Indiscretion Read Free Page B

could barely smile.
    His reappearance in her life could only signify the worst sort of trouble.
    Queen Victoria had not summoned them here to exchange pleasantries. Had the scandal of their fleeting association become known? Would they be censured, banished, forced to explain? As far as Anne knew, no other living soul was aware of what they had done.
    She stared at the cradle and thought of all the children she would never have; she had no wish to be entrapped in marriage in the near future. She thought of the man standing next to her, and she could feel the heat of his body stealing into her skin. Seven years had carved interesting lines in his face. His complexion was dark, from recent travels to some exotic land, and Anne remembered David mentioning that Patrick had entered some kind of foreign trade, but Anne had not questioned him on the subject. She had not dared give her secret away by revealing any interest whatsoever in Patrick.
    "Lord Glengramach," the Queen said warmly. "The trade winds obviously agree with you. Does your fellow Highlander not cut a dashing figure, Anne?"
    She fought a wave of light-headedness. She doesn’t know —she caught the look Patrick threw her. "I … I really hadn't noticed, Your Royal Highness ."
    "Not noticed?" The Queen's round face took on a faintly surprised expression. Victoria might be high-minded, but she was young, and it was a well- known fact that she appreciated a fine specimen of manliness, especially if that specimen was a Scot, a people she had recently come to admire for their wry humor and honesty.
    "But he is a hero, Anne. Have you not heard that he almost gave his life in our defense in Bermuda?"
    Anne had heard, all right. In fact, three years ago, when Patrick had returned from Bermuda suffering from a fever, she had rushed to his side at his father's house, abandoning her husband and friends. It had been the height of madness to visit him, but she'd thought he was dying, and she had wanted to see him one last time, perhaps to prove to herself that what they had shared was well and truly dead. It had been her only foolish lapse since their indiscretion; she'd barely spoken to him after that, and her unsuspecting husband had actually commended her kindness. Yet in an odd way Patrick was family. By marrying his cousin, she had made them both a part of her life.
    "I have heard of his bravery, ma'am," she said in a polite but detached voice.
    The Queen motioned them both to sit before her, leaning forward to speak. "I have embarrassed her, Lord Glengramach, and that is perfectly proper. You are distantly related to each other, are you not?"
    "Lady Whitehaven was married to my second cousin, who died two years ago, Your Royal Highness," Patrick answered, arching his brow at the way Anne sat on the opposite end of the gilt sofa to avoid touching him.
    "You have the most unusual blue eyes," the Queen told him unexpectedly. "So like my dear husband's, the eyes of an angel."
    An angel? Anne all but let out a roar of outrage. If only the Queen knew—but Anne could never reveal his true nature without revealing her own. Patrick was the darkest angel to disgrace heaven's door.
    He turned to look at her. "Are you choking, Lady Whitehaven?" he inquired, so concerned she could have killed him.
    "Perhaps she needs a light tap on the back," the Queen suggested.
    A devilish light glowed in his eyes. "Shall I tap you, Lady Whitehaven? I'm good with my hands."
    "I … I—"
    I'm good with my hands, Anne.
    You're good with everything, you devil.
    Aye, I know. Open your legs wider. I don't think you screamed loud enough when you came the first time.
    "Keep your hands to yourself," she blurted out.
    The Queen gave her a quizzical look. "Is something amiss?"
    Anne felt Patrick gazing at her in amusement. The man had seen her naked. She swore that even now those blue eyes of his could look through not only her clothes but through seven years of propriety and hiding secrets and overcoming. He