Spellbound Read Free

Raven had been told she was very ill.
When she asked the duke about this and offered to help nurse her,
he had gravely informed her that his dear aunt was a hypochondriac
and needed nothing more than to have her bottles and powders taken
away for a time to prove it. Apparently, Meg had been right in her
confidential assessment.
    The duke himself was such a
grave, solemn man that Raven wondered why. He had not had a very
difficult life that she could tell but he seemed to exude a certain
disapproval of everyone and everything around him.
    Raven looked over at him
curiously, careful not to let any of her interest show. He was
regarding her with an expression almost of anger and she wondered
why. She did a mental check of her appearance. She wore her hair up
as fashion said she must, unusual for her, as she preferred to
leave the heavy tresses down. Her gown of pale blue complemented
her dark locks and made her dark skin seem golden in the
candlelight. She wore long gloves, wrinkled just so, and a tasteful
necklace of sapphires set in gold. Her brow furrowed slightly at
his look.
    He looked away, gazing
pointedly at his grandmother. “I believe Lady Rachael is looking
decidedly peaked after her journey, grandmother, and I would like a
word with her before she retires.”
    Raven sent him a
questioning look, which he resolutely ignored, while the dowager
rose to signal that dinner was over. The rest of the ladies rose as
one and left Raven alone with her “fiancé.”
    Windhaven signaled the
dismissal of all the servants with an imperious wave of his hand.
The footmen filed out, followed closely by the butler. In moments,
they were alone.
    “What the devil are you
about?” he demanded.
    Raven was stunned but she
didn’t show it. Instead, she replied mildly, “What do you mean,
your grace?”
    “I hired you—”
    Raven interrupted before he
said too much. “Is it wise, your grace, to discuss this here? The
walls do have ears, you know.” she remarked blandly.
    The duke stared at her in
disbelief.
    Raven sighed. “Your grace,
I realize that what I am about to propose is against all rules of
propriety but I feel it may be best. If you would like to discuss
anything of a personal nature with me, I request that we do so in
the privacy of one of our rooms. Since you and I know the truth of
our situation…” she let the words trail off, knowing he would grasp
that she could not truly be compromised since she was nothing more
than an actress.
    He seemed to mull this
over, his natural inclination to have his own way warring with the
wisdom of her request. “Very well,” he finally said. He rose to his
feet and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “I will
come to you in ten minutes.” He walked from the room with all the
confidence of his position in life and Raven felt an unaccustomed
pang of envy.

    He must have been crazy.
Did he actually hire an actress to play the part of a missing
woman? Lord, what was he thinking to allow this to even
continue?
    These and similar thoughts
ran through Lord Windhaven’s mind as he traversed the halls to the
apartment allotted to Raven. He paused outside her door, his hand
poised to knock. He took a deep breath and scratched at the hard
wood.
    The door opened
soundlessly. Raven stared up at him, her seductively beautiful face
set in lines of expectation but nothing else. She stood silently
aside as he entered and closed the door.
    Now that he was in her
presence, and enough time had passed to cool his anger, Windhaven
was unsure how to start. He had thought he had been reasonably
angry earlier, but now, he wondered.
    “Please sit, Lord
Windhaven, and tell me what I did at dinner this evening that so
displeased you,” Raven said in her pleasant, throaty
voice.
    He noticed she was still
dressed in her evening gown of blue silk, the fabric swirling
around her, showing glimpses of lush curves. He found himself
wondering what she looked like naked and was almost relieved at