Married in Haste Read Online Free PDF Page B

of his league. But Brenn wasn’t. He leaned forward, placing his hand on the statue so that his fingers almost brushed hers but didn’t quite touch. “Do you wish a declaration?” he asked in the low, silky voice of a lover.
    Her reaction was immediate. Her lips parted slightly in surprise. He could see the outline of her nipples tightening. She crossed her arms against her chest and stepped back. “I doubt if we both are taking about the same sort of declaration, my lord.”
    “I thought you meant marriage,” he said with mock innocence.
    “I doubt that, sir.” She paused. “Perhaps I should return to the ballroom before my absence is noticed.”
    She started to leave but he reached out and caught her arm. “Don’t go.”
    For the space of several heartbeats, they took each other’s measure.
    He released his hold. “What do you want of me, Miss Hamlin?”
    She blinked, surprised. “Why do you believe I want anything?”
    “Intuition. A man learns to rely on his gut instinct in battle.”
    “And are we at war?” she asked archly.
    “The war between the sexes has gone on since time began.”
    She started to laugh, to hide behind practiced wiles, but then stopped. “You are like no other man I’ve ever met.”
    “In what way?”
    She leaned against the balustrade. “Most men would be less forthright. More given to poetry and nonsense. They believe my head can be turned with a few choice compliments. And they would have taken my hint by now and promised eternal devotion.”

    “I’m not a poet. But if I was, I don’t think I would wax on about the color of your eyes or the flame in your hair. I know I’d be ill-suited to describe the perfection of your figure, although I admit the freckles you attempt to hide with powder fascinate me.”
    Her hand come up to her nose. “Freckles aren’t fashionable.”
    “They’re adorable.” He leaned back, crossing his arms. “No, if I could write a poem, I would dedicate it to your intelligence. To the proud way you hold your head and the sparkle of life I see in the depths of your eyes. I’d probably write about the way you laugh. I know that once I hear your laughter, I will never forget it.”
    Her eyes had widened with each statement. She moved closer to the statue and Brenn knew that he had made an impact on her. “You have a lurid reputation, Miss Hamlin.”
    She didn’t pretend to mistake his meaning. “I’ve done nothing to encourage that reputation. Or discourage it. Men make fools of themselves with little assistance from me. But you are the first one to notice that I have wit as well as hair. Usually, they assume I’m brainless. They rarely even ask if I read.”
    “Do you read?”
    “I read in three languages, my lord, and thank you for asking.”
    He grinned. “I’m surprised. Tess Hamlin, Society’s darling, is a bluestocking.”
    Her eyes crinkled with laughter. She raised a finger to his lips to shush him. It was a spontaneous gesture and yet her touch sparked all sorts of indecent thoughts inside of him.
    “Don’t tell anyone,” she begged laughingly. “I have a good ear for languages. My sister-in-law insists I keep it secret or I will be ruined. My brother is too self-involved to even care. But my governess was an enlightened woman. She taught me to love knowledge. She believed that women are capable of all the best qualities attributed to men, including honor. What do you think of that statement, sir?”
    “I have known many honorable women.”
    “You have?” Miss Hamlin sat down on the balustrade beside him.
    “I have even known women willing to fight and die for their country.”
    “I would. If England were threatened, I would do battle.” She brushed her hand against Diana’s stone bow before looking at him. “You don’t laugh.”
    “I see nothing funny in the statement. I find it admirable,” he said truthfully.
    “Minnie was my governess’s name. She passed away several years ago, shortly before my father