Mary Blayney - [Pennistan 03] Read Online Free PDF Page A

more of her, as if another of a dozen veils had been lifted. Her full mouth with a pronounced dip in her upper lip, a strong, straight nose. Her brows dark arched wings.
    “Thank you.” She said the words but he heard more.
Do you really think that was enough?
    Not enough, the kiss made him realize that this accidental rendezvous had gone too far. How incredibly stupid it was to kiss a complete stranger.
    “So we will each struggle in our own way and find comfort where we can,” she added softly.
    Should he consider that as an invitation? Meryon wondered. He could not see her expression; she was staring at her hands again.
    “What we had is so rare, given and earned by so few. At least my Edward and your Rowena knew how much we loved them.”
    Her words shattered the camaraderie. Did Rowena know she was loved? He could not ever remember saying the words “I love you” to her. Not until she closed her eyes for the last time. She had smiled. Surely she had heard him. Please, please God, she had.
    Meryon stood up. “Good evening, madame. My apologies for the kiss. It is proof that we have been together too long and are begging to be discovered.”
    “Stop. Wait.” She followed him to the door. “What did I say?”
    “It was nothing you said.” The lie came easily. “I prefer no reminders of what I have lost.”
    “But you must remember,” she insisted.
    “No, I do not. I bid you good evening.” Meryon bowed and left the room.
    E LENA V ERANO WENT back to the settee and sat with a graceless thump, her fingers pressed to her lips. He
must
have taken offense at something, but she could not imagine what. They had seemed so
simpatico
. When he spoke, he gave voice to her very thoughts.
    That most tender of kisses had proved to her that her heart would heal, the pain would fade, if only because his one kiss had not been enough, not nearly enough. But then the best of kisses always left one wanting more.
    Elena stood and circled the room, pausing at a window that looked out onto the street. It was quiet, except for the coachmen talking in clusters.
    Waiting, waiting. That was how she had felt since she came to England. She had been waiting for her world to right itself, to move forward with a new sense of purpose. Now, she thought, this meeting might be the beginning of that change.
    He had a bearing that spoke of wealth and privilege, like that of her brother when she last saw him. Her shadowed companion was naturally solemn. Even though she could not see his eyes, if eyes were the mirror of the soul, then she knew his would be filled with unhappiness. His continued mourning made that an easy guess.
    With a deep breath, she calmed herself and began the series of exercises of both mind and voice that would make this first appearance in England a pleasure rather than a torture. She had yet to decide exactly what to sing of the songs she had practiced.
    There was a tap at the door and for the barest of seconds Elena thought he had come back. But he would not knock.
    “Elena?”
    She knew that voice. “Yes, William. Come in.”
    Viscount William Bendasbrook entered the room, bringing with him a burst of sound from the party and his own exhausting energy. At something less than five feet tall he somehow managed to carry the air of a man to be reckoned with.
    He made no comment about the dark, but stood beside her.
    “I knew when you asked for an empty room that you wanted to be alone for a while. Then it occurred to me that you might need some cheering up. Besides, it’s almost time for you to sing.”
    “No. I have at least another twenty minutes. I will prepare my voice and then join you.”
    He ignored the hint to leave. “So now we are alone together. Are you worried about your reputation? Shall I light a candle at least?” He found a flint and lit a candle on the mantel.
    “As if one lit candle would make a difference to The Gossips.” She moved back to the settee. “You are a rogue, William, but I will risk