An Accidental Affair Read Online Free PDF Page B

girl was ruined and no marriage proposal came of it.
    Yet when he had determined her intent to break up the lovers, he had not been able to abandon her to the task alone. That ungrateful niece of hers might pretend to be proper when society was watching, but she was beyond the pale when it came to men. Lady Cecily was hell-bent on her wild rebellion. He didn’t know what Laurence was thinking to court such a scandal-loving girl. He supposed it was for the money to be found in her dowry. Little could be said for her connections, save for the pleasure of Arabella’s company.
    Merrick started back the way he’d come, fighting to return his pulse to normal before he spoke with Arabella. Laurence was a fool. A man in love did not maul an innocent girl in a dark garden, even if stridently encouraged to do so. He treated her as if she were precious and with the utmost respect. The girl was encouraging her own ruin and Laurence was likely a means to an end.
    He stopped three steps away from Arabella, maintaining a discreet, respectable distance. She was so beautiful that his heart skipped a beat. He barely believed she’d been in his arms, even unwittingly. He was ashamed to have acted so rashly. “He won’t bother her again, I give you my word.”
    The pale wisps of hair peeking from beneath her turban appeared as a glow about her soft skin like a halo of an ethereal siren. “Thank you. I am very much obliged to you.”
    “My pleasure, my lady.” After a long moment of silence, he wrenched his gaze from her and checked the terrace to see that they remained observed together. Thankfully there was no harm done so far. “You should return to the ballroom,” he murmured gently.
    “Wait.” She moved closer a step. When she stopped, he found it pleasant, despite the frown that had appeared, to look into a face that matched his in height. Arabella was quite tall compared to most women and very lovely. It was a shame his rash act had revealed he was still the rogue society thought him to be.
    “I am sorry for any trouble my niece may cause between you and your cousin,” she said suddenly.
    He shrugged away her concern, noticing she didn’t appear at all put out with him. “Hardly a day goes by when someone in the family isn’t irritated with the other. The difficulty will amount to nothing. Laurence is to return to his ship next week and will likely return to action soon after. I’m sure if their affections are merely infatuation, they will pass soon enough.”
    “So soon? I will pray for his safe return,” she whispered.
    Merrick drank in her beauty and good nature for a long, selfish moment. A woman of her character would not choose to be with him unless forced to. If anyone learned of their kiss, she would be cast in an altogether unflattering light. She likely knew being in his company for any length of time might tarnish her reputation and should draw away, but for the moment it seemed she had forgotten. It was nice to stand before a proper woman without caution shadowing her eyes.
    But the moment could only be fleeting. The impulses of youthful exuberance and excess of living were a part of his history that he could never shake. Everyone had expected him to live up to his father’s reputation as a scoundrel, and he had to a small degree. Only now was he regretting that his behavior made it likely he would never have a chance with a woman like Arabella. He steeled himself to return to his admiration from afar and think of her reputation first. “After you. Please.”
    She stared at him a long moment before she dipped a perfect curtsey and then hurried up the steps and disappeared into the ballroom without a backward glance. Her poise was something he admired, along with the sway of her long body when she moved. Quite mesmerizing, really. The woman had to be almost as tall as he was—her legs would likely go on forever. He halted at the railing and faced the dark gardens, struggling to reorder his thoughts and