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As if he sensed her presence, he glanced in her direction A questioning frown touched his brow, and his head tilted slightly in concentration Julia tried to look away, but he wouldn't let her, his gaze locked steadily on her face Filled with sudden panic, she turned and began to walk away in controlled strides However, it was too late He cut across her path and reached her, forcing her to stop or risk bu into him
Julia's heart thuaze and stared into the ray and ruthlessly intelligent, fraled at the outside corners
“You look fah his voice lacked the rich, winelike clarity of Logan Scott's voice, it held a pleasantly husky undertone
“Do I?” Julia could barely force the words froe”
He continued to stare at her, while all she could think was You're my husband…my husband…
Da woman who stood before him The music and colorful profusion of the ball seeround as he studied her face He knew they had never been introduced—God kneould never forget a woly faown, holding herself with a regal poise that would not admit any hint of uncertainty Her face see to a real woled deeply over the soft curves of cheek and jaw Most rereen eyes…they could have belonged to a fallen angel, virginal, soft, and yet sadly familiar with the ways of the wicked world
Perhaps you've seen e, she had said
“Ah,” he said softly “You er than he had expected of the popular actress, whose is, prints, and engravings The public ild over her, as were the critics, lauding her attractiveness and skill She had undeniable talent, but more than that, it was her war her instantly fa
But that creature was a world apart fro woman who stood before him now It seeht of the heavy blond braids that were twisted and pinned at her nape He wasn't aware of reaching for her hand, nor of her offering it, but suddenly her gloved fingers were in his As he raised the
Questions raced through hishere alone? Unconsciously he hten the wary creature before him “May I be of service, madam? I'm—”
“Yes, I know You're the Marquess of Savage” All at once her face had changed, a social s to her lips She withdrew her hand “My theater er, Mr Scott, desired ht be able to convert you into a patron of the Capital”
Surprised by her directness, Damon didn't return her smile as he replied “You're welcome to try, Mrs Wentworth But I never waste money on frivolous pursuits”
“Frivolous? Don't you believe that people need to escape into the world of the theater every now and then? A play can ined before Soed afterward, and they regard their lives in a neay…that's hardly frivolous, is it?”
He shrugged casually “I have no need of an escape”
“Don't you?” She stared at him even more intently, if that was possible “I don't believe that, my lord”
“Why not?” No woman had ever dared to speak so boldly to hi him If she did want money froetting it
A flush crept over her neck and up to her cheeks, as if she were struggling to suppress some powerful emotion “I've never met a person who is co ould like to change, or forget”
Damon was very still, his head inclined toward hers She seeht He had to fight the urge to reach out and take hold of her, and keep her with hi vibrated in the air between them…some elusive awareness that tantalized hiet?”
A long silence passed “A husband,” she whispered, her lashes veiling her blue eyes
Julia didn't knohat had driven her to say such a thing Horrified by her recklessness, she gave him a quick curtsy and slipped away into the crowd before he had a chance to react “Wait—” she thought she heard hinored him and fled the ballroom
Danition seared across his brain He reirl dancing in the torchlight She had been an actress with a co players, and he had stolen a kiss from her There was no doubt it was she, and that soain had finally come true “My God,” he said under his breath
Stunned by the stroke of good fortune, Damon stared at the place where she had stood before hiather his wits, he became aware of Lady Ashton's approach Her hand drifted possessively across his sleeve “Darling” Her smooth purr caressed his ear “Apparently you've made a new acquaintance She hurried away before I could reach you You must tell me as said between you and Mrs Wentworth! Oh, don't frown like that—you know I' you do You have no secrets fro”
“I may have one or two,” he muttered
Pauline's dark eyes were questioning, her red lips arranged in a pout “Did she make a play for you?”
“She asked if I would become a sponsor for the Capital this season”
“And naturally you refused”
“Why do you assume that?”
“Because you never part with a shilling unless it's absolutely necessary”
“I'enerous with you,” he pointed out
“Yes, which is absolutely necessary in order to retain my affections”
Daaze sweeping over her voluptuous figure She was dressed in a sea-green gown h in an opulent display Her full hps were outlined by a skirt orna
“Tellup to sesture would be noticed by everyone around them “What was she like?”
Damon searched in vain for an appropriate word to describe the woed helplessly
Pauline's lips gathered in a petulant frown, and she tossed her head until the emerald plume fastened in her dark curls bobbed merrily “Well, I've no doubt she's like every other actress, willing to lift her skirts for every man she meets”
Wryly Daht that Julia Wentworth's behavior was likely no different than Pauline's, except that Pauline believed her bloodlines made her superior “She didn't appear to be promiscuous”