His Courtesan Bride (Brides of Mayfair 3) Read Free Page B

wore a gown of pale lavender silk, her arms clad in white gloves that stretched to the elbow. She fairly dripped in sparkling diamonds and amethysts. Her face was mature, but exquisitely beautiful. It wasn’t difficult to imagine emperors and princes falling at her feet, which, apparently, more than a few had done.
    “Handsome woman,” Havelock said. “Didn’t you say you’d met her once before, Dare?”
    “Yes, in Bath, just before the war,” he answered.
    Though Lady Night had been attached to a rich Marquess at the time, the beautiful courtesan had flirted with an impoverished young earl named Darius Manning who was about to go off and fight Napoleon. She had even let him taste a kiss or two, completely free of charge. When he’d left that soiree, he’d felt like a king. The memory of her kiss had sustained him on more than one occasion during his darkest days in the war. For that, he would always thank her.
    A mature woman, she was still breathtakingly beautiful. Though a few strands of grey appeared in her chestnut hair, it seemed to compliment the planes of her face—the high cheekbones, the intelligent blue eyes and full mouth. Legend had it she was now one of the richest women in the Kingdom; some of her fortune acquired through the generosity of her benefactors, and some through clever investments. Either way, Lady Night was a woman to remember. If her new protégée was anything like her, Dare mused, the men of London were about to be set into a tailspin from which they would never recover.
    Lady Night flashed an entrancing smile at her guests in the packed salon. “Gentlemen, thank you for coming to my little soiree this evening. I am delighted that you have chosen to attend what surely proves to be the most unforgettable night of the Season. Though I have tried to keep news of my protégée under wraps, there has been much speculation about her existence in the press, no doubt which many of you have read. Why, a recent article in The Sentinel advised ladies of the ton to insist that their husbands remove themselves to the country, so as to protect them from this corrupt creature of Lady Night’s creation. One article even suggested a most dreadful course of action: fleeing to the wilds of Scotland for safety!”
    At this, robust laughter rolled through the crowd.
    One man yelled out in a thick Scottish brogue, “I hail from Scotland, Lady Night, and I can tell ye, a Londoner would nae be safe up there, except for ye and yer bonnie lass we’ve come ta see!”
    More chuckles sounded at this, and Lady Night joined in as well. “Indeed,” she said. “A rather drastic scheme. And why? To deny you, the most powerful men in the kingdom, the chance to make the acquaintance of a beautiful, educated, fascinating young woman—a woman who is unlike any you have met before. Be warned, she is fiercely independent, highly intelligent, and selective. She knows what she wants and will settle for nothing less. On top of all that, she is a virgin…as yet untouched by the passion of a man, but skilled in the knowledge of how to stoke that fire. I know this description will alarm some of the gentlemen here tonight,” she said, with a sly look in her eyes, “but to the right man, one who is truly worthy of this exquisite creature’s company, these will be attributes that will increase the pleasure—and yes, gentlemen, there will be much pleasure—of their association.”
    Lady Night paused a moment, seeming to size up each man in the crowd before she continued.
    “Before I introduce you to my new friend,” she continued, “I ask that you remember two things: please keep the fisticuffs to a minimum, and duels, if they must be fought tonight, should be conducted on the East Lawn.”
    “That was quite the sales pitch,” Havelock said in a low voice. “I particularly liked the closing remarks. Genius, really.”
    Darius glanced at his friend, and said, “The thing about it is, if this girl is half as good as