Page 39 of The Allure Of Lord Devlin
With a sudden, deliberate movement, he lowered his lips to hers, and the world seemed to stop. Their kiss was slow and tender, a promise of desire and a hint of longing. The room disappeared, the chatter vanished, and it was just the two of them, lost in the intoxicating magic of the moment.
When they finally broke the kiss, their breaths mingled in the air. Dharma’s cheeks were flushed, and her blue eyes were filled with a mixture of surprise and desire. Lord Devlin gazed at her with a mixture of admiration and a hunger for more.
“Dharma,” he said, his voice husky with desire, “Don’t give up on me yet. You know who I desire in my bed. Can you wait?”
She smiled, her eyes sparkling with newfound confidence. “Perhaps you might be worth waiting for.” She looked over her shoulder. “I should get back while Fiona is still engaged.”
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you mentioned Fiona slipped away while you were at Montague House? Were you going to tell me?”
She pressed a kiss to his lips and backed away from temptation. “Talk to Hawthorne. He can tell you all about her chat with a red-haired man.”
He pulled her back into his arms and whispered in her ear, his breath sending tingles down her spine. “Please don’t put yourself in danger. I couldn’t bear losing you.”
“I won’t lose you either.”
Then she was gone. Back to pretending the woman everyone was fussing over, and building a trousseau for, was someone she could ever like.
Fiona would not become Lady Devlin. On that, she swore.
She would free Devlin by helping to reveal that his father was framed.
ChapterEleven
The following night, Lady Longton’s ball was well attended, largely thanks to Lord Devlin. Everyone within society wished to meet the beautiful, rich, widow Mrs. McTavish while spitefully watching Lady Dharma’s reaction.
Dharma’s smile stayed firmly on her face until her cheeks were screaming. To her utter disappointment, the pair made a handsome couple.
“Now that he has a prosperous tin mine, it would appear Lord Devlin is no longer in need of a wealthy debutante for a wife. He obviously prefers someone more experienced.” The spiteful Lady Dorset laughed at Dharma as she breezed past with her two friends. The three debutantes loved the situation Dharma found herself in. From thetonfavorite to thetonlaughingstock. Philippa squeezed her hand.
“Pay them no mind. They are young and foolish. And cruel,” she added under her breath. “If Devlin could, he’d be here with you. We are so close to fulfilling his need to clear his family name.”
Philippa had learned Fiona did indeed have brothers from her discussion at the modiste this morning. So Fiona may not have a lover. Why would she risk losing Devlin with that deception? The man she met could be her brother or her hired accomplice. But it would appear Fiona had one catch in mind; being Lady Devlin was her goal.
The agony of the ball made Dharma want to scream. Instead, she dutifully played her part as a cast aside young lady and she flirted outrageously with the young bucks who were lining up to dance with her.
Soon Dharma had danced herself toward near exhaustion and still nothing had occurred that would throw light on the enemy. She made her way back to Philippa’s side, wishing this night was over.
Devlin had stayed by Fiona’s side all evening, accompanied by Rosemary and Hawthorne. They had planned it this way so that if Fiona slipped away, someone would be free to follow her. She watched Rosemary and Devlin take to the dance floor. Rosemary threw her a look and Philippa nudged her with her elbow.Finally.
As soon as the music started, they noticed Fiona allowed Lord Fencourt to escort her outside onto the terrace. “I feel like some air,” Philippa said, and the two ladies headed outside.
But once outside, the couple seemed to have vanished.
“You go down the stairs to the left. I’ll take the right. But be careful.”
“Absolutely not,” Philippa replied. “It’s far too dangerous and if caught alone, you… think of your reputation.”
“Then what should we do?”
“Nothing. We will hide in the shadows and see how long she is with Fencourt, or who she comes back with.”
Dharma wasn’t happy, but deep down inside Philippa was correct. If someone caught her alone in the gardens, she would be ruined.
They waited in the shadows until Dharma’s teeth chattered. The night had become quite cool. She was about to suggest they return inside when Philippa’s hand gripped her wrist. They could hear voices. But as they drew closer, it became obvious they were speaking in a language neither of the women understood. There were three voices.
Dharma peered through the bushes along the balustrade and saw Fiona, the man from the museum garden and… She drew in a sharp breath and stepped back. Lord Longton. Fencourt was nowhere to be seen.
They were all talking in a language she didn’t recognize. And it sounded like Lord Longton wasn’t happy.
