An Affair of Honor Read Online Free PDF Page A

The extraordinary breadth of shoulder gave the dark gentleman the appearance of being slightly top-heavy, but the buckskins did nothing to conceal the rippling muscles in his thighs and calves, so one could not doubt that his long legs would capably support his magnificent torso.
    Nell realized she was revealing unmaidenly curiosity by staring at the gentleman’s fine form and, with heightened color, lifted her gaze to his face. His thick, dark hair was brushed forward so that tapering locks and heavy sidewhiskers framed his tanned, strong-featured countenance. His jaw was pronounced, and the chin that rested upon the well starched folds of his neatly tied cravat gave the appearance of being firm to the point of stubbornness. His wide, straight mouth was, in Nell’s opinion, well formed, though his lips showed a marked tendency to twitch just as her gaze came to rest upon them. Hastily, she forced herself to look away, noting only the way his dark brows seemed to knit together in a natural frown above deep-set hazel eyes and high, well-defined cheekbones before she smiled an absent-minded welcome at her sister and the Earl Crossways. Nevertheless, a sharp tug at her memory seemed to suggest something familiar about the stranger’s face. It was Clarissa’s high-pitched laughter that finally recalled her to her senses.
    “Really, Nell, you look quite bemused. I told Huntley you would remember him, but he was as sure as he could be that you would not.”
    “Huntley?” Uncertainly, she looked back, only to find her gaze locked with a pair of twinkling eyes. The memory chord was plucked again, but the memory itself eluded her.
    “Yes,” Clarissa replied, clearly delighted. “Mama … Nell, forgive my manners, won’t you, and pray allow me to make known to you the seventh Earl of Huntley, our darling child’s betrothed husband.”
    Nell was still perplexed. The name meant nothing to her.
    “Philip Radford at your service, Miss Lindale.” He bowed, watching her closely with a lurking twinkle still evident in those deep-set eyes. His voice was low and a little gruff, but having heard it she wouldn’t have needed the name to guide her. She remembered the voice, and the sound of it took her back over the years to her own short-lived social whirl.
    Making her curtsy, she awarded him a dazed smile, striving to conceal the mixture of emotions washing over her at the memories his voice had stirred, and trying at the same time to discover a hint of the boyish face she remembered beneath the heavy sidewhiskers and the thick mop of hair. At that moment the penny dropped.
    “Did you say Lord Huntley and Rory are to be wed?” she asked, astonished to hear her own voice firm and clear.
    “Indeed, yes,” Clarissa replied. “Philip and Crossways signed all the necessary papers before we left home, but our darling has insisted upon a proper come-out, and Huntley has kindly agreed to indulge her wishes. Fortunately, he has business in the area, so it will be an excellent opportunity for them to become better acquainted, will it not?”
    “Indeed.” Nell’s voice did not sound quite so firm this time. She glanced doubtfully at her mother.
    “I should think they would already know each other if they are betrothed,” that lady stated, putting Nell’s own thoughts into words.
    “Well, we don’t, Grandmama,” said the Lady Aurora flatly, speaking for the first time. Nell’s eyes were brought to focus upon her niece at last. Though she could still see vestiges of the ragtail hoyden of bygone years in the slightly narrowed, golden eyes and the stubborn tilt to the pointed little chin, she had to admit that Rory had turned out better than anyone might have dared to hope five years before. She was taller than Nell, and her slim-skirted, spotted muslin frock concealed none and, in fact, emphasized all of her slender, well-curved young body, from her high, full breasts to her rounded hips and long, tapering thighs. Her thick golden