Vexed by a Viscount by Erin Knightley

Author:Erin Knightley
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2015-08-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Warm, surprisingly humid air caressed Prudence’s skin as she slipped out the little-used door in her father’s study and onto the terrace. The rain today had nearly ruined her plans, but it had finally stopped around dinnertime, and when the clouds parted by bedtime, she had breathed a sigh of relief.

She would dance tonight, by Jove, albeit with wet feet.

Even as her heart beat wildly with the small but still real possibility of being caught, she couldn’t contain her excitement for attempting something so daring. She’d never in her life snuck out of her own house. She’d never even had reason to leave her room past bedtime. This little outing was the very definition of breaking free of her parents’ rules.

She grinned, savoring the feeling. She rather liked the idea of being just a little bit wicked. Of course, it helped that no one was the wiser. If she thought that she was disappointing someone, it would have leached all the fun from the night.

Her bare fingers skimmed the wet iron railing as she hurried down the stairs and into the rose garden. The scent of the summer blooms enveloped her, and she couldn’t help but smile. The last time she had been in the garden, Ash had been at her side.

She pressed her lips together, allowing herself to picture him in the way she wasn’t supposed to—as an attractive, virile, more-than-appealing young man. Just for a moment. It wouldn’t do to allow her mind to wander too far down that path. As much as she liked him, as much as it made her stomach dance to speak with him, and made her heart pound to see him, he was just a friend.

Since each of them was betrothed to another, it was all he could ever be.

She followed the winding gravel path toward the gate to the lawn, her slippers barely making a whisper as she moved. The barefoot part of the evening would begin after she emerged onto the lawn, where the possibility of stepping on rocks or sticks declined significantly. She wanted to be free, not bruised-footed.

The white light of the moon illuminated the grounds quite handily, bright enough to cast shadows even. She would have known her way through the garden blindfolded, but there was a certain security to being able to see. After the murky water debacle, she preferred to know what was around her. Nothing was going to jump out and scare her now—

“Good evening.”

Prudence gave a short shriek as her hands flew to her throat. Mercy! Almost at once she recognized that the soft, low voice belonged to the viscount, not that her still-racing heartbeat acknowledged it. “For heaven’s sake, Ash—you scared the daylights out of me,” she gasped, lightheaded from the sudden surge of fear that had careened through her.

Though she could barely see him, she knew exactly where he was: sitting on the bench beneath the old oak tree. He was just an inky spot against the shadows, little more than a figment of her imagination.

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