The Scandalous Son Read Free

evening again.”
                  “I was wondering if you were free to dance the next set with me.”
                  “Why that would be delightful,” Alice beamed. “Mr. Albright, this is the Earl of Devonshire.”
    ”Good evening, Mr. Albright. You will no doubt enjoy dancing with this one. I know I most certainly have,” St. Vincent said as he lifted Alice’s hand and kissed it.
    Gage was silently fuming as he led Alice back to the dance floor. But once he took her in his embrace for the waltz that was starting, he forgot about everything except for her.
                  Being in Gage’s arms was like being in heaven. Alice silently wished that they could stay like this forever. She was positive that they were too close to each other and that his hand was too low on her back, but she didn’t care. His eyes were glued to hers. Those eyes were dark with some untold emotion. Alice had to look away before she did something stupid like kiss him again.
                  Trying to make her voice sound normal she said, “You are a wonderful dancer, Mr. Albright.”
                  “It’s all in who you choose for a partner.”
                  Alice smiled at his compliment, and at a loss for words, she simply enjoyed the beauty of their dancing.

Chapter Five
     
                  The sun was overcast, but it was still a beautiful day. Alice smelled the flowers as she made her way past them. Each had their own unique smell and it was a favorite game of hers to try to guess the flower from simply smelling it. She was in the process of deciding when her thoughts were interrupted by his voice.
                  “You make a lovely picture, just standing there with your eyes closed like your enjoying something private.”
                  Alice kept her eyes closed, not ready to face him yet. “What makes you think that I’m enjoying it?”
                  “Your lips,” he said as he ran his finger down her cheek. “They form this little half smile, like your keeping a secret just to yourself. Care to invite me in and tell me what you’re thinking?”
                  Alice opened her eyes and started walking again. “Some things are too precious to be shared.”
                  “Very true, Miss. Do tell me, how is the Earl these days? Quite well I assume?”
                  “There is something to be said for the solitude of a private walk in the garden, Mr. Albright,” Alice replied. “You never did mention what brought you out on such a fine day as this.”
                  Gage smiled, “Nothing but the pleasure of your company.”
                  It was Alice who laughed this time. “Ah, why yes, how could I forget. One might even go so far as to call you charming.”
                  Gage smiled in answer and watched as Alice paused at a white rose. She again closed her eyes and inhaled the perfumed scent. She then opened her eyes and proceeded forward. Gage continued to silently watch her as she repeated the action over and over again at each different flower.
                  It was then that an older woman walked by with another older lady and the two looked positively chummy together. They were too busy talking to even notice Gage’s arrival.
                  “And who would that be?” Gage asked after they were out of earshot.
                  “The one with the gray hair is my Aunt Millie, and the brunette is her neighbor, Maurine Bixby. Maurine is the neighborhood gossip.”
                  “Ah, well that explains it,” Gage smirked.
                  “My Aunt Millie has graciously offered to help me this season. You see, Aunt Millie and her husband never had any children, so when he passed he left all of his fortune to her,” Alice explained. “She