The Chevalier Read Online Free Page A

something like that.”
    “Why not if it is so?”
    “First, because it gives the fellow the upper hand, and second, that was a very naughty kiss and you should probably have slapped my face.” He felt himself becoming very annoyed with her. Did she have no common sense at all?
    “Very well, I appreciate your advice. Is there anything else that I should know?”
    “Yes, be very careful to stay with your chaperone at all times, Mademoiselle. Go back to the ball now. If anyone so much as suspected that you were out here with me, your reputation would be compromised.”
    “Perhaps it is your reputation that worries you, Colonel, for I suspect being seen with someone like me might be embarrassing for you.”
    I want to strip you of your clothing. I want you lying naked beneath me . Where had that thought come from? And right in the middle of a supposedly civilized flirtation. But then again, his veneer of sophistication was stretched very thin. He was burning with desire for the girl. If he were honest with himself as he generally was, he would have to admit the girl caused him to feel an intense hunger, like a starving man beholding a magnificent banquet.
    He watched as she returned to the ball. Her white satin gown whispered as she walked. How could she look so sweet and so sensual all at the same time? The girl was an amazing paradox, he decided.
    Strange how she reminded him of his sister Gwenda. Not that the two girls looked anything alike physically, but Gwen was always surprising him with her remarks too. What would Gwen think of Madeline de Marnay? Probably, he decided, the two of them would get on famously, and, he supposed, Gwen was only about a year younger then Madeline. He might have a brotherly talk with his own sister. Would Gwenda kiss a stranger with as much passion as Madeline had displayed? He hoped not, shuddering at the thought yet still burning with need.
    As he stood enjoying the full moon above and the glitter of starlight, his eyes caught a white object on the ground and he reached down. It was a woman’s pearl bracelet. He recognized immediately that it must belong to Madeline. Still, he couldn’t very well simply hand it back to her inside; that would only draw gossip. He would have to pay a discreet visit to her townhouse, preferably in the morning when few people were about. Whatever else, he did not wish to endanger the girl’s reputation. She might not understand the importance of it now, but she would be grateful for his discretion when the business of husband-hunting became more strongly fixed in her mind. He placed the small bracelet in his inside pocket and smiled to himself. The thought of seeing the girl again did not repulse him in the slightest.
    When he returned to the ball, Emily fixed a look of annoyance on him. “Where have you been?”
    “Enjoying the moon and stars,” he replied tersely.
    “You might have invited me along.”
    “I will later.”
    She gave him an inviting look. “Good, I believe I’ve done my duty here. We can leave as soon as I’ve said goodbye to our hostess.”
    The fact that she was at least eight to ten years older than he and married besides was of no consequence – all of his ladies were experienced. He preferred them that way – only not too experienced. He was not quite the rake everyone seemed to think. Even when he was away with his regiment, he did not use women of easy virtue to satisfy his lust. He had no need of the pox that plagued so many soldiers.
    Gareth felt as if he were being watched, and when he glanced across the room, he found Madeline looking at him. Under the candlelit crystal chandeliers, he could see her more clearly. She was a beautiful girl, a wonder really. Her high cheekbones were stained the color of a pink sunrise, her soft skin white as milk, in total contrast to her glossy midnight hair. He itched to touch the velvet skin that swelled enticingly above the bodice of her gown.
    She wore neither wig nor powder, and he