Too Scandalous to Wed by Alexandra Benedict Read Free Book Online

Peter.”
    “Who, Seb?”
    “Henrietta, you fool!”
    Peter did as he was told. “What about her?”
    “Are you daft? Don’t you notice something different about the girl?”
    Peter crinkled his brow. “No, not really. Then again, you’ve been gone five months, Seb. I’m sure we all seem a bit different to you.”
    “ You are tryingly the same, brother.” Sebastian glanced at Henrietta, then back at Peter. “Can’t you see the change in her?”
    Once more, Peter peeked down the rosewood dining table. And once more he affirmed, “There’s nothing the matter with her, Seb.”
    Sebastian sensed his temples throbbing. “She’s twice her normal size!” he hissed.
    Peter choked again. “Good heavens, Seb, are you mad? She’s nothing of the sort.”
    “Look closely.”
    “I have . She’s hardly half a stone plumper, and more’n likely due to the heavy winter garb she’s wearing.”
    “Rubbish, the girl is…” So lushly curvaceous, Sebastian’s fingers twitched in a most wicked way. “What about the way she eats?”
    “What the deuce is the matter with the way she eats?”
    Well, for one, she was savoring her meal far too greatly. The way she slowly licked her lips after each bite made Sebastian’s breath hitch.
    “Seb, are you feeling all right?”
    Sebastian looked at his brother, confused for the first time in a long time. There was something dreadfully wrong with Henrietta. Why was he the only one who noticed?

Chapter 5
    A gentle snowfall showered the earth. Henrietta stared into the distant night, dragging in deep, cold breaths to steady her throbbing heart. She had done it! For five months she had rehearsed the art of flirting. For five months she had practiced every lithe movement in the mirror, read aloud to train her voice, and tonight the time had come to put all her hard effort to work.
    Oh, it had been a wretched wait for Ravenswood to appear! She had paced her room, her belly in a whirl, her rug threadbare from abuse. And then the sleigh bells had chimed, heralding his arrival—and she’d paced some more.
    Never show too much affection.
    It was one of Madam Jacqueline’s cardinal rules. And so Henrietta had stewed in her bedchamber, awaiting the dinner bell. Even then she’d delayed her entrance to the dining room for maximum affect. And it had worked. Splendidly, in fact. She’d sensed Sebastian’s dark gaze on her the entire time.
    Henrietta was so giddy she could giggle. It was over, the first test. Madam Jacqueline had taught her well. Henrietta had the strength, the skill to go through with the rest of the seduction. And she intended to make Ravenswood hers forever.
    “Good evening, Miss Ashby.”
    Oh, that rusty male voice! How she had missed it. Heart thumping loudly, Henrietta gathered her features and turned to find the most devilishly handsome man in creation sauntering toward her.
    She couldn’t help but sigh. Inwardly, of course. Madam Jacqueline had instructed her on the art of looking composed even when one didn’t feel very collected.
    Henrietta smiled and curtsied. “Good evening, my lord.”
    Sebastian paused dead in his tracks at the appellation “my lord.” Another one of Madam Jacqueline’s basic rules: take away the familiar until the man longed for it back. She would not call him Sebastian again until he implored her to.
    The moment of shock over, the viscount resumed his steady march. Snow crunched softly beneath his booted heels. He came to a stop just short of her arm’s reach, a light dusting of snowflakes clinging to his hair, his coat. The tiny white puffs even settled upon his thick and sooty lashes, and Henrietta found herself quite mesmerized by the charming sight.
    “How are you this evening, Miss Ashby?”
    Her smile broadened just a bit. Madam Jacquelinehad been right. A rake like Ravenswood would pick up on her subtle sexual signals. She hadn’t believed it true. The man had never noticed her obvious attempts at seduction. How would he