. She’d mentioned a book. The papers he’d gathered in the street had seemed to be part of a story. He’d left them in a stack somewhere downstairs. Perhaps he hadn’t studied them closely enough. Perhaps the story held a clue to her identity after all.

CHAPTER TWELVE
    Adam had spent the better part of an hour that afternoon looking for those blasted papers to no avail. They were not sitting on the table in the drawing rooms where he was certain he’d left them, and even after he’d inquired with both the housekeeper and the butler, the pages were still nowhere to be found. Apparently, none of the servants recalled moving them.
    In the end, he’d been forced to give up the search and leave for his appointment with the gentleman who had the rooms to lease. The appointment had taken far longer than he’d planned. He’d returned home with little time to spare to prepare for the ball this evening. He hadn’t had a chance to further search for Maggie’s manuscript. In the end, he’d hoped she’d be recognized at the ball tonight. The papers would have to wait until tomorrow.
    *   *   *
    The duke’s carriage pulled to a stop in front of a grand town house that evening. Maggie sat inside the coach with Peter, his brother, Derek, and Lucy. Maggie was outfitted in a glorious gown of pale peach that Lucy had presented her with this afternoon. It worried Maggie that she didn’t remember the gown; then again, as Lucy reminded her, she’d sustained quite a serious blow to the head. “Your mother informs me this is one of your favorites,” Lucy had said with such a confident, happy look on her face that Maggie didn’t dare question it.
    “I’m concerned about Mother,” Maggie had said to Lucy. “She’s never