Once Upon a Wager Read Free Page B

by thoughts of Alec, she walked directly into a small group of men who were newly arrived. One of them caught her with his arms, steadying her before she could knock both of them down. Glancing up at the blunt-featured man, she offered a hasty apology and spun away. He called after her, but she was in no mood to speak with strangers. She headed into the castle’s elaborate gardens and the swiftly descending darkness.
    Passing clipped boxwoods and yews set in a pattern dating to Elizabethan times, she followed a gravel path into the heart of the gardens where a Roman folly stood, reflected in a semicircular ornamental pond, her fountain at its center. The pond was filled with gold and silver fish, and as a child, she’d loved watching sunlight shimmer on their scales through the water. Several bubbled to the surface at her approach, hopeful and expectant, but tonight, she had nothing to offer but a half smile.
    There was a bench hidden behind the folly, and she took a seat there. Her collision had wreaked havoc with the elaborate coiffure her maid, Mary, had created. Annabelle fumbled with an errant clip, but that sent another wave of heavy hair tumbling over her shoulders. It wouldn’t do to be seen in this state. She could only imagine what Alec would think. At least, the new Alec. The one who was so stuffy. Thankfully, though, she was alone.
    Until quite suddenly, she was not.
    “I was sure my eyes had deceived me, but they did not. You are exquisite.”
    The voice belonged to a strange man, his approach almost silent in the soft grass. Annabelle merely edged further into the shadows. “Sir, I don’t wish to be rude, but I would prefer to be alone.”
    “But your beauty holds me spellbound,” he said easily, as if he’d practiced the line.
    She looked up. It was the blunt-featured man. He had light brown hair and pale gray eyes, and while she could not guess at his age, he was far older than she. “This is hardly the time for false flattery. And the party is that way.” She pointed needlessly toward the house.
    He moved slowly toward her. “What is your name?”
    “As you well know, it would hardly be proper for me to say. We’ve not been introduced.” Nor should she be alone with him here in the dark.
    “Such becoming modesty.” He smiled, flashing uneven teeth. “But I insist on knowing who you are.” He took another step closer as he slowly withdrew the glove covering his left hand. “Tell me, my dear, if I trailed my fingers down your cheek, would your skin be as soft as it appears?”
    So he was that sort of man. “You should know that I always carry a small pistol on my person,” she said, her voice impressively calm. “Just in case an unfortunate situation like this one should arise.”
    “Really?” His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “Why don’t I feel my hands along your body, and see if I can discover the place where you’ve hidden it?”
    “Touch her,” another voice ground out, “and I will break both of your arms.”
    Alec. He’d followed her, after all. He was suddenly towering over the stranger.
    “Carstairs, what an unpleasant surprise. The lady and I are having a private discussion.”
    Ignoring him, Alec turned to face her. “Are you all right?” Taking in her disheveled appearance, he added tersely, “Has he hurt you in any way?”
    “No, I am fine,” Annabelle replied, masking her relief. “I merely needed some fresh air.”
    “I meant no harm,” the man said, raising his hands in mock surrender. “I was merely engaging in an innocent flirtation with a desirable woman.”
    “She’s little more than a child,” Alec bit out. And as offended as she was by his comment, this didn’t seem like a time to argue.
    “She is hardly a child, Carstairs,” the man drawled. “If she were, I doubt you’d be treating me to such a manly display.”
    She could sense the tension in Alec. He was keeping his temper in check, but just barely.
    “Who are you?” Annabelle asked.