Midnight Kisses (Midnight Series) Read Online Free PDF

excitement sent shivers down his spine.
    “Lord Weston, as you can see I’m trying to get a handle on my husband’s affairs, but since I took an interest in only a very few of his experiments and research studies, I find the sheer weight of his legacy overwhelming. Please, if you can find a chair somewhere in here that isn’t completely covered in books and papers, do take a seat.”
    In a helpless gesture that encompassed the entire room, she raised her hands before she herself pushed aside a stack of books and took a seat on the armrest of a fireside chair.
    “Thank you, Lady Langston. That’s very kind of you, but if you don’t mind, I prefer to stand. I have to say, I am impressed by this collection of ancient texts, even though I also have to confess that I don’t immediately follow your late husband’s method of organization.”
    Danielle laughed, and the entire room seemed to flood with her tender warmth.
    “Yes, I think even Matt didn’t quite follow his own method of organization,” she admitted freely, and Devlin found it hard to listen to her speak. Her smile transformed her entire face. It brought a sparkle to her eyes, which in turn made the pit of his stomach tingle. He had not anticipated her having such an effect on him. But on the other hand, he didn’t find it particularly surprising either, for—if he recalled correctly—even ten years ago he had noticed something special about this shy and nervous girl. Only he couldn’t quite put his finger on it—not then and not now.
    Suddenly feeling hot under the collar, Devlin loosened his neckerchief. Getting to the bottom of this should prove interesting.
    “Lord Weston, may I ask what has brought you here in this kind of weather?”
    “Well, to be honest, I was hoping you might tell me about your husband’s work, but as you mentioned before you didn’t take much pleasure in these things.”
    “No, I did not. That notwithstanding, it was often quite hard to dissuade Matt from talking about his work.”
    Devlin was smitten. She pulled one of the books closer to her, as if in passing, carelessly leafed through it, and put it down on another stack of books before looking him in the eye again. She was bashful, but her comportment did not show it; only her eyes gave it away. And Devlin suddenly knew why she was afraid of him. She too had remembered that night from ten years ago. How he would have loved to refresh his and her memory, what with her lips glistening in the sunlight like sweet, shiny honey. In fact, her mouth was so tempting that he preferred to sit down after all, for fear of forgetting himself and taking advantage of the situation.
    “Did he ever mention a painting to you with the title of Venus de Lavinium ?” Devlin desperately tried to remind himself of the actual reason for his visit.
    Danielle winced as if he’d slapped her.
    “The Venus ? What do you know about her? Were you speaking with Matt when you were visiting London?”
    “I’m not sure I follow. Unfortunately, I never had the pleasure of meeting your husband in person, but his reputation in the art world preceded him. May I assume from your reaction that he mentioned the Venus to you?”
    Danielle gave a disapproving snort.
    “Mentioned? In the weeks leading up to his death, he spoke of nothing else!”
    “Really. Well, are you able to tell me why he was so obsessed with it?”
    “In actual fact, his fascination with this painting started many years ago when he purchased a considerable number of very old scrolls from Central Italy. As it turned out, one of the scrolls was apparently written by Aeneas himself, son of Venus, the Roman goddess. It was the first time ever that Matt found a clue regarding the painting. Aeneas wrote that he had taken the portrait of his beautiful and influential mother with him to Lavinium, for the painting possessed almost the same powers as the goddess herself. He also wrote that he saw himself forced to disguise the painting so it