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Prologue

Warwickshire, 1824

Thefroe to the honey-colored castle on the lake One of the occupants of the castle, Da the road to the village, lured by the music in spite of himself

He was not a frivolous s For the past two years Da his faer brother and ailing father The responsibilities he had assumed did not allow tie by a mixture of curiosity and loneliness, and the need to be out of doors

A ilded in the ht of sunset as they danced around a tree that had been hung with ribbons and garlands Laughing, drinking, and singing, the villagers gathered to celebrate the pagan festivities of May Day, which would continue through the night

Unobtrusively Da darkened Torches and larass Although he had seen the May Day ritual many tiht of thestreamers around the maypole Gracefully they skipped in a circle, their hair croith circlets of flowers, their white skirts billowing around stocking-clad legs

Like the other irls It had been a long time since he'd had a woman Later, he had promised himself, he would take a mistress and enjoy the pleasures he had forsworn, but for now there was too much to be done If only he could rid himself of the inconvenient desire for a woman's touch, for the soft perfume of feminine skin, and the feel of slender ar the days he was too busy to dwell on the subject, but at night…

Dah He watched the revelry for a few minutes more, conscious of an e to return to the castle and indulge in a large snifter of brandy, he turned away All of a sudden, his attention was caught by a group of strolling players that had arrived to take part in the festivities Raising their voices in boisterous song, they joined the crowd and clapped their hands in time to the music

A few friendly villagers encouraged the newco irl with blond braids pinned to the crown of her head, shook her head adamantly The revelers persisted in spite of her refusal, pulling and pushing the girl toward the maypole Soh reluctantly as she followed the other arlanded tree

Dauishable by her dark dress and the grace hich she moved She seemed like a sprite who had suddenly appeared froe, the effect she had on hi, every sense focused on the sight of her and the high, sweet sound of her laughter

She's just a girl, he told hies that consuirl like any other But that wasn't true The strength of his reaction to her alarive all he owned for one night with her He was never vulnerable to sudden iic and reason It seemed that all the recklessness he had never allowed himself to feel had come over him in one moment

Dae of the croith the deliberateness of a predator, his gaze locked on her He wasn't certain what he intended to do, only that he had to be near her She was dancing faster now, driven by the irls who had joined hands with her Laughing, gasping for breath, she arland of flowers flew from her head and landed near Daers around it, unconsciously crushing sorant petals

Blotting her perspiring face with her sleeve, the girl wandered away fro hard in his chest Although he didn't make a sound, she must have sensed his presence She stopped and turned to face him, while the May Day crowd continued its revelry Da a scant foot away from her

“I believe this is yours,” he said thickly She looked up at hiuishable in the darkness The hint of a smile appeared on the tender curve of her lips

“Thank you” She reached for the flowers, her cool fingers brushing his for a split second He felt the shock of it all through his body

“Who are you?” he blurted out

The girl laughed, perhaps as startled by his bluntness as he was “I' company” She hesitated briefly “And you?”

He remained silent, unable to anshile the heady scents of crushed flowers, wine, and perspiration filled his nostrils and h his veins He wanted to tear her away from the crowd and carry her to the woods, bear her down to the daainst her pale skin, and unbraid her hair until it rippled between his fingers

The girl regarded hi her head to the side “You must be from the castle,” she said All at once her expression becaes?”

Da to detach hi in his past and future “I'htly hoarse “Just as you are”

She looked skeptical but seemed to relax

“Where are you from?” Damon asked

Her teeth flashed in the darkness He had never seen anything as beautiful as her smile “I don't choose to think aboutblond hair from, her forehead “Why did you co?”

“To find you”

A quiet laugh escaped her, and she tensed like a bird ready to take flight Sensing that she was about to slip away, Daht His hands ca her securely in spite of her startled protest “Let ers as they pressed against her downy cheeks He pressed his mouth to hers, and she became very still Her breath rushed hot and fast on his skin, while the taste of her spilled through his senses in an intoxicating rush He felt her response, and thethat had ever happened to him before

She turned her face away,a sound of confusion Daainst his, the nearness of her body They were both silent,close together

“Good night,” she whispered

“Don't go,” he said, but she strode away, see to melt into the crowd

Although Damon could have followed, he chose not to It seemed impossible that such a woman could be real In a way, he didn't want her to be Let her ree he could keep for the rest of his life, untouched by the unpleasant realities that crowded his days He left the May Day celebration, unable to rid his mind of the sudden intuition that soain

Chapter 1

London, 1825

She was late Julia quickened her pace, trying to keep her skirts froround, and at the same time shield her face from the persistent drizzle of cold autumn rain If she didn't reach the Capital Theatre soon, her hair and clothes would be soaked “My audition,” shepast the people on the broken, slippery sidewalk A once-jaunty yellow feather drooped down from the brim of her small hat, and she pushed it back impatiently

Today was one of the ht becoland However, if she failed to ian Scott with her talents, she would have to return to the grier there, Mr Bickerston, regarded the actresses as if they were prostitutes, turning a profit for hi for the to associate with a lecherous old baron who had been willing to pay an exorbitant fee for the privilege of bedding her “You'll obey er in the company The next time I find a man for you, you'll accept him or be damned!”