Surrender the Stars by Cynthia Challed Wright

Author:Cynthia Challed Wright [Wright, Cynthia Challed]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9780345334848
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 1987-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23

June 16, 1814

Ryan stared broodingly into his nearly empty snifter of cognac and listened to the spatter of raindrops against the windows of his bedroom and the wind howling through the chimneys of Grimley Court.

With tense fingers, he loosened his cravat and sent it sailing across the bed to lie atop his discarded jacket. The clock atop the mantelpiece struck midnight. On either side, candle flames guttered, then leaped as a fresh burst of wind found its way out through the fireplace. Ryan's mouth hardened. What was Lindsay doing?

When the boring dinner, followed by the obligatory ceremony of port and cigars for the men, had come to an end, the Earl and Countess of Grimley had retired and the rest of the sleepy guests gratefully followed suit. Hester had looked more reluctant, but she had little choice except to go with her husband. Lindsay and Dudley openly declared that they were not tired, then slipped away to the library, ostensibly to review the Grimley collection of books.

Now it was midnight. The house was quiet except for the sounds of the storm, yet Ryan had not heard Lindsay and Dudley come upstairs. Bitterly, he imagined the two of them in the darkened library. Were they lying on one of the great Chippendale sofas, kissing passionately? Unwilling to rein in his imagination, Ryan's rage smoldered and flared brighter by the moment. If that smarmy coxcomb dared to lay a hand on Lindsay...

Soft, girlish laughter drifted in from the hallway. Every muscle tensed, Ryan drained his cognac and slowly got to his feet. His own door was ajar and through it he saw them in the doorway to Lindsay's suite of rooms. Her hair was loosened, making a halo around her delicate face, and Dudley was bending over her. Ryan ignored the blush that suffused Lindsay's cheeks and the uneasy expression she wore as she endured the viscount's kiss. All he knew was that a white-hot rage possessed him at the sight of her being touched by another man. His emotions, fueled by the fine cognac, were too raw for Ryan to analyze—or subdue.

When Dudley wandered off dreamily in the direction of his own distant apartments beyond the chapel, Ryan waited to hear the faint click of his door, then entered the corridor. Reason was lost to him as he tapped once on Lindsay's door.

She opened it slightly while shaking out her long curls. "Dudley, you must—" Her voice broke off at the unexpected sight of Ryan.

The danger of being overheard was all the reason he needed to enter uninvited and close the door. "I want to talk to you. Privately."

"Don't be ridiculous! You can't barge in here at this hour of the night!"

"Really?" One black brow flew up sardonically. "I was under the impression I just did exactly that."

Lindsay backed away, all too aware of her vulnerability and the potency of his attraction. Her heart had felt bruised and numb ever since dinner, but her body responded traitorously to the sight of Ryan.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.