Love Between the Lines by Kate Rothwell

Author:Kate Rothwell [Rothwell, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Historical
Amazon: B00EJWZV8Q
Goodreads: 18335522
Publisher: K Rothwell
Published: 2013-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

Lizzy must not enjoy herself. She could not get caught up in the music and dancing and beauty. She must not ogle Sir Gideon’s form. It didn’t take much examination to conclude that the cut of his standard evening uniform—black trousers, black tailcoat over a gleaming white starched front, and low white vest—suited him.

He danced beautifully. She knew this because she could barely manage to move her feet under normal dancing conditions and now, with the way he held her firmly and moved with conviction, she felt practically graceful. Twirling through a lush fairy-tale setting.

All right. She’d let go, and for the rest of this dance she would pretend to be a standard sort of girl, sweeping across the polished floor. No, she’d be more than standard; she’d be the enchanting temptress who had found love at last.

Ugh. That was too much.

No stories, then. For the little time left in her brief holiday of a dance, she concentrated on the music and the feel of his arms around her. The music, the candles, the scent of hothouse roses… She shifted just a little closer so she might catch his scent.

“Don’t make a scandal of us,” he said. He sounded slightly breathless and not annoyed. Apologetic.

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s been years since I danced. I’m out of practice.”

“I understand you’ve expressed interest in the Ellen Miles case. What will you do? Visit her at the asylum?”

He’d broken her temporary spell. The man was supposed to talk about the flowers in her hair, the gossamer gown she wore, and her beautiful smile. Just for this dance.

“Not yet,” she said. She gave up on enjoying the moment and his presence and forced herself back into the more comfortable habit of hunting answers to tough questions. “I’m not sure what I should discover other than the fact that she’s mad, and I can see that from articles and transcriptions.”

Lizzy tried to rally her failing spirits as she talked, reminding herself she might not be able to indulge in the splendor of a ball, but her regular life was probably more interesting than that of the other young women in this room.

Sure, she’d left behind romance, but her world was filled with more interesting pursuits than say, for instance, the lovely Lady Edith’s. Of course, in a few months, Lady Edith would be the one in Sir Gideon’s arms. Only those two wouldn’t be wearing anything. He’d be naked, and he’d kiss Lady Edith the way he’d kissed Lizzy in his office.

Her legs seemed to weaken, and she stumbled. He easily steadied her. “Whoops,” she said.

“Would you like to stop dancing?” he asked, sounding concerned. “You do look flushed.”

How very odd. She hadn’t known lust would create a permanent blush. She shook her head. “I think the dance is ending, and Lord Petersly will be looking for me.”

“I’m not sure you can trust him.”

“Oh, I don’t. He’s more like a steam locomotive than even you. My first article will be about the nature of British gentlemen and how we’ve all been fooled into thinking they contain an ounce of reserve.

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