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“I wonder what brought her out at this hour, in this dreadful weather?” Dariell’s tone carried a hint of amusement “Well, is she to catch her death of cold or will you permit her to come in?”

Miles wasn’t sure if he could trust himself with the lady, not while she was in such a state of dishabille But he couldn’t very well leave her outside in the rain

He stepped forward and their gazes locked The power of it hit him hard in the chest, harder than any punch he’d received froether He could feel nature’s force vibrating in the air Nothing could prevent their inevitable union

“You are drawn to her, neur,” Dariell said softly “Miss Lovell, she is your raison d’être”

“My what?” Miles cast his friend a sidelong glance

“Whether you know it or not, she is your reason for being”

Dariell’s comment did more than wash over Miles It penetrated his skin, seeped into his bones And there lay the truth of it Could aa woman? Could he surrender his heart when he hardly knew her? It didn’t make sense to him, and yet a woman he had known for days had suddenly become his world

Since that first ate, he’d known Miss Lovell was special, known that somehow their destinies were entwined But these e he could co he’d ever felt before

Miles shook his head in an effort to focus on the htdress as she hurried down the terrace steps

“Ah, she does not knohat she means to you,” Dariell said as Miles raced to the doors “The voices in her head tell her it cannot be Yet it is what our Persian friends call kiso!”

Despite the rain and his lack of clothing, Miles threw open the door and rushed down the steps in pursuit Thunder crashed overhead It wasn’t safe outdoors Miles stared through the downpour and across the lawn at the spectre-like figure racing ahead

Where the hell was she going?

“Miss Lovell,” he called out to her “Wait”

What was she running froht, and in such a state of undress only to bolt? What had happened at Dunnaer filled his chest If that dandy had laid a hand on her—

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